Ben’s Best History Book List

On last Weeks Smiling Homeschooler Podcast we talked about history, and whether or not it even matters. We also mentioned some great books. We came to conclusion that the word ‘history’ almost needs to be removed from our homeschool vocabulary since many kids hear the word and it instantly makes them dislike the subject.

I think that’s because many people put too much of a focus on the dates in history and not the stories from history. No matter what your child is interested in, there is a “History” book written on it. If you have a daughter or son that loves horses, then there are books on famous horses. If you have a son that loves airplanes, then you can read hundreds of books on that topic. The great thing about it is they can enjoy a great book and story, and learn history at the same time.

This is the goal of this reading list. Not to help them memorize ‘dates’, but to peak their interest in a time of history. Many of these books are on other lists, but these are some of my favorite that I remember reading when I was in school.

I loved this book. It is the story of building the giant ferris wheel at the Chicago worlds Fair. I always loved reading about this period of history, and there are some great memorable characters in this book. Many of the books that I choose are Historical Fiction. While they may add characters and dialog that isn’t factual, they still introduce the era and setting. Historical Fiction is usually much more engaging for non history buffs.

Nearly everyone knows about The Sign of the Beaver, but that is because it is so good! It was riveting as a kid and I’ve reread more then a couple of times. This book doesn’t cover some historical event, but shows life in early American. Plus what boy hasn’t thought about living out in the woods on their own.

This one might be a bit more hit or miss for some kids. I personally loved it, and have read it 2 or 3 times and listened to the audiobook at least once. I always loved the learning aspect of the book. The main character Nat Bowditch is interested in so many things, and was always learning. It is also set primarily on ships and at sea, which is something I loved.

This is an old series that I’m not sure many people know about, but is fantastic! There are dozens of books in this series, and some of them have been reprinted. I linked We Were There At the Battle of Gettysburg, but look around for some of the others. They cover everything from the First Flight, to the Boston Tea Party. One of my personal favorite is We Were There on the Nautilus. These books follow usually a young boy and girl that are in the middle of a famous historical moment. It gives readers a front line seat into many of histories biggest moments. These are super fun reads.

Detectives in Togas is a bit silly and more of a modern writing style, but it is set in Ancient Rome. Again the purpose of many of these books isn’t to teach a child everything they should know about history, but to show them that books and the past can be interesting. This book is fast passed, funny, and a great read.

I just chose the above book as a representation of the G.A. Henty Books. There are well over a hundred different historical fiction books by this author. I liked nearly all of them. Keep in mind that these books are written in an older style because there were written in the 1800’s. However I think they hold up incredibly well! I attempted to read my first Henty book when I was pretty young, and I just couldn’t make it through it. But when I can back to one a few years later, I started inhaling these books. I would suggest early teens as the ideal time for these books. Some of my favorite are Beric the Briton, The Young Carthaginian, The Dragon and the Raven, A Knight of the White Cross, Under Drake’s Flag. Most of these books are even available free in Ebook form.

Again this is just one book out of many that I could have chosen. I would highly suggest any of the YWAM Heroes of History series. They have great easy to read biographies on many famous figures from history. Again these books wouldn’t probably be a book I would hand to an 8 year old, but they make good read aloud books, and are great for teens as well. I’ve ready many of these, and highly recommend them.

These are just a few of my suggestions, but I think your children will like them. Read good books with your kids, and I think they will be much more interested in History than you, or they think.

Oh and no tests on these books, just let them enjoy them! If you are interested in any of these books and want to buy one, please use the links above as this would help out the Smiling Homeschooler!

Thanks for reading!