May We Suggest? This post contains recommendations from a CPL librarian. To get your own customized recommendation, just fill out the May We Suggest form — you can expect results within 10 days. All suggestions can be found on the May We Suggest blog or by liking May We Suggest on facebook.

Suggested Historical Fiction for Second Grade

 

Interested in reading a story that takes place in a different time period? Try checking out one of these historic tales. Books are suggested for Second Grade, but remember that each Reader is different, and might find something interesting at another level.

Aaron and the Green Mountain Boys by Patricia Lee Gauch

This story of the Revolutionary War is based on a real boy who lived in Bennington, Vermont, in 1777.

Again, Josefina! by Valerie Tripp

Nine-year-old Josefina wants to give up learning to play the piano until she sees how much joy her music gives to her baby nephew.

The courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Dalgliesh

In 1707, young Sarah Noble and her father traveled through the wilderness to build a new home for their family. "Keep up your courage, Sarah Noble," her mother had said, but Sarah found that it was not always easy to feel brave inside. 

Good luck, Ivy by Lisa Yee

In 1976, Ivy must choose between participating in a gymnastics tournament and attending a family reunion.

Henry's freedom box by Ellen Levine

A fictionalized account of how in 1849 a Virginia slave, Henry "Box" Brown, escapes to freedom by shipping himself in a wooden crate from Richmond to Philadelphia.

Lucky beans by Becky Birtha

During the Great Depression, Marshall, an African American boy, uses lessons learned in arithmetic class and guidance from his mother to figure out how many beans are in a jar in order to win her a new sewing machine in a contest.

Miranda the great by Eleanor Estes

When barbarians invade Rome, Miranda the cat and her daughter Punka must find a safe place to hide from the chaos.They make their way through the burning city, collecting motherless kittens as they go.  At last they reach the Colosseum--but even there, danger lurks!  How these fortunate felines survive to become the noble ancestors of the cats of modern Rome is all due to the cleverness of the cat they come to call Miranda the Great, Queen of the Colosseum! 

During the Great Depression, seven-year-old Ruby's family leaves their Oklahoma home to seek work in California, where Ruby meets Dorothea Lange, who takes a photograph that becomes known as "Migrant mother."

Skunked! by Jacqueline Kelly

When soft-hearted Travis discovers an abandoned baby skunk, he can't help but bring him home and take care of him. Stinky, as Travis names him, settles in pretty well. But when Travis discovers Stinky's litter-mate, Winky, who is in need of some help, things get complicated around the Tate house. One skunk is a piece of cake; two is just asking for trouble. Will Travis and Callie be able to keep the critters away from Mother's careful eyes--and nose?

A thirteen-year-old Jewish orphan reluctantly leaves her grandmother and immigrates to New York City, where she works for three years sewing lace and earning money to bring Grandmother to the United States, too.