Medieval Historical Fiction & Literature for Kids
Explore captivating medieval historical fiction & literature for kids! Discover a curated list of engaging books that bring the Middle Ages to life for young readers.
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The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood
by Howard Pyle
Recounts the legend of Robin Hood, who plundered the king's purse and poached his deer and whose generosity endeared him to the poor.
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The Door in the Wall
by Marguerite de Angeli
WINNER OF THE NEWBERY MEDAL • An uplifting story of resilience set in medieval times about a boy who learns to overcome obstacles and ultimately save the castle. This historical fiction novel is a classic for all ages! “An enthralling and inspiring tale of triumph.” —The New York Times Ever since he can remember, Robin, child of Sir John de Bureford, has been told what is expected of him as the son of a nobleman. He must learn the ways of knighthood. But Robin’s destiny is changed suddenly when he falls ill and loses the use of his legs. Fearing a plague, his servants abandon him, and Robin is left alone. A monk named Brother Luke rescues Robin and takes him to the hospice of St. Mark’s, where he is taught woodcarving and patience and strength. Says Brother Luke, “Thou hast only to follow the wall far enough and there will be a door in it.” Robin learns soon enough what Brother Luke means. When the great castle of Lindsay is in danger, Robin discovers that there is more than one way to serve his king.
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The Red Keep
by Allen French
Conan, a young squire in twelth-century Burgundy, is determined to find a way to defeat the fearsome Sauval brothers, a pair of robber barons who pillage and terrorize the local countryside.
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The Lost Baron
by Allen French
Martin's first day as a page is also his last when the Baron mysteriously disappears and his visiting relative and heir takes charge of the castle.
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Big John's Secret
by Eleanor M. Jewett
Mystery surrounds the young peasant boy known as Big John. Raised during the strife-filled days of the reign of King John of England, his life is one day changed when a knight says, in passing, “You remind me of someone—someone I once knew and loved.” It is from “Old Marm,” the herb woman, that John understands that injustice has been done his family. Though never telling him the family name lest he unwittingly betray himself, she does all she can to prepare him to one day reclaim his name and family honor. Then Old Marm dies, and John is left without a clue to his identity. In the next years John’s unusual size and strength and the knowledge he has gained of letters and of the art of healing earn him a place as page to an earl organizing the 5th Crusade. In the Holy Land John searches for a father he hopes is living still. Amidst battle, capture and setbacks, John—now a squire to a Knight Hospitaller—encounters Francis of Assisi, who had come to the Holy Land just at this time to preach the Gospel to the Saracens. It is another meeting that changes the course of Big John’s life. . Illustrated by Frederick T. Chapman.
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The Hidden Treasure of Glaston
by Eleanore M Jewett
Amidst great mystery, Hugh is left in the care of Glastonbury Abbey by his father who must flee England too swiftly to be burdened by a crippled son. Ashamed of his physical weakness, yet possessed of a stout heart, Hugh finds that life at the abbey is surprisingly full in this year 1171, in the turbulent days of King Henry II. Hugh, his friend Dickon and their strange friend, the mad Bleheris, uncover a treasure trove and with it a deeper mystery of the sort that could only occur in Glastonbury where Joseph of Arimithea was said to have lived out his last years. Before all is done, more is resolved than Hugh could ever have hoped. A Newbery Honor winner. Illustrated by Frederick Chapman.
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Son of Charlemagne
by Barbara Willard
The year is A.D. 781. King Charles of the Franks is crossing the Alps with his family and court on a journey to meet with Pope Hadrian. One frosty night he speaks to his young son Carl: When we come to Rome you will know that I am naming you my heir. One day you will rule over all my lands. . . . But the King already had an heir, Pepin the Hunchback, mockingly called Gobbo. Was he to be dispossessed? Yet Carl sees that Charlemagne is determined to do what he feels is best to serve God and Europe.
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Augustine Came to Kent
by Barbara Willard
It is the year 597 and Pope Gregory is sending a select number of his monks, led by Fr. Augustine, to re-evangelize England. Young Wolf, born in that land but raised in Rome, accompanies his father, Wolfstan, who goes as a guide and interpreter. Though the King of Kent's wife is a Christian, the missionaries from Rome do not know whether they will be welcomed, tolerated or martyred. In a story full of adventure, Wolf meets Fritha, a Saxon girl whose life and destiny are soon closely bound up with his own. Events, significant in the history of Christianity, are vividly brought to life by this veteran writer of historical fiction. Illustrated by Mary Beth Owens.
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Beorn the Proud
by Madeleine A. Polland
Beorn, a pagan Viking from Denmark, becomes a better ruler as a result of the influence of Ness, a Christian girl he took from Ireland as his slave.
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The Little Duke
by Charlotte M. Yonge
Richard the Fearless, the great grandfather of William the Conqueror, became Duke of Normandy at just 8 years old, after the assassination of his father. The Little Duke tells the heroic tales of his trials at home in Normandy and at the court in France where he was a prisoner.
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Gabriel and the Hour Book
by Evaleen Stein
Evaleen Stein (1863-1923) was an American poet and author of books for children at the beginning of the twentieth-century. Her works include: Gabriel and the Hour Book (1906), Our Little Celtic Cousin of Long Ago (1913), The Christmas Porringer (1914), Our Little Norman Cousin of Long Ago (1915), Our Little Frankish Cousin of Long Ago (1917), Child Songs of Cheer (1918), Our Little Crusader Cousin of Long Ago (1921) and Pepin (1924).
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Stories from the Crusades
by Janet Harvey Kelman
Brings the Crusades to life through stories of its most famous participants. Relates how Peter the Hermit, with the Pope's blessing, gathers men to his side and leads the first crusade, resulting in the capture of Jerusalem and installation of Godfrey as defender of the holy sepulchre. After the Muslims recapture Jerusalem, three great kings of Europe vow to regain the Holy City: King Richard the Lionhearted of England, King Philip of France, and the Emperor Frederick of Germany. Despite winning many battles in this third crusade and capturing the city of Acre, they fail to win back the city of Jerusalem. King Louis of France launches the last crusade, but dies before achieving his objective. Throughout the narrative we meet all sorts of men. Some, like Bohemond and Baldwin, fight for selfish ends; others, such as Tancred and Louis, do battle like the great knights they are; while a few, Francis among them, carry goodwill wherever they go.
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God's Troubadour, the Story of Saint Francis of Assisi
by Sophie Jewett
Relates how the gay, courtly young soldier became a knight of Jesus Christ, vowed devotion to Lady Poverty and proved himself the "little brother" to all men and even to the birds and beasts. The son of a wealthy merchant, Saint Francis of Assisi kept company in his youth with a lawless band of young nobles who were bent on having a good time and thought nothing of the comfort of other people. When sickness puts an end to his soldierly ambitions, he turns his back on earthly possessions, much to the disgust of his father, and dons a dust-colored robe and ties a rope around his waist. Traveling barefooted and bareheaded through the hills of Italy he begins his ministry to the outcasts of society: the lepers, the poor, the hungry. He gathers other men to his side to share in his work, including three robbers who feel the transforming power of his love. His powers extend over the animal kingdom as well. He preaches to the birds and he tames the wolf who has been terrorizing the villagers of Gubbio. When he journeys eastward with the Crusaders, he ministers to Saracen and Christian alike. One year at Christmas he presents a living nativity scene to his neighbors, beginning a tradition that has lasted for centuries. One reviewer writes, "We wish this charming book might be the introduction of most children to this medieval saint." Suitable for children ages 8 and up.
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If All The Swords In England
by Barbara Willard
Young Simon, recently and tragically orphaned, becomes a scribe in the following of the exiled Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket. The uncertainty of the tumultuous years leading to the infamous cathedral slaying is heightened by Simon's separation from his twin Edmund, who is in the service of King Henry II. With an expert pen Barbara Willard deftly recounts events leading to the bishop's martyrdom in 1170.
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Story of Rolf and the Viking Bow
by Allen French
Rolf, son of Hiarandi the Unlucky, is a character who exemplifies the effect of Christ's teachings upon the Icelandic people during their heroic age. The book is set in Iceland in the days when Christianity has come to the island though the old customs still linger. Hiarandi, at the urging of his wife, does an unprecedented thing: he lights a signal fire on a dangerous point of his land, thereby challenging the accepted custom which places lucrative salvage at higher value than the saving of life. However, the life that is saved that night causes his own death and the unjust outlawing of his son Rolf. Rolf's response to this injustice creates a suspenseful, thought-provoking tale difficult to put down.
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Red Falcons of Tremoine
by Hendry Peart
Leo, a fifteen-year-old orphan, discovers that he is the heir to two feuding families.
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The Lantern Bearers
by Rosemary Sutcliff
The last of the Roman army have set sail and left Britain for ever, abandoning it to civil war and the threat of a Saxon invasion. Aquila deserts his regiment to return to his family, but his home and all that he loves are destroyed. Years of hardship and fighting follow and in the end there is only one thing left in Aquila's life - his thirst for revenge . . . Rosemary Sutcliff's books about Roman Britain have won much acclaim and the first in the trilogy, The Eagle of the Ninth, has now sold over a million copies worldwide. The author writes with such passion and with such attention to detail that the Roman age is instantly brought to life and stays with the reader long after the last page has been turned.
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Monks and Mystics
by Brandon Withrow
Read about Gregory the Great, Boniface, Charlemagne, Constantine, Methodius, Vladimir, Anselm of Canterbury, Bernard of Clairvaux, Francis of Assisi, Thomas Aquinas, Catherine of Sienna, John Wyclif and John Hus.
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Favorite Medieval Tales
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A collection of well-known tales from medieval Europe, including "Beowulf," "The Sword in the Stone," "The Song of Roland," and "The Island of the Lost Children."
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The King's Shadow
by Elizabeth Alder
Evyn, a young Welsh serf, has dreamed all his life of becoming a storyteller. But in a cruel twist of fate, Evyn and his father suffer a brutal attack by a group of murderous ruffians. Evyn's tongue is cut off and his father is killed. Orphaned and unable to speak, Evyn assumes he is destined to a life of slavery. But Evyn is resilient and teaches himself to read and write. He is then appointed the personal companion to Earl Harold of Wessex, who later becomes the King of England. The two travel the countryside together, forming a close father-son bond. Evyn chronicles all of their exciting journeys, which culminate at the Battle of Hastings, where the future of the country is decided.
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The Minstrel in the Tower
by Gloria Skurzynski
An adventurous rescue set in the time of medieval knights, castles, bandits, and music. Before their father returns to France from the Crusades, daring Alice and musical Roger set off on their own journey: to find their long-lost uncle. But on the way, the siblings are kidnapped and locked in an ancient hidden tower. To finish their quest, they need to escape—and fast! Can Alice use her courage to slip away and find help? And can Roger use his musical talents to guide her back before it’s too late? History Stepping Stones now feature updated content that emphasizes Common Core and today’s renewed interest in nonfiction. Perfect for home, school, and library bookshelves!
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Canterbury Tales
by Barbara Cohen
A vigorous treatment of The Nun's Priest's Tale, The Pardoner's Tale, The Wife of Bath's Tale, and The Franklin's Tale. "This carefully researched and lively edition...is richly and beautifully produced....One could not ask for a more enticing introduction to Chaucer's world." -- Publishers Weekly.