Explore Evaleen Stein books at New West Press.

Evaleen Stein's historical stories place young characters within earlier European societies. Our Little Frankish Cousin, Our Little Crusader Cousin, Our Little Celtic Cousin, and Our Little Norman Cousin each offer a different setting and social world. Rather than approaching the past only through rulers or battles, the stories make room for a child's experience of customs, loyalties, and daily expectations. This collection allows readers to compare those imagined lives across several periods. A familiar question about home, friendship, or responsibility can become a way into a world that initially seems distant.

Historical fiction offers a way to encounter an earlier world through the experiences of individual characters. These stories invite discussion of how private loyalties intersect with public events, and how a novelist makes the past feel immediate. Reading alongside a timeline or historical account can help separate invented episodes from documented events while preserving the pleasure of the narrative itself.