Things for Teens - Book Lists

Civil War and Slavery Historical Fiction for Teens

The words Teen, Children and Adult let you know where in the library you can find the book.

47 by Walter Mosley – 2005 - Teen

Number 47, a fourteen-year-old slave boy growing up under the watchful eye of a brutal master in 1832, meets the mysterious Tall John, who introduces him to a magical science and also teaches him the meaning of freedom.

Across the Lines by Carolyn Reeder – 1997 - Children
Edward, the son of a white plantation owner, and his black house servant and friend Simon witness the siege of Petersburg during the Civil War.

Copper Sun by Sharon Draper – 2006 - Teen

Two fifteen-year-old girls--one a slave and the other an indentured servant--escape their Carolina plantation and try to make their way to Fort Moses, Florida, a Spanish colony that gives sanctuary to slaves.

Day of Tears by Julius Lester – 2005 – Children

Emma has taken care of the Butler children since Sarah and Frances's mother, Fanny, left. Emma wants to raise the girls to have good hearts, as a rift over slavery has ripped the Butler household apart. Now, to pay off debts, Pierce Butler wants to cash in his slave "assets", possibly including Emma.

Dear Austin: Letters from the Underground Railroad – 1998 - Children
In 1853, in letters to his older brother, eleven-year-old Levi describes his adventures in the Pennsylvania countryside with his black friend Jupiter and his experiences with

the Underground Railroad.

The Heart Calls Home by Joyce Hanson – 1999 - Teen
After the Civil War, former slave Obi Booker tries to make a new life on a South Carolina island while waiting to be joined by his beloved Easter, who is studying in the North. Sequel to “Out from this Place”.

Hearts of Stone by Kathleen Ernst – 2006 Teen

When her father goes off to join the Yankee troops, fourteen-year-old Hannah fears her family will be torn apart by the Civil War. But nothing prepares her for her mother’s sudden death. Hannah finds herself responsible for keeping the young family together in a world where even her best friend sympathizes with the Confederacy.

How I found the Strong by Margaret McMullan – 2004 - Children

Frank Russell, known as Shanks, wishes he could have gone with his father and brother to fight for Mississippi and the Confederacy, but his experiences with the war and his changing relationship with the family slave, Buck, change his thinking.

Iron Thunder by Avi – 2007 - Children

Tom's job as an assistant to Captain John Ericsson, the inventor of the Monitor, makes him a target of Confederate spies and a witness to the ships famous battle with the Merrimac.

Jip: His Story by Katherine Paterson - 1996 – Children
While living on a Vermont poor farm during 1855 and 1856, Jip learns his identity and that of his mother and comes to understand how he arrived at this place.

Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane – 1895 - adult
As he faces battle in the Civil War for the first time, a young Union soldier gains maturity and some peace of mind as he comes to grips with his conflicting emotions.

The River Between Us by Richard Peck – 2003 - Teen
During the early days of the Civil War, the Pruitt family takes in two mysterious young ladies who have fled New Orleans to come north to Illinois.

Sarah's Ground by Ann Rinaldi – 2004 - Teen

In 1861, eighteen-year-old Sarah Tracy, from New York state, comes to work at Mount Vernon, the historic Virginia home of George Washington, where she tries to protect the safety and neutrality of the site during the Civil War.

Sarny: a Life Remembered by Gary Paulsen - 1997 - Teen
Continues the adventures of Sarny, the slave girl Nightjohn taught to read, through the aftermath of the Civil War during which time she taught other Blacks and lived a full life until age ninety-four.

Silent Thunder by Andrea Davis Pinkney – 1999 - Children
In 1862 eleven-year-old Summer and her thirteen-year-old brother Rosco take turns describing how life on the quiet Virginia plantation where they are slaves is affected by the Civil War.

Soldier's Heart: a Novel of the Civil War by Gary Paulsen - 1998 - Teen
Eager to enlist, fifteen-year-old Charley has a change of heart after experiencing both the physical horrors and mental anguish of Civil War combat.

True North: a Novel of the Underground Railroad by Katherine Lasky – 1996 - Children
Because of the strong influence which her grandfather, an abolitionist, has in her life, fourteen-year-old Lucy assists a fugitive slave girl in her escape.

compiled from various web and print sources updated 1/08

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