Tag Archives: historical fiction

353J: Historical Stories for Girls

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I loved a book as a child (would have been reading it in the early 1990s), an old fashioned one with a hard cover bound in blue linen and fairly thick. I think there might have been a bird cage with a bird in it on the spine. It also would have had a different slip cover when it was new. I think it was called something like ‘Book for Girls’ or ‘Stories/Tales for Girls’

It was aimed at older girls, and had a variety of short historical stories in it, with female protagonists. It was interspersed with full page black and white ink illustrations, but not many, maybe one or two for each short story.

I think there was an Ursula Le Guin story in it, but I could also be confusing that with other books.

I know for certain that there was a story about a woman whose castle was under siege and the people in it are starving. There was also a historical love story where a man jumped over a women’s wall and starts to court her, even though she is married. She almost runs away with him, but he is actually a criminal so she stays with her husband, who brings her roses he picked himself, even though he was cut by the thorns. There was also a Chinese love story that was a ghost story, where the love between two young people is forbidden by her family. In the end maybe one turns into a swan? Or they both die?

Any help really appreciated, I have been trying to find this book for 7 years!

348I: Teenage French Pilot – Red Dragon

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The book I’m looking for is about a young boy (early teens) in post World War 2 France. There is a tavern called the Red Dragon and I know it’s referenced in the title of the book. The plot is this young man foiling attempts by Nazi survivors to sabotage various historical events, including the Cuban missile crisis. The young Frenchman makes personal friends with JFK and goes on to save his life several times from ex-Nazis. The boy’s parents were part of the French resistance and the secret society of the red dragon. That’s all I can remember.

347G: Children’s novels about Ancient Egypt – Akhenaten

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There are two or three novels (more like junior high/high school novels - called YA today) in a series.  All about Akhenaten and his decision to worship the one god, Aten.  He and Nefertiti had several daughters, one named Merriaten?  Tutankhamen, who began life as Tutankhaten, was also in the later novels.  Very romanticized.  No plural marriage mentioned.

346O: Man-Hating Girl With Two Horses Named Prince and Swan

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Can’t remember the title of a book. I read it about 10-12 years ago as a child. It had an orange cover I think, and I remember the words swan, golden, or road were maybe part of the title? It’s about a young girl who lives in some sort of Middle Eastern/Asian/Russian country I believe? And she always has suitors but she rejects them in a man-hating sort of way. The most memorable part is I think she has a horse called Prince and maybe a white horse called Swan. At one point she is locked in a cave/tomb with only a jug of water and a jug of oil for lighting a candle for days on end. After that she grabs on one of the horse’s tail to pull/drag her out? I read a query on the NYPL website which may be this book, but it has not been answered. I’ll include a copy paste of the person’s query below. Thank you for taking the time to read this and search.

The NYPL Query:
I’m looking for this book,it’s a historical romance.I remember it was about a very wild girl who had sent all her suitors away by being wild.Her father decided to take matters into his own hands and summoned her ‘betrothed’ .It however turns out that there was no betrothal and the man he sent for was the son of his late best friend who is yet to be married.Her father lies to both his daughter and the guy who was incredibly handsome that the betrothal had been signed by the dead best friend leaving them no choice but to wed.It’s a very hilarious book with the girl doing so many things to try and and make the guy bow out. However both of them hilx honour above everything and none can break the promise each made to their parents to push through with the wedding.They eventually fall in love and get married at the end but the journey is very hilarious.oh!The girl has a very big love for hoses and considers their Cossacks as her brothers.And the guy goes all the way to collect her from their home.She rans away before they get married because she is pregnant and tries to find a husband for herself because she believes the guy doesn’t want her I think her favourite horse was called Prince somefhing .please help mW find it.

345Z: Teen paperback series about pioneer girl

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I read this probably 30+ years ago. It was a short series—3 or 4 books–normal sized paperbacks, not very thick, in the teen section of the library. I believe they were shelved in the last part of the alphabet, so the author’s last name will begin with something further along than M. I have a feeling that the name Sherwood was part of the author’s name, but I think it was the first name, not the last one, and I could be totally imagining that detail.

The one I remember best follows a early teen or tween girl who has been growing up as a tomboy in the West. Her mother is distressed at the rough behavior the girl has picked up from playing with her brothers and not being exposed to the more refined aspects of life. The girl is sent back east to spend an extended amount of time with relatives who are going to teach her to be “a lady”. I’m pretty sure she gets put into corsets, and there is a scene in which what sounds like some sort of torture device is used to “cure” her pigeon-toed gait. Her schooling appears to be focused on things like posture, and dancing and etiquette, and have almost no academic content. The girl is miserable and although I don’t remember how/why, she returns to her family in the west after a few months, instead of a few years as had been originally planned and there is a scene where as part of a dare from her brothers she walks the ridgepole of one of their buildings, and afterwards declares that all that fuss about posture and grace, and the “ladylike” way to walk was good for something since she won the dare.

I don’t remember if the other books in the series are about the same characters, or if they are about different people but set in the same time period/location.

344W: Young Adults in Frontier America

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I am searching for a young adult adventure series I read in the 70's, although I think the series was several decades old at the time. It was based on the adventures of young adults on the frontier of colonial, American Revolution and Post American Revolution America. Debby Boone was the main character of one book, and she leaves the message "D Boone cilled a bar" carved into a tree after dispatching a bear. Another book had the heir to the French throne being brought up in a cabin in the remote mountains of frontier America. The title of the series was something like "The Young Rifles" or the "Young Frontiersmen". I've never run across the series, but would love to find them.

344R: Historical American romance pregnant heroine with amnesia

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I read this book as a teenager in the early 1990s.  It was a paperback, but I don’t think it was a Harlequin.

Hero                     

  • An American soldier/person of importance

 Heroine

  • An American from an upstanding family who were sympathetic to the plight of the Native American Indians

 Location

  • America

 Era         

  • During a war – not sure which one, but it involved Native American Indians

 Main plot                           

  • Hero and heroine marry in a traditional Native American Indian ceremony.
  • Heroine is given a necklace with a carved wooden charm (I think a turtle) in lieu of a wedding ring.
  • Heroine is kidnapped on her wedding night.  She suffers a head injury and gets amnesia and finds out she is pregnant while imprisoned.
  • The hero finds her, but she does not recognise him.
  • The hero claims her and they are married in a traditional Christian ceremony.
  • Heroine gives birth to their child – a girl  – and regains her memory.

 Other plot twists

  • Heroine’s brother is fighting in the war.  He secretly marries a Native American Indian known to the family.  Heroine’s brother is killed in the war, and his wife dies in childbirth, and the heroine cares for their child – a son named Andrew (I think) after his father (the heroine’s brother).
  • One particularly gruesome scene where a preacher is tortured and burned.

336A: Romance Doesn’t End Well For Hero’s Mother

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This is a historical romance book that I read before the year 2012.

It starts off with the hero and heroine in love, young and engaged. They are already having sexual encounters. They have a place where they meet up at on his estate.

The heroine goes there waiting for him, but then a worker from the estate comes on to her and tries kissing her. She starts laughing and giggling because the whole situation seems absurd to her...but when the  Hero arrives he doesn’t find it funny and just automatically assumes that she has been cheating on him. He walks out and refuses to listen to her. He then leaves. And his mom calls a coach to take her home and the engagement is ended....

Then years later they see each other at a weekend house party, where all the guests are staying there. He’s extremely cold to her but still attracted to her. There’s a closet scene. I vaguely remember it.

Then his mom conspires with another man at the house party to compromise the heroine forever, as she sees that her son is falling back in love with her.

When the hero’s mom tries to expose the heroine with the other man, she opens a door and yells dramatically...it ends up being the hero and heroine in bed. So it back fired.

I don’t remember the rest. But I’d love to find and read this book again. Please help!! Thank you

325W: Doll Smuggles Secrets Or Medicine During Civil War

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I am hoping you can help me find a book a elementary school teacher read us aloud in class. It was probably 1987 when we were read the book, and I think it was historical fiction written about a doll that was used to smuggle war secrets or medicines during the Civil War. It would have been appropriate for fourth/fifth graders. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!!