The
following novels are based on real events.
Some of the stories are not, technically, about actual events, but just
reminiscent of them.
Anson,
Jay. The Amityville Horror.
(F ANS)
Although
the truth behind this story has been widely disputed, the author claims that the
events really happened. In a Long Island town, a young man murdered his entire
family while they slept, and the house they lived in is reported to be haunted
by the next owners, who claim to see and hear bizarre sights and sounds.
Atkins,
Catherine. When Jeff Comes Home. (F
ATK)
When
Jeff Comes Home by Catherine Atkins bears a close resemblance to the tragedy of
the young Californian boy kidnapped and sexually abused for several years before
he is returned to his family. (Note from Belben:
this reference may be to the case of
Steven Stayner, who was kidnapped from his Californian family in 1972 and
returned to his parents in 1980: a story in Time, August 9, 1999, gives some
background). The author says, of
the connection between her book and the Stayner story, The Steven Stayner story
id inspire my book, but WJCH is not based
directly on that story. Steven Stayner was kidnapped from Merced, a small town
in Northern California, at seven years old and escaped from his kidnapper at the
age of fourteen. In his escape he
rescued a five year old boy whom the kidnapper had recently abducted. I grew up
near Merced and was about Steven's age when he returned, so it was a *big* story
in our area. I was always really
curious about how Steven could go back to high school and face what would happen
there. That thought was the spark I
used, years later, when I thought of writing a book about a kidnapped boy who
returns home. I didn't want to take
Steven's story for my own; it wasmimportant to me to make Jeff and his family
and his circumstances very different. The
core feeling remained the same though---how could a teen boy come back and face
the speculation of his peers and others about such an incredibly painful event
in his life?” (from yalsa-bk@ala.org,
3/15/01).
Avi.
Nothing But the Truth. (F
AVI)
A
student who sings the national anthem as it is played each morning at
Beatty,
Patricia. Jayhawker.
A
young spy infiltrates a Missouri Bushwacker group populated by the likes of
Jesse and Frank James, James Hickok, and William Quantrill in time to learn of
their plan to burn Lawrence, Kansas.
Bunting,
Eve. Sharing Susan.
Sharing
Susan by Eve Bunting was inspired by the story of the babies
Curtis,
Christopher Paul. The Watsons Go to Birmingham 1963.
(F CUR)
An
African-American family travels to the site of the deadly church
Konigsburg,
E.L. Silent to the Bone. (F
KON)
A
teenage boy is rendered mute following incidents in his home in which his infant
sister is left comatose. His best friend is enlisted to try to get him to speak.
Although not technically based on the Louise Woodward case(the au pair
who was accused of shaking a baby to death), it may remind readers of some of
the facts of that case.
Lester, Julius. When Dad Killed Mom. (F LES)
A
brother and sister's lives are dramatically affected when their father murders
their mother.
Lyons,
Mary E. Dear Ellen Bee: A Civil War
Scrapbook of Two Union Spies.
A
fictionalized account of two real women, one a wealthy Richmond, VA,
abolitionist and the other a young woman she has helped free and educate.
Lyons,
Mary E. Letters from a Slave Girl:The
true story of Harriet Jacobs (F LYO)
The
story of Harriet Jacobs told through letters and journal entries based in large
part on Jacobs' account of slavery.
Lyons,
Mary E. The Poison Place.
Sad
tale of Charles Willson Peale, famous portraitist, told by Moses
Meyer,
Carolyn. Drummers of Jericho. (PB
MEY)
A
Jewish teen refuses to participate in her school band's performance of a
religious song. The author's
account of the events that led to the novel are discusses in Ted Hipple's
Writers for Young Adults series, supplement 1, as well as in an article from
SIGNAL, Summer/Fall 1998, entitled "The Toad's Precious Jewel:
The True Story Behind the Drummers of Jericho."
Miklowitz,
Gloria D. Masada.
Tells
of the siege of the fortress of Masada by the Tenth Roman Legion and the Jews'
unwillingness to surrender.
Rinaldi
is well known for her stories about historical American events.
Ryan,
Pam Munoz. Esperanza Rising. (F RYA)
A
story based on Ryan's grandmother's account of leaving a wealthy Mexican
lifestyle to become a field worker in California.
Schusterman,
Neil. What Daddy Did.
A
boy whose father killed his mother is to be released from jail. Reported to be
based on a true story, although I don't know the details.
Skurzynski,
Gloria. Spider's Voice. (F SKU)
Loosely
based on the story of Heloise and Abelard, France's most famous
Strasser,
Todd. Give a Boy a Gun. (F
STR)
Two
boys hold their classmates hostage at gunpoint in a high school gym. With
factual statistics and other information about school violence, the story was
inspired by--but does not mirror--events at Columbine High School in April 1999.
Strauss,
Darin. Chang and Eng. (F STR)
The
real-life, “original” Siamese twins, Chang and Eng Bunker, are the basis of
this historical novel, which takes the known facts about the two men and weaves
them into a story that reveals their childhood in Siam (Thailand) and their move
to America, where they were a sideshow attraction in the circus before marrying
sisters and becoming farmers.
Tamar,
Erika. Fair Game. (F TAM)
Based
on the story of the Glen Ridge, NY, in which a group of elite high school
athletes in a wealthy community raped a mentally handicapped girl and were
punished only lightly for their crimes. The non-fiction version is a fascinating
(if explicit) account of the story entitled Our Guys
(364.15 LEF)
Van
Dijk, Lutz. Damned Strong Love.
Two
young men, one a Nazi and the other not, fall in love with each other in this
story.
Weiss,
Jerry and Helen. From One
Experience to Another. (F WEI)
Authors
reflect on life-changing experiences from their youth.
Weiss,
Jerry and Helen. Lost and Found.
Both
collections of stories by well-known authors include notations from authors
about the real-life events that sparked the stories.
Wulffson,
Don. Soldier X. (F Wul)
A
German soldier pretends to be Russian in order to survive.
Based on
Yolen,
Jane, and Bruce Colville. Armageddon Summer. (F YOL)
Two
teens meet at when their families move to a remote location with their unusual
religious group to prepare for the end of the world. (Loosely based on events at
the Branch Davidian Complex in Waco, Texas).
The
Royal Diaries books--fictionalized diaries of historical women,
including
Cleopatra, Marie Antoinette, Anastasia, Elizabeth, and Nzingha.