Rachel Reads & Reviews

Sharing books for everyone

recent posts

about

Tag: #historicalfiction

  • Top 5 Dear America

    Originally I was going to do a full ranking but then there’s 35 books and I don’t hate myself. Also the last time I read all 35 was in 2020 where I read the 35 books in 17 days (I was under self-pressure okay. It was a stupid idea) and got eye strain for a…

  • Top 5 Royal Diaries

  • Ranking Girls from Many Lands

    Now the other series American Girl spun off was the Girls from Many lands series for older middle schoolers tackling historical periods from eight different lands and more intense in some senses. What I mean is that half of the series tackles serious topics like court intrigue, colonization and genocide. The other half is more…

  • Ranking History Mystery

    Everyone knows American Girl, but in a brief space in the early 2000s, they branched out to two other series. The History Mysteries series is aimed more for older lower-schoolers and middle schoolers with slightly darker themes like racism, discrimination, and murder. Of course, mysteries are at their core too. These were my favorites as…

  • American Girl Retrospective

    Since I have almost finished my American Girl collection (4 more to go, woo woo), I decided to do a little retrospective on the series that has touched so many childhoods and have surely sparked my interest in historical fiction. My retrospective will be primarily focusing on the arc of the series since they’re pretty…

  • January Books 2023

    TJ Powar Has Something to Prove by Jesmeen Kaur Deo This debut novel tackles several issues that are rarely discussed in YA due to the stigma and shame surrounding it, and that’s why it is needed. TJ Powar is the school’s reigning debate champ alongside her cousin, Simran. She’s also considered one of the prettiest…

  • Reading Log 2022

    Well I feel pretty proud of myself this year from starting up this blog, getting up to 292 posts (woot woot) and being able to interview at leat 20 authors I admired. It has been a pretty good Now this list is a list of books I read from cover to cover, including acknowledgements. Each…

  • Cat’s Cradle Review

    After all the world-travelling Cat has been doing, she’s glad to be back home in good ol’ England even if the sight of Drury Lane in rubble still hurts. Better yet, she has finally cured Billy of his affections for her (a months long ship voyage and rambling carriage rides in close quarters can do…

  • Black Heart of Jamaica Review

    After wandering about the New World and resting from her ordeals with Lizzie, Johnny and her new goddaughter, cat is ready to get back out in the world and find an occupation. After all, she can’t rely on others forever and she dearly misses the paint and organized chaos of Drury Lane. So she and…

  • Lev A.C. Rosen Interview

    Lev is the author of Jack of Hearts, Camp and other books for all ages. Varying in genre, Rosen has been in the forefront of presenting queer stories post-coming out. When he’s not writing, he teaches creative writing at Gotham Writers Workshop. He kindly took the time to answer my questions about his work, inspiration,…