You shuffle to the library's Information Desk, dragging your feet with dread or perhaps just lack of motivation. "I need to write a book report or essay on a historical fiction novel," you say with an exasperated sigh. What you're probably really asking is, "Do you have any historical fiction that's not going to bore me to tears?"

Fortunately, the answer is YES! Historical fiction does not have to be boring, and there are plenty of books coming out all the time just for teen readers. This is an exciting genre that's all about taking you back to a different place and time, yet you'll undoubtedly find many aspects of the human experience that will always ring true. Here are some new historical fiction titles for teens that you (and your teacher) will hopefully enjoy, whether it's for an assignment or just for fun.

Ancient Egypt

Sphinx’s Princess by Esther Friesner

Nefertiti's dancing abilities, remarkable beauty, and intelligence garner so much attention that her family is summoned to the Egyptian royal court, where Nefertiti becomes a pawn in the power play of her scheming aunt.

The Renaissance

Lady Macbeth’s Daughter by Lisa Klein

Ambitious Lady Macbeth tries to win the throne of Scotland for her husband while her banished daughter Albia, who was raised by three weird sisters, falls in love, learns of her parentage, and seeks to free Scotland from tyranny.

18th Century England

Sovay by Celia Rees

In 1794 England, the beautiful Sovay, disguised as a highwayman, acquires papers that could lead to her father's arrest for treason, and soon her political consciousness leads her and a compatriot to France during the Revolution.

19th Century United States

Two Girls of Gettysburg by Lisa Klein

When the Civil War breaks out, two cousins, Lizzie and Rosanna, find themselves on opposite sides of the conflict until the war reunites them in the town of Gettysburg.

The Devil’s Paintbox by Victoria McKernan

In 1865, fifteen-year-old Aidan and his thirteen-year-old sister Maddy, penniless orphans, leave drought-stricken Kansas on a wagon train hoping for a better life in Seattle, but find there are still many hardships to be faced.

The Letter Writer: A Novel by Ann Rinaldi

Harriet Whitehead, a girl who serves as letter writer for her blind stepmother, is haunted by her unwitting role in Nat Turner's Rebellion, one of the bloodiest slave uprisings in the history of America.

WWII-Era United States

A Troubled Peace by L.M. Elliott

Henry Forrester, an American pilot who crashed in France during World War II, returns to France after the war to find the boy who helped him escape and is traumatized by the war-time destruction and suffering of those who survived the war.

Ten Cents a Dance by Christine Fletcher

In 1940s Chicago, fifteen-year-old Ruby hopes to escape poverty by becoming a taxi dancer in a nightclub, but the work has unforeseen dangers and hiding the truth from her family and friends becomes increasingly difficult.

Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith

During World War II, a light-skinned African American girl must pass for white in order to join the Women Airforce Service Pilots and fulfill her dream of flying, but she learns that denying her true self is a heavy burden to bear.