why we like historical fiction

Sometimes the words "historical fiction" are the kiss of death when you introduce a new book to a teenager.  Better to describe the plot:  "It's about a thirteen year-old girl who boards a ship in Liverpool to sail across the Atlantic.  She believes the captain to be a good man but he is not, and she must join the crew as a sailor to survive the journey."  My daughter is entranced by this particular story at the moment-- The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, by Avi.  I read it to her at night and she was reading to me on the way to school this morning.   More later about good historical fiction for young adults...