Historical Fiction-Textbook Reflection

Historical fiction is any story that is set in the past. Librarians should be aware of what “history” means to each age group. The younger readers may consider history as something that happened to them within the past day or so. Middle-aged readers may consider history as something that took place during their lifetime. Older readers may view history as something that took place before they were born. This is important information to remember when labeling books within a genre. When evaluating historical fiction, librarians should pay attention to whether the story blends historical fiction within the book. Facts in a story should be checked to ensure the book is using factual historical information in it. Relying on reviews is one way to check this. How values of historical time periods are presented in a book is a question to consider when evaluating historical fiction. Historical fiction books should be consistent with the time period it is talking about. Make sure language, clothes, setting, technology, etc. matches the time period. The theme in historical fiction should be universal and relate to contemporary readers. This video brought to my attention how different age groups may view “history” and what is means to them. Elementary librarians especially should be aware of this when not only labeling books in a library, but also when suggesting books to patrons. Students may ask about a certain historical fiction book with a certain time period and the librarian should be in tune with what “history” may mean to that specific patron. I’ll be sure, when I evaluate young adult literature, to be aware of the importance to check that the book provides accurate historical information. There should not be a book on the shelf that would be considered historical fiction set in the 19^th century that mentions cell phones. This may be somewhat of a daunting task, but it is imperative to ensure my library is one of credible sources and books. I will be cognizant of the age group and what book titles or resources I offer as I evaluate literature.