In merging social studies education with language arts, classroom teachers are utilizing selections of historical fiction to teach critical literacy skills while also meeting social studies standards. While most of the selections used for teaching history and social studies themes are strong in terms of literary merit, they may be deficient in providing information that is authentic or historically accurate. The purpose of this manuscript is to provide teachers and teacher educators with a definition of historical fiction, concerns regarding the use of historical fiction in the classroom, and a rationale and rubric for authenticating historical fiction.