History & Literature Resources

History and Literature Books ::

  • 10 Books Every Arizonan Should Read

  • The 5 C's of Arizona

  • Arizona Humanities offers a variety of local events with authors, etc.

  • National Poetry Month events with Arizona Humanities

  • 24 Hours in Nowhere by Dusti Bowling

  • A Cavalcade of History by Marshall Trimble

  • Alluring Arizona by William Hamilton Nelson

  • Amazing Girls of Arizona by Jan Cleere

  • Arizona by Barbara Somervill

  • Arizona Adventure by Pare and Fireman

  • Arizona's Story by Frank Love

  • Bird Springs by Carolyn Marsden

  • Books by Edward Abbey, a well-known naturalist (parents to pre-read)

  • Books by Zane Grey (parents to pre-read; a reproduction of his cabin is in Payson)

  • Books by Barbara Kingsolver (an author who used to live in Tucson)

  • Books by Gary Nabhan

  • Brighty of the Grand Canyon by Marguerite Henry

  • Canyons by Erik Hanson

  • Canyons by Gary Paulsen

  • Canyon Quest by Jim Ware

  • Crossing the Wire by Will Hobbs

  • Danger in the Desert by T.S. Fields (a casual fun read for middle grades)

  • Double-Crossed at Cactus Flats by Rich Wallace (a choose your own adventure)

  • Flight of the Red Bandit by Geronimo Stilton

  • Going Wild by Lisa McMann

  • Grand Canyon National Park by Doreen Gonzales

  • Hide and Seek by Katy Grant

  • In Old Arizona by Marshall Trimble

  • Insignificant Events in the Life of the Cactus by Dusti Bowling

  • Jed Smith, Trailblazer Of The West by Frank Latham

  • The Last Lobo by Roland Smith

  • The Long Walk: The Forced Navajo Exile by Jennifer Denetdale

  • Miranda vs. Arizona by Larry VanMeter

  • Missing on Superstition Mountain by Elise Broach

  • Neil Flambe and the Duel in the Desert by Kevin Sylvester

  • One Unhappy Horse by C.S. Adler

  • Outlaw Tales of Arizona by Jan Cleere

  • Over the Edge by Gloria Skurzynski

  • Race to the Moonrise by Sally Crum

  • Red Rock Over the River by Patricia Beatty

  • The Shaman's Secret by Natasha Narayan

  • Soldier Sister, Fly Home by Nancy Bo Flood

  • The Sonoran Desert: A Literary Field Guide by Paul Mirocha and Eric Magrane

  • The Story of the Arizona Cardinals by Sara Gilbert

  • The Story of the Phoenix Suns by Steve Silverman

  • Summer of the Ancient by Jodi Steward

  • These Is My Words by Nancy Turner

  • The Unbreakable Code by Sara Hunter

  • The USS Arizona Story by Cynthia Henzel (the anchor is near the state capitol)

  • They Call Me A Hero: A Memoir of My Youth by Daniel Hernandez

  • Tragedy in Tucson by Aimee Houser (teens)

  • Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata

  • Weird Arizona by Wesley Treat and Mark Moran

  • Wyatt Earp by Adam Woog

Biographies of Influential Arizonans ::

  • Apache Kid

  • Barry Goldwater

  • Ceasar Chavez

  • Coronado (Riding with Coronado by Robert Meredith)

  • Geronimo

  • John McCain

  • Navajo Code Talkers (The Unbreakable Code by Sara Hunter)

  • Pat Tillman

  • Rex Allen

  • Sandra Day O'Connor (Chico and Lazy B, both by Sandra Day O'Connor)

History and Literature - Picture Books ::

  • The Three Little Javelinas by Susan Lowell

  • When Clay Sings by Byrd Baylor