Favorite Historical CYAL

              When I was younger, I didn’t like to read historical fiction. It was never the subject I gravitated towards when picking out books. I thought they were boring because they focus on history and was more interested in adventure and thriller books. In middle school, we were tasked with reading Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. This book drastically changed the way I read and gave me an appreciation for historical fiction.

              Number the Stars is about a Jewish family escaping persecution during World War II. It focuses on the main character of Annemarie who is 10 years old and her best friend Ellen. She had an older sister who was killed by Nazis and a younger sister that is still alive. We follow her and her family as they seek freedom in Sweden.

              This book helped me realize that just because a book is historical does not mean it will be a boring. Seeing WWII through the eyes of a child was very important and frankly life changing. I left this book with a deeper understanding of history and the countless people that were impacted during this time. It is very important that these stories are never forgotten and I’m glad to see them being made available to children. I recommend this book to anybody who is hesitant about reading historical fiction because it does an accurate portrayal while remaining interesting.

              As an adult, I think it’s extremely important that young people are reading historical fiction. These books tell stories that are important to the history of the United States and the world. Reading about children that lived through these historical events help carry on their historical legacy, so these stories are never lost or forgotten.  

-SG