Historical fiction; historical fiction books for children and adults by G. A. Henty, R. M. Ballantyne, Douglas Bond, Tracy Craven and more.

What is historical fiction?  To the devout historian, historical fiction rings of an oxy-moron.  Can it be useful in teaching history to our children?  Absolutely!  Historical fiction can range from actual historical events from the eyes of one or two fictional characters, to completely fictional stories in a historical setting.  On this page, you will find both.  G.A. Henty and Douglas Bond write of actual historical events from the eyes of fictional characters, while R. M. Ballantyne and Tracy Craven write fictional stories in historical settings such as in Tracy Craven’s “Kathleen McKenzie” series.

Readers of historical fiction books learn much detailed history while being entertained and taught by exemplary heroes.  While one might read a section of a history book concerning, for example, the conquering of Mexico by Spain, most such accounts are dry and shallow in comparison with a fictional account of the primary happenings and of the way of life of the people caught up in those events.  So yes, historical fiction books for children can be a useful tool in the home educator’s bag of tricks, while Christian historical fiction even adds the teaching of a Christian value system to your child’ education.