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Best Books for Kids and Teens » History

Browse book recommendations:

Best Books for Kids and Teens

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This section recommends the best history books for kids. Not all of these recommendations are for books explicitly written for children, but simply history books that are accessible to a younger interest—in other words, a good read. In his recommendations for best classics books for teenagers, Olly Murphy recommends, among others, Mary Beard’s SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome and Tom Holland’s Dynasty: the Rise and Fall of the House of Caesar.

Elsewhere Janina Ramirez, cultural historian and author, recommends the best Viking history books for kids and KJ Whittaker recommends the best historical fiction for teens.

    The Best Classics Books for Teenagers, recommended by Olly Murphy (Wycombe Abbey)

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    The Best Classics Books for Teenagers - The Silence of the Girls: A Novel by Pat Barker

    1

    The Silence of the Girls: A Novel
    by Pat Barker

  • Read
    The Best Classics Books for Teenagers - SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome by Mary Beard

    2

    SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome
    by Mary Beard

  • Read
    The Best Classics Books for Teenagers - Dynasty by Tom Holland

    3

    Dynasty
    by Tom Holland

  • Read
    The Best Classics Books for Teenagers - Imperium: A Novel of Ancient Rome by Robert Harris

    4

    Imperium: A Novel of Ancient Rome
    by Robert Harris

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    The Best Classics Books for Teenagers - The Hemlock Cup by Bettany Hughes

    5

    The Hemlock Cup
    by Bettany Hughes

The Best Classics Books for Teenagers, recommended by Olly Murphy (Wycombe Abbey)

Caesar, Cicero, Achilles, Socrates, Plato: millennia later, we still talk about them. Olly Murphy, classics teacher at Wycombe Abbey, one of England’s top girls’ schools, recommends books and explains why classics remains one of the most exciting subjects for teenagers to study.

    The Best Viking History Books for Kids, selected by Janina Ramirez

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    The Best Viking History Books for Kids - Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

    1

    Norse Mythology
    by Neil Gaiman

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    The Best Viking History Books for Kids - Viking Boy by Tony Bradman

    2

    Viking Boy
    by Tony Bradman

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    The Best Viking History Books for Kids - Beowulf by Michael Morpurgo

    3

    Beowulf
    by Michael Morpurgo

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    The Best Viking History Books for Kids - Framed by Frank Cottrell Boyce

    4

    Framed
    by Frank Cottrell Boyce

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    The Best Viking History Books for Kids - Horrible Histories: The Vicious Vikings by Terry Deary

    5

    Horrible Histories: The Vicious Vikings
    by Terry Deary

The Best Viking History Books for Kids, selected by Janina Ramirez

Celebrated Anglo-Saxonist and art historian Janina Ramirez has written her first book for children: a Viking mystery with a fearless young heroine, Alva – both detective and shield-maiden. Here, Dr Ramirez recommends five superb history books to help young readers get an in-depth understanding of this exciting and often misunderstood era.

    The Best Historical Fiction for Teens, recommended by KJ Whittaker

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    The Best Historical Fiction for Teens - Here Lies Arthur by Philip Reeve

    1

    Here Lies Arthur
    by Philip Reeve

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    The Best Historical Fiction for Teens - Secrets and Sapphires by Leila Rasheed

    2

    Secrets and Sapphires
    by Leila Rasheed

  • Read
    The Best Historical Fiction for Teens - The Sterkarm Handshake by Susan Price

    3

    The Sterkarm Handshake
    by Susan Price

  • Read
    The Best Historical Fiction for Teens - Hell and Highwater by Tanya Landman

    4

    Hell and Highwater
    by Tanya Landman

  • Read
    The Best Historical Fiction for Teens - The Curious Tale of the Lady Caraboo by Catherine Johnson

    5

    The Curious Tale of the Lady Caraboo
    by Catherine Johnson

The Best Historical Fiction for Teens, recommended by KJ Whittaker

Historical novelist K J Whittaker takes us on a time-travelling adventure as she selects five brilliant historical novels for teens.

    The Best History Books (for 8-10 year olds), recommended by Alex

  • Read
    The Best History Books (for 8-10 year olds) - Horrible Histories: USA by Terry Deary

    1

    Horrible Histories: USA
    by Terry Deary

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    The Best History Books (for 8-10 year olds) - Horrible Histories: Barmy British Empire by Terry Deary

    2

    Horrible Histories: Barmy British Empire
    by Terry Deary

  • Read
    The Best History Books (for 8-10 year olds) - My Story: Desert Danger by Jim Eldridge

    3

    My Story: Desert Danger
    by Jim Eldridge

  • Read
    The Best History Books (for 8-10 year olds) - My Story: The Trenches by Jim Eldridge

    4

    My Story: The Trenches
    by Jim Eldridge

  • Read
    The Best History Books (for 8-10 year olds) - My Story: U-Boat Hunter by Jim Eldridge

    5

    My Story: U-Boat Hunter
    by Jim Eldridge

The Best History Books (for 8-10 year olds), recommended by Alex

Are you trying to get your son or daughter into reading more history? Here Alex, a 10-year old boy living in Oxfordshire in the UK, shares some of his favourites.

About

We ask experts to recommend the five best books in their subject and explain their selection in an interview.

This site has an archive of more than one thousand interviews, or five thousand book recommendations. We publish at least two new interviews per week.

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