Oldies But Goodies by Mary Louise Sanchez

If you're like me, you're constantly reminded of the Oldies on the radio—the music we grew up to. Our daughter says even her music of the 80s is now considered "the Oldies." 

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Last summer I was reminded how great the times were when we grew up, as my high school classmates and I celebrated a milestone high school class reunion, and my husband celebrated a milestone birthday. 

For the past five years or so, I've been reading the newer historical fiction books about the time period I grew up in. Those stories put me back in the time and informed me of the ideas I was too busy to learn about then. Plus, as a youth I wasn't exposed to any historical fiction books of my era—much less any era.  How I wished my teachers had bibliographies of great historical fiction books for youth then.

This summer I read accounts of seventieth reunions of the Greatest Generation who reminisced about participating in the Battle of the Bulge and freeing Holocaust survivors. Imagine the emotional and learning experiences the Greatest Generation's great grandchildren could have if they read good historical fiction that showed them the experiences of their family members.

 These events remind me that there were many things that happened in the past that should be remembered and discussed today; and thankfully, many of the events are taught in the history curriculum.  Another thought is that many of the school libraries or school book rooms may still have class sets of some of the best of the oldies of historical fiction. Even if there are no class sets in your school, the librarian can help secure a class set for you by asking other schools to borrow their books through the interlibrary loan process. 

Your school librarian is your friend. Be sure to collaborate with him/her and find out if your school has some reference books in the professional collection to help you look at bibliographies of literature you can connect to your history curriculum.

My posts for much of this school year will be centered on some of the best "Oldies" of historical fiction in various time periods of American and world history—as I see them. In a way, my list will be akin to David Letterman's top ten idea.

 
 I will also try to add some of the more recent historical fiction books I've read, although I may tend to zero in on my favorite eras. What "Top Ten" would you include?