Holiday Gift Guide: Historical Fiction, with Chris Eboch

A couple of weeks ago, we here at Project Mayhem started discussing the possibility of having a holiday gift giving guide, with different categories of books or writing goodies. Since we are independent types who are about as herdable as cats, we decided to let everyone do their own thing. But keep an eye out this month for occasional gift guides! (Caroline wrote on strong heroines yesterday, so make sure you didn’t miss that.)

After much debate, I decided to focus on historical books, starting with some of my own, since I know those best.

The Well of Sacrifice is perfect for:

·    Lovers of history or historical fiction who want to learn about an area that is seldom covered in fiction

·    Girls (or boys) looking for a strong heroine

·    Boys or girls who like action and don’t mind a bit of gore

·    Teachers covering the Maya in the classroom (get lesson plans on my website’s teacher page)

Eveningstar Macaw would never challenge the power of the Mayan government – until the King dies. To secure power, an evil high priest sacrifices anyone who challenges him. When he sets his sights on Eveningstar’s family, she fights back. Kirkus Reviews called The Well of Sacrifice, “[An] engrossing first novel…. The novel shines not only for a faithful recreation of an unfamiliar, ancient world, but also for the introduction of a brave, likable and determined heroine.”

Buy The Well of Sacrifice at Indie Bound

Buy The Well of Sacrifice on Amazon

Buy The Well of Sacrifice at Barnes & Noble

The Eyes of Pharaoh is perfect for:

·     Lovers of history or historical fiction who like a well-rounded world showing the food, clothing, religious practices, and daily life of another culture

·     The many people who are fascinated by ancient Egypt

·     Girls (or boys) looking for a strong heroine

·     Boys or girls who like mysteries and action stories

·     Teachers covering ancient Egypt in the classroom (get lesson plans on my website’s teacher page)

The Eyes of Pharaoh, set in Egypt in 1177 BC, brings an ancient world to life. When Reya hints that Egypt is in danger from foreign nomads, Seshta and Horus don’t take him seriously. How could anyone challenge Egypt? Then Reya disappears. To save their friend, Seshta and Horus spy on merchants, soldiers, and royalty, and start to suspect even The Eyes of Pharaoh, the powerful head of the secret police. Will Seshta and Horus escape the traps set for them, rescue Reya, and stop the plot against Egypt in time?

Buy The Eyes of Pharaoh on Amazon

Buy The Eyes of Pharaoh for Nook or in print at Barnes & Noble

Buy The Eyes of Pharaoh through Indie Bound

 Jesse Owens: Young Record Breaker is perfect for:

·    Kids who like real-life history or other nonfiction

·    Young athletes

·    Anyone who enjoys a heartwarming, inspiring story

·    Reluctant readers who want a “real” full-length book at an easier reading level, about someone who struggled in school but found success anyway

Through hard work and courage, African-American runner Jesse Owens overcame racism, poverty and poor health. He won four gold medals in the 1936 Olympics, in Hitler’s Germany, proving that Blacks could compete at the highest level. Jesse Owens: Young Record Breaker, for ages 8-12, is an inspiring story, focused on Jesse’s childhood up to his Olympic success. This is part of Simon & Schuster’s Childhood of Famous Americans series, and is written under the name M. M. Eboch.

Buy Jesse Owens on Amazon

Buy Jesse Owens at Barnes & Noble

Buy Jesse Owens through Indie Bound

Milton Hershey: Young Chocolatier, for ages 8-12, is an inspiring biography focused on Milton’s life as a child and young man. Learn about the many challenges he faced before founding his famous chocolate company. He struggled in school, had a difficult family situation, and went through multiple bankruptcies. Later in life, Mr. Hershey shared his good fortune by founding a school for disadvantaged children. This is part of Simon & Schuster’s Childhood of Famous Americans series, and is written under the name M. M. Eboch.

Milton Hershey: Young Chocolatier is perfect for:

·      Kids who like real-life history or other nonfiction

·      Chocolate lovers who’d like to learn a bit of the history

·      Anyone who enjoys a heartwarming, inspiring story

·      Children with learning disabilities who need an example of someone who struggled in school but found success

·                     Reluctant readers who want a “real” full-length book at an easier reading level

Buy Milton Hershey on Amazon

Buy Milton Hershey at Barnes & Noble

Buy Milton Hershey through Indie Bound

Two other great spots for learning about historical novels for young people are Rating Historical Fiction for the Classroom and Historical Novels.

I also want to touch on some books by other authors set in a variety of historical eras. But since this post is long, I’ll split it up and post the second part a little later today.

One last quick note – If you know someone who did NaNoWriMo and is now ready to edit a novel, consider giving Advanced Plotting, available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords.