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History Books for Ages 12–18 – Wonderlit | Wonderlit

Browse → Ages 12–18 → Interests → History → Ages 12–18

History Books for Ages 12–18

History for teenagers gets serious. Primary sources, competing narratives, the uncomfortable parts that earlier books may have softened. These 9,993 books trust older readers to engage with the full complexity of what happened and why it still matters.

9,993 books

Cover of Parallel Journeys

Parallel Journeys

Eleanor H. Ayer, Helen Waterford, Alfons Heck

For the teen processing the complexities of history, this memoir examines how two young lives were shaped by opposite si

Cover of Gaps in Stone Walls

Gaps in Stone Walls

Suspected of a crime she didn't commit, twelve-year-old Merry Skiffe flees her 1880s Martha's Vineyard home to escape an

Cover of The Killing Code

None Shall Sleep #2

The Killing Code

For the teen seeking a gripping thriller that explores identity and hidden history, this 1940s mystery follows codebreak

1...7 8 9 10 11...417

Cover of School in the Civil Rights Movement

Building Blocks of the Civil Rights Movement

School in the Civil Rights Movement

Rachel A. Koestler-Grack

For the child curious about history and justice, this book explains how brave students changed the world just by going t

Ages 8–12

Cover of Who Marched for Civil Rights?

Primary Source Detectives

Who Marched for Civil Rights?

Richard Spilsbury

For the student curious about how ordinary people change the world, this guide uses primary sources to explore the brave

Cover of Roman Diary

Historical Diaries #3

After pirates capture her ship, a Greek girl named Iliona is sold into slavery in ancient Rome, where she must find a wa

Cover of Freedom Rides: Campaign for Equality

Snapshots in History

Freedom Rides: Campaign for Equality

For the student curious about how ordinary people changed the world. This look at the 1961 Freedom Rides highlights the

Cover of What Was Woodstock?

What Was Woodstock?

For the curious child asking about the 1960s or 'hippie' culture, this engaging history explores how a rainy dairy farm

Cover of Shanghai Passage

Shanghai Passage

Greg Patent shares a personal account of his early years growing up in Shanghai during the turbulent years of World War

Cover of The Terrible, Awful Civil War: The Disgusting Details about Life During America's Bloodiest War

Disgusting Details

The Terrible, Awful Civil War: The Disgusting Details about Life During America's Bloodiest War

Kay Melchisedech Olson

For the curious middle-grade reader who loves the 'eww' factor, this book explores the gritty, unwashed, and medically p

Cover of Song of the Magdalene

Song of the Magdalene

Donna Jo Napoli

Miriam navigates the challenges of girlhood and family in ancient Israel as she grows toward her future as Mary Magdalen

Cover of I Wish I Didn’t Have to Tell You This

I Wish I Didn’t Have to Tell You This

For the teen feeling trapped by expectations or a restrictive environment, this memoir explores finding your voice and a

Cover of Fighting the Vietnam War

On the Front Line

Fighting the Vietnam War

Brian Fitzgerald

For students curious about the realities of history, this guide explores the Vietnam War through the eyes of those who s

Cover of Black Dove, White Raven

Code Name Verity #3

Black Dove, White Raven

In 1930s America, a stunt pilot tries to raise her daughter and her best friend's son in a world that fears their chosen

Cover of Dawn Raid

My New Zealand Story

Pauline Vaeluaga Smith

For the child noticing unfairness in the world and wondering how to help. This diary-style story follows a girl discover

Cover of A Real American

A Real American

For the child navigating changes in their community and learning to see past local prejudices when new neighbors arrive

Cover of Four Streets and a Square: A History of Manhattan and the New York Idea

Four Streets and a Square: A History of Manhattan and the New York Idea

For the teen who is fascinated by how cities pulse with life and the complex, often messy ways that different cultures c

Cover of The Split History of World War II

Perspectives Flip Books

The Split History of World War II

For the student who asks 'why' and 'how' about the past, this flip book provides a balanced look at World War II from bo

Cover of Following My Own Footsteps

Following My Own Footsteps

Mary Downing Hahn

Gordy moves in with his strict grandmother to escape an abusive home, finding a new perspective through her no-nonsense

Cover of The American Presidency

The American Presidency

Christine Peterson

Learn the history, roles, and major responsibilities of the American president through a fast-paced and engaging cartoon

Cover of Master of Deceit: J. Edgar Hoover and America in the Age of Lies

Master of Deceit: J. Edgar Hoover and America in the Age of Lies

For the teen starting to question how much the government should know, this unsparing look at J. Edgar Hoover explores t

Cover of Coram Boy

Jamila Gavin, Helen Edmundson

For the teenager grappling with the harsh realities of history and social injustice, this powerful drama explores surviv

Cover of Village of Scoundrels

Village of Scoundrels

For the young reader processing the weight of historical injustice, this story shows how ordinary teens find the bravery

Cover of They Called Us Enemy

They Called Us Enemy

George Takei, Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott

George Takei shares his childhood experience of being forced into a Japanese American internment camp and the impact it

History for Other Ages

History Books for Ages 0–3(616)History Books for Ages 4–7(6530)