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Quick answer: If you loved History Smashers, try History Smashers: The Mayflower, History Smashers: The Titanic, I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912, Who Was Albert Einstein?, Horrible Histories: Terrible Tudors and Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales: One Dead Spy. Each one makes history exciting and surprising, busting myths and revealing the real stories.
Kate Messner's History Smashers series, launched in 2020, takes on topics such as the Mayflower, women's right to vote, Pearl Harbor and the Titanic. Each book busts myths, mixes in comics, photos and sidebars, and shows how much more interesting real history is than the simplified version. Readers love its humor and fresh facts. These books share its myth-busting history and its fun.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Age | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| History Smashers: The Mayflower | Kate Messner | 8-12 | readers new to the series |
| History Smashers: The Titanic | Kate Messner | 8-12 | readers who like disasters |
| I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 | Lauren Tarshis | 7-10 | readers who like historical adventure |
| Who Was Albert Einstein? | Jess Brallier | 8-12 | readers who like biographies |
| Horrible Histories: Terrible Tudors | Terry Deary | 8-12 | readers who like gross history |
| Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales: One Dead Spy | Nathan Hale | 8-12 | readers who like comics |
| A Young People's History of the United States | Howard Zinn | 12+ | older readers |
| Lies My Teacher Told Me | James W. Loewen | Adult | older readers |
| The Magic Tree House: Dinosaurs Before Dark | Mary Pope Osborne | 6-9 | younger readers |
| What Was the Underground Railroad? | Yona Zeldis McDonough | 8-12 | readers who like the Who Was series |
| Bomb | Steve Sheinkin | 10+ | readers who like true thrillers |
| The Notorious Benedict Arnold | Steve Sheinkin | 10+ | readers who like villains of history |
| Hidden Figures Young Readers' Edition | Margot Lee Shetterly | 8-12 | readers who like overlooked heroes |
| You Wouldn't Want to Be an Egyptian Mummy! | David Stewart | 7-11 | readers who like funny history |
| Stamped (For Kids) | Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi | 8-12 | readers who want honest history |
1. History Smashers: The Mayflower by Kate Messner
The real story of the Pilgrims' voyage.
Best for: readers new to the series.
2. History Smashers: The Titanic by Kate Messner
Myths about the Titanic busted.
Best for: readers who like disasters.
3. I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 by Lauren Tarshis
A boy survives the Titanic.
Best for: readers who like historical adventure.
4. Who Was Albert Einstein? by Jess Brallier
A short biography of Einstein.
Best for: readers who like biographies.
5. Horrible Histories: Terrible Tudors by Terry Deary
History told with gruesome jokes.
Best for: readers who like gross history.
6. Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales: One Dead Spy by Nathan Hale
A graphic history of a Revolutionary War spy.
Best for: readers who like comics.
7. A Young People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn
History from ordinary people's view.
Best for: older readers.
8. Lies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen
How textbooks get history wrong.
Best for: older readers.
9. The Magic Tree House: Dinosaurs Before Dark by Mary Pope Osborne
Siblings travel through time.
Best for: younger readers.
10. What Was the Underground Railroad? by Yona Zeldis McDonough
The history of the escape network.
Best for: readers who like the Who Was series.
11. Bomb by Steve Sheinkin
The race to build the atomic bomb.
Best for: readers who like true thrillers.
12. The Notorious Benedict Arnold by Steve Sheinkin
The life of America's famous traitor.
Best for: readers who like villains of history.
13. Hidden Figures Young Readers' Edition by Margot Lee Shetterly
Black women mathematicians at NASA.
Best for: readers who like overlooked heroes.
14. You Wouldn't Want to Be an Egyptian Mummy! by David Stewart
What happened to Egyptian mummies.
Best for: readers who like funny history.
15. Stamped (For Kids) by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
The history of racist ideas, for kids.
Best for: readers who want honest history.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with History Smashers: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
If you are not sure where to begin, start with the first three picks in the table: they are the closest match to History Smashers. The rest of the list moves further out, so it works well once you know which part of the original you liked most. If a pick is part of a longer series, read the first book before you commit, and check the age or content notes in the table before passing a book to a younger reader.
How to Choose
Read more History Smashers titles, starting with The Mayflower or The Titanic. For more funny history, Horrible Histories and You Wouldn't Want to Be… are favorites. Kids who love comics should try Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales. Older readers will enjoy Steve Sheinkin's true thrillers like Bomb.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is History Smashers?
A nonfiction series that busts myths about famous events.
What age is it for?
It suits readers about 8 to 12.
Who writes History Smashers?
Kate Messner.
How many books are there?
There are many titles, covering events from the Mayflower to the moon landing.
Does it include pictures?
Yes. It mixes comics, photos and sidebars.
Is it good for reluctant readers?
Yes. Its short sections and humor make it easy to enjoy.
What should I read next?
I Survived or Horrible Histories.