WRITING Historical fiction for children
As Shelley Jones embarks on writing a new novel set in Tudor times, she'll be studying the market for Words & Pictures' new series on writing historical fiction for children.
Things took a more upturned beat when, later that day, we entered the hallowed halls of the American Girl flagship store on Rockefeller Plaza. For the uninitiated, American Girl is an institution in the USA. The 18” dolls have been a staple of American childhood since 1986 and are now sold all over the world. A contemporary ‘Girl of the Year’ is released annually, but what makes this brand unique (and pertinent to this article) is their historical dolls and their accompanying books.
Characters sell the books
On entering the historical doll section, I was first struck by their slogan, ‘The Past Makes a Wonderful Present.’ Clever marketing right there. On the back wall was a timeline of the dolls, starting with Josefina who lives on a ranch in New Mexico in 1824, through to Courtney who creates video games in the San Fernando Valley in 1986. Pivotal moments in American history are immortalised with each doll, including the Civil Rights Movement, World War II and the Great Depression, but it is the accompanying books that are the staggering success story. While 14 million dolls have been sold since 1986, the American Girl books have sold 123 million copies.
Why the success? Well, the first thing to note is that despite their relatively short existence, the USA are fiercely proud of their history. Their strong emphasis on patriotism and heritage makes for a strong appetite for historical fiction. However, these books sell because they are good! They are well written and carefully plotted with fleshed-out likeable characters – I know, I read many of them to my daughter and it was never a chore.
Secondly, the books put normal girls at the heart of a period of history, but incorporate timeless themes of family, friendships and growing up. Learning history is not tedious, and is never rammed down the readers throat, rather it provides an interesting backdrop to the main character’s life. In an article for the Michigan Daily last year, writer Kathryn Hemmila said, “The key to the success of the American Girl stories is their achievement in appealing to the ordinary – the American Girls are not ‘chosen ones’, they do not embark on a literary hero’s journey or perform any wildly remarkable deeds. Rather, they are normal American girls, navigating the complexities of life.”
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| A display of American Girl dolls. (Credit Shelley Jones.) |
Now I am back in the UK, the lesson I am applying to my own work-in-progress is to always approach the historical detail lightly – of course it must be well researched and accurate, but the protagonist should be relatable to the contemporary child reader. An accompanying 18” Tudor doll would definitely help, but I’m not sure that is going to happen anytime soon. I’ll just have to rely on writing a darn good book – and remember, as American Girl put it, ‘In every era, character matters!’
*Header image: Ell Rose
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| Photo of Shelley Jones. (Credit: Shelley Jones.) |
Shelley Jones is a student of English Social and Local History at Oxford University. After a career in retail buying, her second act is focusing on writing novels, both for adults and children. Shelley has written a contemporary middle-grade children’s novel, supported by the brilliant folks at WriteMentor. In 2022 she was selected for Curtis Brown Creative’s Writing Your Novel course, during which she completed her full length historical novel set in Oxfordshire in the 16th century. Follow her on Instagram: @shelljones_writes
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Ell Rose is the Illustration Features Editor of Words & Pictures.
Contact them at illustrators@britishscbwi.org
Really interesting article! It feels like we’re lagging behind in how we approach introducing children to history especially to that of their native country. We need something similar here in the UK. Bring on The British Doll and accompanying books I say!
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