Curious Parents Book Resources

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Teens have been pounding the buttons on their new Xbox 360s and dancing away to all of their new CDs, but the school year is still in session, so start the new year off right for your child by getting them back into the swing of academics with some fun, engaging fictional books about teens that are set in the backdrop of major historical events.

Into the Firestorm: A Novel of San Francisco, 1906 by Deborah Hopkinson

In April of 1906 in San Francisco, an earthquake woke everyone in the city, including Nick Dray, a recently orphaned 11 year old. In the days that followed, Nick struggled to save his boss’s treasures, his friend and her mother, as well as himself. But with the firestorms ravaging the city, would Nick have what it takes to save the few people he had finally come to call his friends? This book follows Nick and his dog Shakespeare through the days of the firestorm in an action-packed novel that brings the reader straight into the chaos and fear that encompassed everyone living in San Francisco during 1906.

London Calling by Edward Bloor

Martin Conway is a seventh-grader plodding through life miserably until he meets Jimmy Harker, a young British boy who takes Martin back through time to the blitz-ravaged streets of London. Throughout his adventures, Martin learns important lessons that allow him to not only help his friend Jimmy but help himself as history plays itself out all around him. He also finds the courage to help his family pull things together and the strength to believe in himself.

Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson

Hattie Brooks, an orphan, is tired of being shuttled between relatives, tired of being Hattie Here-and-There and tired of being the “one odd sock behind.” So when Uncle Chester leaves her his Montana homestead claim, she jumps at the chance for independence. It’s 1918, so this is homesteading in the days of Model T’s rather than covered wagons. Despite the many hardships, Hattie forges ahead, sharing her adventures with her friends—especially Charlie, fighting in France—through letters and articles for her hometown paper. Despite everything, Hattie’s determined to stay until a tragedy causes her to discover the true meaning of home.

Water Street   by Patricia Reilly Giff

Bird Mallon is the daughter of Irish immigrants who yearns to follow in her mother’s footsteps as a healer. Thomas Neary is the new neighbor who longs for a caring family that Bird has. Together, the two become friends and face the challenges of life in Brooklyn during the 1870s. The story sweeps readers through the dark times of family life, the uncertainty of the future, and the completion of the Brooklyn Bridge. This is a story of love, loss, healing, hope, and true family that will have readers rooting for both Bird and Thomas.