Historic fiction & citizenship building: whose values are we teaching now?

Children's literature has always been seen as a primary conveyor of moral lessons and as a means of introducing children to the mores of society - a civilising influence. Historic fiction carries a double burden - it communicates values from the present time, framing the stories of the past in contemporary lenses, while it usually provides a citizenship perspective - a view of how present day institutions developed from the past, selectively choosing some experiences while ignoring others. While carrying all this baggage, historic fiction must also be entertaining, a good read, be 'authentic' to the period involved and provide a role model of good writing. This paper uses some recent children's historic fiction to illustrate the texts' implicit moral values as well as the citizenship values within.