Kirkus Star
THE KIRKUS STAR
Awarded to Books of Exceptional Merit

BROWSE BOOK REVIEWS




2010 Best Children's Books: Historical Fiction


Cover art for FINDING FAMILY
CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 1, 2010

"Each carefully posed subject is a fascinating enigma. (author's note) (Historical fiction. 8-12)"
Set in 1905 Charleston, W.Va., this richly lyrical and historically persuasive coming-of-age story explores the ties that bind, break and renew an affluent African-American family. Read full book review >
Cover art for ZORA AND ME
CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 12, 2010

"Absolutely outstanding. (Historical fiction. 10-16)"
The childhood of African-American literary giant Zora Neale Hurston is brought to life with this fictionalized account. Read full book review >
Cover art for ALCHEMY AND MEGGY SWANN
CHILDREN'S
Released: April 1, 2010

"A gem. (author's note, bibliography) (Historical fiction. 10-14)"
Queen Elizabeth I is on the throne. Read full book review >
Cover art for ONCE
CHILDREN'S
Released: April 1, 2010

"A resonant shot to the heart—Gleitzman delivers a sharp sense of what it must have been like to be a child during the Holocaust, forced to grow up far too quickly. (Historical fiction. 12 & up)"
When his Jewish parents place young Felix in an orphanage in war-torn Poland, they tell him that they must leave to fix their book business. Read full book review >
Cover art for TURTLE IN PARADISE
CHILDREN'S
Released: May 25, 2010

"Sweet, funny and superb. (Historical fiction. 9-13)"
Eleven-year-old Turtle falls in with the Diaper Gang—her boy cousins Beans, Kermit and Buddy and their friends Ira and Pork Chop—when she is packed off to stay in her mother's hometown of Key West because her housekeeper mother has a new job with a woman who doesn't like kids. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE WATER SEEKER
CHILDREN'S
Released: May 11, 2010

Holt infuses the American pioneer landscape with a hint of magical realism in this intimate and epic coming-of-age tale. Read full book review >