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World History Reading List

The Present Era: 1700-2000 AD

Find good history books for kids on the Present Era with the help of this reading list. The best books in both fiction & nonfiction are organized chronologically, along with a short book review. For other time periods, please see our main World History Reading List.

Most of our book recommendations are arranged chronologically, but in some areas they are also grouped topically. Each book is linked to one of our affiliates so you can see pictures & further description.

1700s-1800s — Musicians

1700-1750

1770-1800 & the French Revolution

Reading List Grade Levels

Download PDF Teachers Worksheets from our eBookstore!

World History Books: 1700s-1800s — Musicians

Beethoven Lives Upstairs by Barbara Nichol, illust. Scott Cameron. Orchard Books, 1993. E-UE
Set in 1822, this advanced picture book describes the eccentric composer and his music from a 10-year-old boy's point of view. Well done. Audio tape also available: Beethoven Lives Upstairs

Famous Children series: Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin, Haydn, Handel, Mozart, Schubert, Schumann, Tchaikovsky by Ann Rachlin, illus. Susan Hellard. Alladin Books Ltd.. K-E
The large type and amusing illustrations accompany the stories, which include down-to-earth events in the musician's childhood thru adulthood, and explain the reasons for his fame.

Getting to Know the World's Greatest Composers series: Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig Van Beethoven, Brahms, Frederic Chopin, George Handel, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Peter Tchaikovsky by Mike Venezia. Childrens Press. E-UE
Sprinkled in with portraits and realistic pictures are the author's cartoon-styled illustrations to add a touch of humor. Stories are told in conversational style. The series also includes later musicians not listed here.

Sebastian: A Book about Bach, by Jeanette Winter. Harcourt Brace & Co., 1999. K-E
An enchanting story decorated with whimsical paintings. Includes historical detail, yet keeps it simple.

World History Books: 1700-1709

Peter the Great by Diane Stanley. Macmillan Pub. Co., 1996. E-UE+
This biography with its rich color illustrations has the charm of a well-told story and the educational backbone of meticulous research.

Stone Soup by Marcia Brown. Atheneum Books, 1947. K-E
Caldecott Honor. The historicity of this delightful French folktale lies in the picture of a peasant's life in Europe, although the exact date and place are not mentioned. A favorite for many children!

The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman, ill. Peter Sis. Troll Assoc., 1986. E-UE
Newbery Medal. Fiction, loosely based on the privilege of royalty — princes had whipping boys who took their punishments for them when they misbehaved. Set in the 1700's .

World History Books: 1740s

The Chimney Sweep's Ransom (Trailblazer Books) by Dave & Neta Jackson. E-JH
Christian historical fiction based on John Wesley.

John Wesley by May McNeer & Lynd Ward. Abingdon Press, 1951. UE+

World History Books: 1750s

Flame-Colored Taffeta by Rosemary Sutcliffe. JH-HS
Adventure story based on Bonnie Prince Charlie's attempt to gain England's throne.

World History Books: 1770s

Marie Antoinette: Princess of Versailles, Austria-France, 1769 (The Royal Diaries) by Kathryn Lasky. Scholastic Inc., New York, 2000. UE
The "diary" begins in Marie's early teens in Austria to her young adulthood as queen of France. Fun format, with a special appeal for girls. An Epilogue contains a wealth of history about the rest of her life.

The Reb and the Redcoats (Living History Library) by Constance Savory. Bethelehem Books. UE+
An American held prisoner in a British home lets the reader see the British perspective of America's War for Independence.

The Runaway's Revenge (Trailblazer Books) (Trailblazers series) by Dave & Neta Jackson. E-JH
Christian historical fiction based on the slave trader, John Newton.

World History Books: 1790s — FRENCH REVOLUTION

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. HS
The unabridged version can be wordy, but this classic story is a riveting account, portraying the type of social injustices in France that ultimately brought the Revolution.

The Other Mozart: The Life of the Chevalier Saint-George by Hugh Brewster, illus. Eric Velasquez. Abrams Books, 2007. E-JH
This book offers several themes: slavery, the determination & success of an African-American, and French society around the time of the Revolution.

The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy. JH-HS

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. JH-HS
A classic story of intrigue. The two cities are London and Paris, and the setting is the French Revolution.

World History Books: 1800s

The Gate In The Wall by Ellen Howard. Atheneum Books, 1999. UE+
Depicts the hard life of a child in the Industrial Revolution until her fortune changes and she finds a place working on a canal boat.

Victorian Vapours (Smelly Old History, Scratch N Sniff Your Way Through the Past) by Mary Dobson, illus. Chris Smedley. Oxford Univ. Press, 1997. E-UE
A humorous look at the absence of cleanliness in British Victorian society.

World History Books: 1810s

Shaka, King of the Zulus by Diane Stanley and Peter Vennema. Morrow Junior Books, 1988. UE
Fascinating story of the great leader of Africa's Zulu kingdom. Well written and illustrated.

The Thieves of Tyburn Square (Trailblazer Books) by Dave & Neta Jackson. Bethany House Pub., 1995. E-JH
Christian historical fiction based on Elizabeth Fry, who worked for better treatment of female prisoners in England, and the plight of the lower classes, especially the children.

World History Books: 1820s

Imprisoned in the Golden City (Trailblazer Books) by Dave & Neta Jackson. E-JH
Christian historical fiction based on Adoniram & Ann Judson.

World History Books: 1830s

Charles Dickens: The Man Who Had Great Expectations by Diane Stanley & Peter Vennema, illus. D. Stanley, Morrow Junior Books, 1993. UE+
This book not only bring Dickens to life in rich detail, it also gives a glimpse of the post-Industrial Revolution England that Dickens lived in and wrote so much about.

David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. HS
Although the characters are not historical, the setting is.

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. HS
Although the characters are not historical, the setting allows a look at the British culture of the time. Usborne published an abridged edition of Oliver Twist (Young Reading Series) for E-UE with great illustrations.

Queen Victoria by Robert Green. Franklin Watts, 1998. UE
In typical Robert Green style, Queen Victoria becomes fascinating through the dialogue and strategically placed photographs and illustrations. Additional resources (internet and books) recommended in the back.

Victoria: May Blossom of Britannia, England, 1829 (The Royal Diaries) by Anna Kirwan. E-UE

World History Books: 1840s

Katie's Wish by Barbara Shook Hazen, illus. Emily Arnold McCully. Dial Books, 2002. K-E
Caldecott Medal. The Irish potato famine sends a girl from her native land to America. Gives background into the plight of the Irish under English control.

Manjiro: The Boy Who Risked His Life for Two Countries by Emily Arnold McCully. Farrar Straus Giroux, 2008. E-JH
Picture book with longer paragraphs tells of Japan's attempt to separate themselves from the rest of the world, and one brave boy's actions to challenge and change this.

World History Books: 1850s

Clipper Ship (I Can Read) by Thomas P. Lewis, illus. Joan Sandin. E
Travel east on a clipper ship from New York around Cape Horn to San Francisco with the ship's captain and his family.

The Drummer Boy's Battle (Trailblazer Books) by Dave & Neta Jackson. E-JH
Christian historical fiction based on Florence Nightingale.

Florence Nightingale: War Nurse (A Discovery Biography series) by Anne Colver, illus. Gerald McCann. Chelsea Juniors, 1961. E-UE
Easy to read. Includes her life from childhood thru the Crimean War.

A Picture Book of Florence Nightingale (Picture Book Biography) by David A. Adler, illus. John & Alexandra Wallner. Holiday House, 1992. K-E
The words are printed in the colorful illustrations on every page to tell of Florence's life & influence on society and the nursing profession.

Shanghaied to China (Trailblazer Books) by Dave & Neta Jackson. E-JH
Christian historical fiction based on Hudson Taylor, famous missionary to China.

World History Books: 1870s

The Bandit of Ashley Downs (Trailblazer Books) by Dave & Neta Jackson. E-JH
Christian historical fiction based on George Muller.

Building Liberty: A Statue is Born by Serge Hochain. National Geographic, 2004. E-UE
Construction of the Statue of Liberty began in France in 1875. Watch its progress from start to finish through the eyes of 3 boys: a French apprentice, a French sailor, and an American newsboy. Color illustrations for every short paragraph tell the fascinating story. Pair this with a Statue of Liberty craft!

World History Books: 1880s

Kidnapped by River Rats (Trailblazer Books) by Dave & Neta Jackson. E-JH
Christian historical fiction based on William & Catherine Booth, founders of the Salvation Army.

World History Books: 1890s

Streets of Gold by Rosemary Wells, illus. by Dan Andreasen. Dial Books, 1999. E
A Jewish family suffers under the Russian Czar and must leave friends and family for a better life. Tells of their experiences in Russia, their journey, and their settling in America.

World History Books: 1900-1909

Henry Ford: The People's Carmaker, What's Their Story series, by Haydn Middleton, illus. Tony Morris. Oxford Univ. Press, 1997. UE
The story of the man who founded the Ford Motor Company and made the automobile affordable for the average American. Plenty of color illustrates every page.

Odd Boy Out: Young Albert Einstein by Don Brown. Houghton Mifflin, 2004. E-UE.
Picture book with a whimsical side to it. Tells of Einstein's growing up, leading to a brief explanation of some of his discoveries.

World History Books: 1910s

Go to World Wars for World War I (1914-1918).

Anastasia: The Last Grand Duchess, Russia, 1914 (The Royal Diaries) by Carolyn Meyer. Scholastic, 2000. E-UE
Fictionalized diary of the daughter of the last tsar. Includes photos.

Angel on the Square by Gloria Whelan. Harper Collins, 2001. E-UE
The years surrounding the fall of the last tsar are seen through they eyes of young Katya, a daughter of the aristocracy. While she lives at the palace as a companion to the tsar's girls, Katya still struggles with the obvious struggles of the poor, which are ignored by the royal family. The Revolution brings huge changes to Katya's country and her personal world. See sequel, The Impossible Journey.

The House on Walenska Street by Charlotte Herman, illus. Susan Avishai. Puffin. E-UE
The story of a Russian family around the turn of the century.

The Impossible Journey by Gloria Whelan. Harper Collins, 2003. E-UE Sequel to Angel on the Square. Marya lives in Communist Russia with her brother and parents, who remember Russia as it was before the Revolution. Marya's parents are arrested for disloyalty to the Communist regime and are whisked away. Marya discovers where they were probably taken, and sets off with her brother to find them.

The Night Journey by Kathryn Lasky, illus. Trina Schart Hyman. UE+
Sashi grew up in Russia during the time of Nicholas & Alexandra, when Jews faced grim and uncertain futures. Now an old woman, she tells her experiences to her modern-day great-grandchild, which tactfully describes the persecutions and pogroms of Russian Jews. Caution: The modern-day scenes reflect current culture, and some phrases & references may be less than ideal, although the word "d***" seems to be the most offensive.

World History Books: 1930s

Go to World Wars for World War II (1939-1945).

History Through a Lens - Hindenburg D...

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The Hindenburg by Patrick O'Brien. Henry Holt and Co., 2000. E-UE+
Although a picture book, the content is more advanced. Tells the entire story of the world's first serious effort at air travel, from the original dirigible in 1900 to the disaster that ended it all.

World History Books: 1940s

Go to World Wars for World War II (1939-1945).

World History Books: 1950s

Peacebound Trains by Haemi Balgassi, illus. Chris K. Soentpiet. Houghton-Mifflin, 1996. E-UE
In poetic language and exquisite paintings, Peacebound Trains tells of one family's escape from Seoul at the last possible moment before the Korean War.

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