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Welcome to History Book By Book, Reading your way through history... one book at a time... > We are currently recommending a total of (1,077) books, divided into (65) specific booklists on this website.

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General Outline Prehistory Booklist (4,500,000,000-6000 BCE) Stone Age (2,600,000-3300 BCE) Early Civilization Booklist (6000-3000 BCE) Ancient China (6000-220 CE) Mesopotamian Civilization (3500–500 BCE) Indus Valley Civilization (3300–1900 BCE) Bronze Age (3300-1200 BCE) Ancient Egypt (3100-30 BCE) Classical Age Booklist (3000 BCE-400 CE) Mythology Ancient Greece (Athens and Sparta) (2700 BCE-600 CE) Maya Civilization (2600 BCE–900 CE) Ancient India (1500-500 BCE) Iron Age (1200-600 BCE) Ancient Rome (800 BCE-500 CE) Persian Civilization (550–331 BCE) Early Medieval Booklist (400–699 CE) High Middle Ages Booklist (700-1399 CE) Vikings (790–1100) Aztec Civilization (1345–1521) Renaissance Booklist (1400-1599 CE) Incan Civilization (1438-1532) Tudors (1485-1603) Shakespeare Enlightenment Booklist (1600-1699 CE) Age of Revolutions Booklist (1700-1839 CE) American Revolution (1775-1783) Industrial Age Booklist (1840-1899 CE) American Civil War (1860-1865) Modern Age Booklist (1900 CE - present) World War I (1914-1918) World War II (1939-1945) Holocaust (1939-1945) See also: American History | African American History | Indigenous American History | Jewish History List of All Booklists Other Booklists List of All Books (1,077) List of All Biographical Books List of All Graphic Novels List of All Historical Fantasy Books List of All Historical Fiction Books List of All Non Fiction Books Check out our Blog (5) Why is HBBB a thing? I am a list maker. I love organizing booklists, to-do lists, checklists of all kinds. I spend a great deal of my time researching books for my job and I’ve often found it frustrating that there isn’t one reliable resource where I can find an organized timeline of literature. So I’ve created one. I’ve set out to create a resource that will guide you on a literary adventure through history. You can find books here on just about every time period or historical topic and for any age level. I’ve done my best to research and vet each title to ensure that this list is filled with living books. I’ve noted content warnings when necessary and my daughters and I have reviewed many of the titles recommended. This has been and will continue to be a labor of love, as we continue to build this website and update these book suggestions. I hope you find it helpful! Thanks and Happy Reading, Emily Emily's Favorites

Book Suggestions Published in 2024 Safiyyah's War (2024, by: Noor Khan, Hiba, MG, UMG, WWII, Nazi Occupation, Muslim Resistance) The Night War (2024, by: Brubaker Bradley, Kimberly, MG, UMG, WWII, Resistance) Max in the House of Spies: A Tale of World War II (2024, by: Gidwitz, Adam, MG, UMG, WWII, Kindertransport, Espionage) The Girl Who Sang (2024, by: Nadel, Estelle, Savos, Sammy, Strout, Bethany, MG, UMG, Holocaust, Nazi Occupation) Across So Many Seas (2024, by: Behar, Ruth, UMG, YA, Spanish Inquisition, Sephardic Jews, Diaspora) The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry (2024, by: Johnson, Anna Rose, UMG, Ojibwe Nation, Indigenous Americans) The Songbird and the Rambutan Tree (2024, by: Abendanon, Lucille, UMG, YA, WWII) Amil and the After (2024, by: Hiranandani, Veera, UMG, Partition of India) Three Summers (2024, by: Sabic-El-Rayess, Amra, UMG, YA, Bosnian War) When We Flew Away (2024, by: Hoffman, Alice, UMG, YA, Holocaust) Heroes: A Novel of Pearl Harbor (2024, by: Gratz, Alan, UMG, YA, WWII, Pearl Harbor) One Big Open Sky (2024, by: Cline-Ransome, Lesa, UMG, YA, Westward Expansion) Most Ardently: A Pride & Prejudice Remix (2024, by: Novoa, Gabe Cole, YA, A, Regency Era, Retelling, LGBTQ+) The Berlin Letters (2024, by: Reay, Katherine, A, Berlin Wall, Spies, Cold War) King Nyx (2024, by: Bakis, Kirsten, A, gothic, Feminism) The Boy with the Star Tattoo (2024, by: Carner, Talia, A, Jewish Life, kibbutz, Youth Aliyah) The Underground Library (2024, by: Ryan, Jennifer, A, WWII) Maria: A Novel of Maria von Trapp (2024, by: Moran, Michelle, A, WWII, musical theater) The Familiar (2024, by: Bardugo, Leigh, A, Spanish Inquisition, Jewish Persecution, Sephardic Jews) James (2024, by: Everett, Percival, A, Antebellum South, Slavery, Escaped Slaves) See also: 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 Featured Weekly Book Suggestion - 04/08/2024 Industrial Age One Big Open Sky Author: Cline-Ransome, Lesa Buy at Amazon | BookShop.org Time Period: Industrial Age Time Frame: 1879 Geographic Area: North America Country: United States Topics: Westward Expansion Genre: Fiction, Poetry Reading Age: Upper Middle Grade, Young Adult Format: Chapter Book Published: 2024 Content Warning death of a parent American History > Industrial Age > Westward Expansion Three women narrate a perilous wagon journey westward that could set them free—or cost them everything they have—in this intergenerational verse novel that explores the history of the Black homesteader movement. 1879, Mississippi. Young dreamer Lettie may have her head in the stars, but her body is on a covered wagon heading westward. Her father, Thomas, promises that Nebraska will be everything the family needs: an opportunity to claim the independence they’ve strived for over generations on their very own plot of land. But Thomas’ hopes—and mouth—are bigger than his ability to follow through. With few supplies and even less money, the only thing that feels certain is danger. Right after the war ended/and we were free/we believed/all of us did/that couldn’t nothing hurt us/the way master had when we were slaves/Couldn’t no one tell us/how to live/how to die. Lettie, her mother, Sylvia, and young teacher Philomena are free from slavery—but bound by poverty, access to opportunity, and patriarchal social structures. Will these women survive the hardships of their journey? And as Thomas’ desire for control overpowers his common sense, will they truly be free once they get there? Coretta Scott King Honor-winning author Lesa Cline-Ransome’s striking verse masterfully portrays an underrepresented historical era. Tackling powerful themes of autonomy and Black self-emancipation, Cline-Ransome offers readers an intimate look into the lives of three women and an expansive portrait of generations striving for their promised freedom. Emily's Review I grew up playing endless rounds of Oregon Trail. I loved seeing all the ways one could die on the journey, but I also loved planning the trip, and doing all the shopping to figure out what we'd need to survive. That game imprinted on me, and I often turn to stories about people journeying out west to start a new life as homesteaders. I haven't read many, however, that feature an all-black cast of characters. Lesa Cline-Ransome wrote one of my absolute favorite books last year, For Lamb, so I was really looking forward to reading this book. The story begins with a family starting their journey west from Mississippi. We read from 3 perspectives - Lettie, her mother Sylvia, and a young teacher Philomena. I was surprised and pleased at how much depth the author put into this story. Novels in verse don't always work for me, I often find they need more story and can sometimes be hard to follow, particularly when there are three perspectives. But this story was so good I frequently forgot that I was even reading a novel in verse. I loved seeing how resilient the three protagonists were. I can't imagine how hard it would be to leave everything you know to travel across the country (for MONTHS!) to a place you don't know anything about for the chance at a new and better life. Seeing how they were able to overcome so many obstacles and tragedies along the way was inspiring. I think this would be a great addition to any US History curriculum or pioneering unit. I think it is best for ages 12+ Other Similar Books Other suggestions on the subject of the Westward Expansion. You Wouldn’t Want to Explore with Lewis and Clark (by: Morley, Jacqueline, LE, MG) You Wouldn't Want to Be an American Pioneer (by: Morley, Jacqueline, LE, MG) You Wouldn't Want to Live in a Wild West Town (by: Hicks, Peter, LE, MG) You Wouldn't Want to Be a Pony Express Rider (by: Ratliff, Tom, LE, MG) You Wouldn't Want to Work on the Railroad (by: Graham, Ian, LE, MG) Westward Expansion: An Interactive History Adventure (by: Lassieur, Allison, MG) The Klondike Gold Rush (by: Shepherd, Donna Walsh, MG, UMG) Donner Dinner Party (by: Hale, Nathan, MG, UMG) A Sky Full of Song (by: Meyer, Susan Lynn, MG, UMG) The California Gold Rush: An Interactive History Adventure (by: Raum, Elizabeth, MG) Orphan Trains: An Interactive History Adventure (by: Raum, Elizabeth, MG) Bound for Oregon (by: Van Leeuwen, Jean, MG) The Oregon Trail: An Interactive History Adventure (by: Doeden, Matt, MG) Rodzina (by: Cushman, Karen, MG, UMG) The Ballad of Lucy Whipple (by: Cushman, Karen, UMG, YA) Hattie Big Sky (by: Larson, Kirby, UMG, YA) One Big Open Sky (by: Cline-Ransome, Lesa, UMG, YA) Which Way to the Wild West?: Everything Your Schoolbooks Didn't Tell You About Westward Expansion (by: Sheinkin, Steve, YA, UMG) The Snow Fell Three Graves Deep (by: Wolf, Allan, YA, A) The Indifferent Stars Above (by: Brown, Daniel James, YA, A) Gold Mountain (by: Yee, Betty G., YA, A) Women of the Frontier: 16 Tales of Trailblazing Homesteaders, Entrepreneurs, and Rabble-Rousers (by: Miller, Brandon Marie, YA, A) Lone Women (by: LaValle, Victor, A) What's New: Books. Lots of Books. Other Links: HistoryBookByBook on Facebook History_BookByBook on Instagram History_BookByBook on Twitter Arrrghschooling on YouTube BuildYourLibrary.com BuildYourLibrary on Facebook