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I just saw the neatest idea!

It's very similar to the Novel Food event I've been participating in lately, and I'm sure I've seen this idea before, but had forgotten about it. Connie got us a subscription to Midwest Living, and the July/August issue has book field trips: pairing a historical novel with a museum related to that period or theme. One example they give is Water for Elephants and the Baraboo Circus World Museum.

So I don't plan to host an event or anything, but I do want to give a few suggestions of historical fiction that I enjoyed, and the possible sites you could visit to enhance that novel. Quick note: a lot of these are teen novels... and I seem to be rather heavy on female main characters, but don't let that deter you from reading them!

Time Enough for Drums by Ann Rinaldi
This novel takes place during the American Revolution, specifically the Battle of Trenton, and the perfect place to stop and visit is Old Barracks in Trenton, NJ.

A Family Apart by Joan Lowry Nixon
A series that explores the orphan trains from the mid-1800s; visit the National Orhpan Train Complex in Kansas to learn more of this movement.

Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson
Follow the story of Hattie's homesteading adventure in Montana, and then enjoy learning about more homesteaders by visiting The Museum of the Northern Great Plains.

A Foreign Field by Gillian Chan
The RAF had training camps established during World War I in Canada, and this story is from a young girl's point of view. Get your own POV at the Canadian War Museum.

Got other suggestions? Let me know!

Book recommendation: Double Identity by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Recipe recommendation: Biryani
Music recommendation: You Are My Little Bird by Elizabeth Mitchell