For many, historical fiction is a way to escape from the present into the past. An audience at The Bookseller’s Children’s Conference last month was invited to reconsider the purpose of historical fiction, specifically for children. 

The panel titled “Decolonising Historical Fiction” explored how the genre can be a powerful tool to help children “piece themselves together” by better understanding the past and the legacies of the British Empire in fun and accessible ways. 

All children deserve to see themselves in the fiction that they read. Yet as panellist and children’s author Sita Brahmachari pointed out, many children from migrant and refugee backgrounds see themselves as outside of reading, “because they often are”. 

Panel chair Nazneen Ahmed Pathak explained how she was inspired to write children’s historical fiction as she found there were no books in the market that represented her Indian and Bangladeshi British son. Pathak shared how when she was growing up, she imagined the characters from children’s classics as South East Asian, as that was her own identity. 

Children who have access to books that follow characters and stories which are relatable to them are much more likely to choose to read for pleasure, which significantly increases their educational attainment and life chances. More than just seeing themselves represented in the books they read, historical fiction dealing with topics of empire, slavery and racism engages children in sensitive ways about the legacy of colonialism and the impact it has on present realities. 

The lens of mystery in children’s historical fiction helps to engage audiences as the sub-genre affords agency to uncover the past. This encourages a process of questioning established historical truths and reexamining the history prescribed by curriculums in schools.

The mystery aspect also makes history a personal, relatable experience for children that they can invest in and empathise with. This transforms history from just learning facts and dates to real human stories. This way of learning about the past is much more accessible for pupils, suggested ex-teacher and panellist Joanna Brown. Brown’s experience was that children are much more open to learning, reading and writing when they leave the classroom and conventional educational setting.

The process of growing up and being a child is one of questioning. Who am I? What do I like? Where do I come from? How do I fit in? Historical fiction can be a powerful and an accessible way to engage children grappling with those questions and help them to uncover truths about their past and, in turn, their present identities. 

For me, the takeaway from this session was resounding: decolonising historical fiction is vital. 

Readers and the industry must invest in and champion these novels, which are not only engaging with our national history in groundbreaking ways but are also full of interesting characters with real agency. They are stories that explore the worlds of the past with joy and curiosity, while presenting the challenges and injustices of the British Empire in sensitive ways. This panel of authors represents the future of children’s literature and the exciting opportunities to engage with more children in thoughtful and transformative ways. 

Image Credit: Photo by Mael BALLAND on Unsplash