I’ve always enjoyed historical fiction, but I haven’t read much YA historical fiction. My YA reading tends towards fantasy and futuristic/dystopian literature.

Recently, my YA book club at the library had a planning session to lay out the next twelve month’s worth of reading. It was a super satisfying evening that resulted in a list of books we’d be reading for the coming year, but of course, we couldn’t read all of the books that were suggested as possibilities.

I took home one of the books that didn’t make the list, a historical fiction title, and I enjoyed it so much. So I found another YA historical fiction title and read that one, too. Well, I listened to it.

The Hired Girl, by Laura Amy Schlitz

Set in the early 1900’s, the book starts out in rural Pennsylvania with a young woman forced to leave school to stay home and take care of the “women’s work” on her father’s farm.

The protagonist of this book was endearing. She reminded me at times of Anne of Green Gables. I found myself putting the brakes on towards the end of the book because I didn’t want it to end, and I wasn’t sure I would like the ending. (I won’t spoil it! But I wasn’t disappointed.)

The story has themes of discrimination, antisemitism, gender roles and inequality, and has a cast full of characters who are lovable and interesting. The book is rich with cultural references of the time. It includes a reference in the back to works of art that the author uses to illustrate each section of the book.

Walk On Earth A Stranger, by Rae Carson

This book begins in the mid-1800’s in Southeastern United States. The protagonist has a special gift – she can sense gold. Her magical ability takes her on an adventure with plenty of excitement and some serious hiccups.

I liked the character development and growth in Walk On Earth A Stranger – the characters aren’t static. Themes of friendship, trust, family, and loyalty thread through the story.

I listened to the audio book and was excited to find out later that it’s the first book in a trilogy. While I didn’t mind the audio book, but I wasn’t disappointed to find out that my library doesn’t have audio versions of the next two books. I’ll look forward to reading those in print.

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Since I wrote this, I read the second book in Rae Carson’s series, Like A River Glorious. The story continues the slowest of slow burn romance from Book One. I appreciated the nod to the classic hymn in the title, which is a thread that runs through the book.

Another of the themes in Book Two is the horrific treatment of Native Peoples in California during the Gold Rush. It was tough to read those parts, knowing it was fiction but having no doubt similar events occurred in history. When I looked it up after I finished the book, it was no surprise that it really happened.

Wrapping up a trilogy is always a challenge, and I’m hoping Book Three doesn’t disappoint.