Over the decades, various reading trends have come and gone for young readers. For a time, it was books about wizards and witches (courtesy of Harry Potter). Then it was vampires and werewolves (courtesy of Twilight). Then it was dystopian novels (courtesy of The Hunger Games). But before all these fads, a staple of reading for young people was historical fiction. Growing up, I read those the most, along with classic fantasy.
Historical fiction has much to recommend it. Because historical fiction was more popular 20 years ago, much of it will not contain the “woke” agendas and inappropriate sexual content that so many books for young readers include today. Instead of learning about the ever-expanding list of pronouns, readers will be educated in real things of lasting value, such as how the Roman empire fell, what life was like in the American colonies, or how the French Revolution unfolded. Finally, old-fashioned historical fiction generally promotes traditional values and timeless messages about heroism, self-sacrifice, adventure, and love.
