Best Historical Fiction Books for 3rd Grade

Historical fiction lets third graders step into another time through a character their own age. This page gathers award-winning stories that range from a Caldecott Honor picture book to longer novels for confident readers and family read-alouds. Finding Langston follows a boy who moves from Alabama to Chicago in the 1940s and discovers poetry at the library, and Ophie's Ghosts mixes history with a gentle ghost story; both won the Scott O'Dell Award. The page also includes a Newbery Medal classic best shared with an adult, so check the For parents notes on each book before choosing.