Absolutely — and many teachers do exactly this!  Reading with Relevance titles explore historical periods like the Civil Rights Movement (March, Warriors Don’t Cry, One Crazy Summer), the California Gold Rush era (Riding Freedom), the Great Depression (Bud, Not Buddy, The Mighty Miss Malone, Esperanza Rising), World War II (Number the Stars), and the war in Afghanistan (I Am Malala), helping students form personal connections to the events of these historical periods.