This was a long article, but well worth reading. We discuss (and read) historical fiction in my methods class and talk about its place in the classroom. Many of my pre-service teachers are reluctant to use such books in the content area (stick to reading/language arts if you please). My best argument for it, comes in the form of the author's note at the end of Julius Lester's novel Day of Tears. In it he says, "History is not only an accounting of what happened when and where. It includes also the emotional biographies of those on whom history imposed itself with a cruelty that we can only dimly imagine. This book is another in my attempts to make real those who did not have the opportunity to tell their stories for themselves."

I should add that good historical fiction, if introduced as fiction, leads many kids to ask "What REALLY happened?" A good author's note or epilogue is also helpful. Last year I read Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson with a group of middle school kids who couldn't believe such an event occurred in the U.S. Then we dove right into Jim Murphy's wonderful book, An American Plague. Perhaps, for the doubting teacher, the issue might be ameliorated if he/she worked with a librarian to find the right companion book, so that the history can be "made real." The two books mentioned above are a perfect pair. I'm sure there are others out there. (Hmmm... sounds like an idea for a series of posts.)

OOPS! I didn't mean epilogue, but rather, appendix.

One obvious suggestion is to pair HF and NF, as Tricia suggests. Just as Ted Hipple suggested pairing classics with YA fiction, it makes sense to pair HF with real history. Has anyone made up a list of good pairings by age and grade?

I think Jill Lepore’s article (which I loved, thanks for sending us there!) swiftly answers your last question about when a book falls off the edge of real: she says Margaret Seltzer, who recently and infamously claimed her made-up memoir about life in a gang was real, was just lying, while Henry Fielding, who called Tom Jones “a true history,” was playing. An author’s motives matter, and as you point out, some authors want to give you more of an inside view, one perhaps based on a historical record, but adding to what was left out of that record. From the time children are first read to, perhaps fairy tales or fantasy, many ask, “Is this true?” And a smart reader knows they’re not asking in a lawyer-type way, but perhaps asking if they should feel safe, or asking if the story matters. As parents, readers, teachers, I think we usually want them to keep asking that question and to find their own answers.

Jeannine: I think your "read" of the question is very astute, but I think they are also asking about historical truth, at least some are. So encouraging questioning is great, but giving them historical information is equally important.

Yes, of course that's right. And I love the idea of pairing novels with more factual books.