10 Best Teen & Young Adult 20th Century United States Historical Fiction Books

Celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Newbery and Coretta Scott King Honoree about an unforgettable family on a road-trip during one of the most important times in the civil rights movement. When the Watson family–ten-year-old Kenny, Momma, Dad, little sister Joetta, and brother Byron–sets out on a trip south to visit Grandma in Birmingham, Alabama, they don’t realize that they’re heading toward one of the darkest moments in America’s history. The Watsons’ journey reminds us that even in the hardest times, laughter and family can help us get through anything. “A modern classic.” –NPR ” Marvelous . . . both comic and deeply moving.” — The New York Times “One of the best novels EVER.” –Jacqueline Woodson, Newbery Honor and National Book Award-winning author of Brown Girl Dreaming

Bestselling author Maureen Johnson ‘s Truly Devious trilogy is a hilarious and inspiring whodunit that weaves together the story of a cold case from 1936 and the story of teen sleuth Stevie Bell in the present. The Truly Devious box set includes all three paperbacks in the series and is perfect for gift-giving and binge reading. The Truly Devious case–an unsolved kidnapping and triple murder that rocked Ellingham Academy in 1936–has consumed Stevie for years. It’s the very reason she came to the Academy. But after she arrives, more students turn up dead. Teen detective Stevie is on the case until she solves every mysterious death– from the past and the present. Praise for Truly Devious : “Parallel mysteries unfold with cleverly written dialogue, pate-turning brilliance, and a young sleuth as captivating as Hercule Poirot.” — USA Today “The Agatha Christie-like ecosystem pairs with lacerating contemporary wit. A multilayered, modern detective story.” — The New York Times Book Review Praise for The Vanishing Stair : “Take it from the world’s most impatient reader: If the Truly Devious series is basically one long mystery book, The Vanishing Stair is middle part so enjoyable you won’t even want to skip to the end.” — Entertainment Weekly Praise for The Hand on the Wall : “A richly satisfying, Poirot-like ending for Johnson’s inspired and inspiring teen sleuth.” — Kirkus Reviews

International phenomenon Angie Thomas revisits Garden Heights seventeen years before the events of The Hate U Give in this searing and poignant exploration of Black boyhood and manhood. If there’s one thing seventeen-year-old Maverick Carter knows, it’s that a real man takes care of his family. As the son of a former gang legend, Mav does that the only way he knows how: dealing for the King Lords. With this money he can help his mom, who works two jobs while his dad’s in prison. Life’s not perfect, but with a fly girlfriend and a cousin who always has his back, Mav’s got everything under control. Until, that is, Maverick finds out he’s a father. Suddenly he has a baby, Seven, who depends on him for everything. But it’s not so easy to sling dope, finish school, and raise a child. So when he’s offered the chance to go straight, he takes it. In a world where he’s expected to amount to nothing, maybe Mav can prove he’s different. When King Lord blood runs through your veins, though, you can’t just walk away. Loyalty, revenge, and responsibility threaten to tear Mav apart, especially after the brutal murder of a loved one. He’ll have to figure out for himself what it really means to be a man.

A New York Times bestseller ” Should be required reading in every classroom.” –Nic Stone, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Dear Martin “A true love letter to Los Angeles.” –Brandy Colbert, award-winning author of Little & Lion “A brilliantly poetic take on one of the most defining moments in Black American history.” –Tiffany D. Jackson, author of Grown and Monday ‘s Not Coming Perfect for fans of The Hate U Give , this unforgettable coming-of-age debut novel explores issues of race, class, and violence through the eyes of a wealthy black teenager whose family gets caught in the vortex of the 1992 Rodney King Riots. Los Angeles, 1992 Ashley Bennett and her friends are living the charmed life. It’s the end of senior year and they’re spending more time at the beach than in the classroom. They can already feel the sunny days and endless possibilities of summer. Everything changes one afternoon in April, when four LAPD officers are acquitted after beating a black man named Rodney King half to death. Suddenly, Ashley’s not just one of the girls. She’s one of the black kids. As violent protests engulf LA and the city burns, Ashley tries to continue on as if life were normal. Even as her self-destructive sister gets dangerously involved in the riots. Even as the model black family façade her wealthy and prominent parents have built starts to crumble. Even as her best friends help spread a rumor that could completely derail the future of her classmate and fellow black kid, LaShawn Johnson. With her world splintering around her, Ashley, along with the rest of LA, is left to question who is the us? And who is the them?

” Some characters become your friends for life. That’s how it was for me with Betsy-Tacy.” –Judy Blume The First Four Books in the Betsy-Tacy Series in One Volume With Forewords by Judy Blume, Ann M. Martin and Johanna Hurwitz The first four books in the beloved Betsy-Tacy series, together in one volume, ready to delight a new generation of readers–and to bring a grownup generation of readers back to the engrossing stories of their youth. Following the childhoods of Betsy Ray and her friends in the late 1800s and early 1900s, this handsome anthology collects the original Betsy-Tacy as well as Betsy, Tacy and Tib , Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill , and Betsy and Tacy Go Downtown. Forewords by Judy Blume, Esther Hautzig, and Johanna Hurwitz, and the original illustrations by Lois Lenski, will make readers of all ages feel at home in the imaginative life of young Betsy Ray as she awakens to the challenges and triumphs of her home in Deep Valley (Mankato), Minnesota.

Out of the Dust joins the Scholastic Gold line, which features award-winning and beloved novels. Includes exclusive bonus content! “Dust piles up like snow across the prairie. . . .” A terrible accident has transformed Billie Jo’s life, scarring her inside and out. Her mother is gone. Her father can’t talk about it. And the one thing that might make her feel better — playing the piano — is impossible with her wounded hands. To make matters worse, dust storms are devastating the family farm and all the farms nearby. While others flee from the dust bowl, Billie Jo is left to find peace in the bleak landscape of Oklahoma — and in the surprising landscape of her own heart.

Mildred D. Taylor’s Newbery Award-winning masterpiece with an introduction written and read by Jacqueline Woodson, just in time for its 40th anniversary! Set in Mississippi at the height of the Depression, this is the story of one family’s struggle to maintain their integrity, pride, and independence in the face of racism and social injustice. And it is also Cassie’s story – Cassie Logan, an independent girl who discovers over the course of an important year why having land of their own is so crucial to the Logan family, even as she learns to draw strength from her own sense of dignity and self-respect.

Drawing from historical journals and letters, New York Times bestselling author Laura Elliot weaves a richly detailed tale about the extraordinary Peggy Schuyler and her revolutionary friendship with Alexander Hamilton. Perfect for fans of the smash musical sensation Hamilton. Peggy Schuyler has always felt like she’s existed in the shadows of her beloved sisters: the fiery, intelligent Angelica and beautiful, sweet Eliza. But it’s in the throes of a chaotic war that Peggy finds herself a central figure amid Loyalists and Patriots, spies and traitors, friends and family. When a flirtatious aide-de-camp, Alexander Hamilton, writes to Peggy asking for her help in wooing the earnest Eliza, Peggy finds herself unable to deny such an impassioned plea. A fast friendship forms between the two, but Alexander is caught in the same war as her father, and the danger to all their lives is real. Everything is a battlefield–from the frontlines to their carefully coded letters–but will Peggy’s bravery’s and intelligence be enough to keep them all safe? Bank Street College Best Book of the Year (Historical Fiction, 2019) * 2018 Grateful American Book Prize Honorable Mention

Enter the hilarious world of ten-year-old Kenny and his family, the Weird Watsons of Flint, Michigan. There’s Momma, Dad, little sister Joetta, Kenny, and Byron, Kenny’s older brother, who at thirteen is an “official juvenile delinquent.” When Momma and Dad decide it’s time for a visit to Grandma, Dad comes home with the amazing Ultra-Glide, and the Watsons set out on a trip like no other. Heading south, they’re going to Birmingham, Alabama, and toward one of the darkest moments in America’s history. By turns comic, tragic and touching, this remarkable Newbery Honor work, delightfully performed by LeVar Burton in this unabridged production, will delight listeners young and old as they meet Christopher Paul Curtis, a storyteller of bold ambition and a true and original voice, and his inimitable Watsons.