Periods and Places: Not All Created Equal

in Research and Writing

By Melissa L.

When a fellow children’s author asked for a book set in ancient Rome and no one could recommend anything suitable, I began to think about periods and places that are underrepresented in historical fiction for kids. A few that immediately come to mind include:

  • Ancient Rome, Greece, and Persia. (Especially Persia. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a children’s book about that.)
  • The Americas before 1492.
  • Africa, in any time period.
  • China, in any time period.
  • The 1960’s and 1970’s (the Vietnam era)

I do think that more Vietnam-era books will be published as we move away from that time and begin to think of it more as history than as living memory. The other places and eras, I’m not as confident about—but they need to be there. China, for example, is a nation that’s quickly becoming a major world player, and a place that young readers definitely need to be introduced to. While the region’s ancient culture could make a great base for historical fiction, there just isn’t much out there.

But would books about these yet-unknown places ever sell? I think they would. As our world becomes increasingly global, schools are focusing more and more on teaching about all regions of the world, not just Western Europe. If you could write a high-quality book about Africa or Asia, I’ll bet teachers and librarians would buy it.

So what areas do you feel are underrepresented in children’s and YA historical fiction? Is there a market for such books?

Melissa L. is the YA Editorial Assistant for Wonders and Marvels. You can read more about her here: Editorial Staff.

Tagged as: chiclren's history books, historical fiction, historical periods, Melissa L, young adults

  • http://ozandends.blogspot.com J. L. Bell

    For Rome, there’s the Roman Mysteries series by Caroline Lawrence and the earlier series by Henry Winterfeld. Notably, they both come from Europe, where classical Roman culture is part of many countries’ own histories.

    I think the biggest driver of historical fiction for kids is the school curriculum. That may not determine where the best stories are or what authors find interesting enough to write about, but it determines what books get assigned to classes and reordered by libraries.

  • http://michellesfirstdrafts.blogspot.com/ michelle hansen

    I would love to read a great book set in Africa, China, or Persia. Especially Persia. I can’t believe these places are neglected in the book world , they all have such a wealth of history and mythology and adventure for a writer to draw on. I’m feeling inspired myself!

  • http://www.darahorn.com Dara Horn

    There are actually quite a few children’s books about ancient Persia as it relates to the story of the Jewish holiday of Purim, which celebrates the rescue of the Jewish community from a planned genocide in Persia around the fourth century BCE (as described in the biblical Book of Esther). I have been reading these to my children lately since the holiday was yesterday (February 28th this year). Can’t say I’d recommend any of them, but a few (like “Esther’s Story”) make a notable attempt at illustration and historical detail along with the religious legends.

  • saraweather

    I think there are so many places that are underrepresented. I would really want to see a historical Korean novel with a gisaeng as the main character.

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