Special Post: re: "My tweenage historical bookshelf"

In reply to this blog entry, which keeps giving me a "Sorry, we cannot accept this data" error when I try to comment--

My favourite historical fiction book in middle school was "Lincoln" by Gore Vidal. A cinder block of a book for a kid that age, I know, but I loved it, since Lincoln was my hero and role model. I loved "To Kill A Mockingbird," "Number the Stars," and "The Man Who Was Poe" by Avi. I also seem to recall that the Johnny Dixon mysteries by John Bellairs seemed historical in nature to me, though I cannot remember if they dealt with any specific REAL history or were just Johnny and Professor Childermass bopping around very old places (in New England, if I recall correctly) mucking about with antiques and ghosts and abandoned houses. I loved those best, I think -- how fitting for my having gone into historic archaeology! Another fantastic favourite was "The King's Swift Rider" by Mollie Hunter, which tells the story of a young boy in the time of Robert the Bruce of Scotland.

As a side-note -- I sadly cannot think of any specific books right now, but when discussing historical fiction, I think it is necessary to include the stories that are part of history, that were told by our ancestors. Fairy tales and nursery rhymes all play an important role in who we are historically. Any search on culture-specific myths, legends, and folklore should turn up plenty of results.