Young Adult Historical Novels: Medieval Times
This page lists historical novels for young adult readers set in medieval times (the Middle Ages), from approximately the sixth century (beginning in 500 A.D.) up to the Renaissance in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Life in the Middle Ages was harsh for many people, sometimes even for the nobility and royalty. Major events that occurred in medieval times include the Norman Conquest of England in 1066; the Crusades, when Christian soldiers from across Europe fought against the Arabs who ruled Jerusalem; and the Hundred Years War, when the teenaged peasant girl Joan of Arc led a French army to victory against the English. Many of these novels are also read and enjoyed by older adults. The Renaissance began at different times in different places, earliest in Italy where the Medici family (the great banking family who ruled Florence) sponsored philosophers, artists and other educated men who began a great flowering of culture in the fifteenth century that soon spread across Europe. Novels set in Renaissance Italy and Tudor England will appear on the forthcoming Renaissance page.
Jump to:
Medieval Celts, A.D. 500-1300 (teens)
Medieval Celts, A.D. 500-1300 (preteens)
Medieval Anglo-Saxons, A.D. 500-1066 (teens)
Medieval Anglo-Saxons, A.D. 500-1066 (preteens)
Medieval England from 1066 (teens)
Medieval England from 1066 (preteens)
Medieval Europe, the Continent and Byzantium (teens)
Medieval Europe, the Continent and Byzantium (preteens)
The Crusades (teens)
The Crusades (preteens)
The Albigensian Crusades in France (teens)
The Vikings (teens)
The Vikings (preteens)
Asia (teens and preteens)
Medieval Mysteries (teens)
Abbreviations for Awards and Honors:
ALANCB = American Library Association Notable Children's Book
BBYA = An American Library Association "Best Books for Young Adults" pick
CM = Carnegie Medal
CMH = Carnegie Medal Honor Book
IBBY = International Board on Books for Young People Honour Book
JFA = Josette Frank Award
NA = Newbery Award
NHB = Newbery Honor Book
SOA = Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction
WCBA = Whitbread Children's Book Award
Medieval Celts, A.D. 500-1300 (books for teens)
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Caroline Cooney, Enter Three Witches (2007), about a ward of Lord and Lady Macbeth; inspired by Shakespeare's play. Recommended for ages 12 and up.
Frewin Jones, Warrior Princess (2009), historical fantasy about a fifteen-year-old Welsh princess who, after Saxon marauders attack her village, is sent to safety in a neighboring kingdom where, unlike her own kingdom, women are not trained for warfare; #1 in the Warrior Princess series. Recommended for ages 12 and up.
Frewin Jones, Destiny's Path (2009), historical fantasy about a fifteen-year-old Welsh princess who is called by the Shining Ones to lead her people in battle; #2 in the Warrior Princess series. Recommended for ages 12 and up.
Frewin Jones, The Emerald Flame (2010), historical fantasy about a Welsh princess called by the Shining Ones to lead her people in battle; #3 in the Warrior Princess series. Recommended for ages 12 and up.
Lisa Klein, Lady Macbeth’s Daughter (2009), a reimagining of Shakespeare's Macbeth from the viewpoint of the daughter Lady Macbeth might have had. Recommended for ages 14 and up.
Elizabeth Laird, The Witching Hour (2010), about a fourteen-year-old Scottish girl who falls into English hands after her grandmother is accused of witchcraft. Recommended for teens.
Juliet Marillier, Shadowfell (2012), historical fantasy set in an alternative medieval Scotland, about a sixteen-year-old girl trying to reach a haven where a rebellion against an evil king is being planned with the help of the fairy-like "Good Folk;" #1 in the Shadowfell trilogy. Recommended for ages 12 and up.
Juliet Marillier, Raven Flight (2013), historical fantasy set in an alternative medieval Scotland, about a girl with a magical ability who must find the "Guardians" who can teach her how to use it; #2 in the Shadowfell trilogy. Recommended for ages 12 and up.
Juliet Marillier, The Caller (2014), historical fantasy set in an alternative medieval Scotland, about a girl with a magical ability who is working with a group planning a rebellion against an evil king; #3 in the Shadowfell trilogy. Recommended for ages 12 and up.
Janet McNaughton, An Earthly Knight (2004), historical fantasy about a sixteen-year-old girl in twelfth-century Scotland who falls in love with a mysterious stranger instead of the king's brother she is meant to marry. Recommended for ages 12 and up. BBYA
Donna Jo Napoli, Hush: An Irish Princess's Tale (2007), about a fifteen-year-old Irish princess and her younger sister who are taken captive by raiders and forced into slavery in the tenth century. Recommended for ages 12 and up.
Joni Sensel, The Humming of Numbers (2008), about a boy in Ireland gifted with the ability to hear the energies of living things who is prepared to take monastic vows until he meets a girl who also has unusual abilities. Recommended for ages 12 and up.
Rosemary Sutcliff and Margaret Lyford-Pike, We Lived in Drumfyvie (1975), about people who lived in a town in Scotland over the course of seven centuries. Recommended for teens.
Medieval Celts, A.D. 500-1300 (books for preteens)
Diane Magras, The Mad Wolf’s Daughter (2018), about a girl in a remote Scottish village who sets out to rescue her father and brothers after a band of knights attack and capture them. Recommended for ages 9-12.
Diane Magras, The Hunt for the Mad Wolf’s Daughter (2019), about a Scottish girl on the run with her family after she is falsely accused of killing a lord. Recommended for ages 9-12.
Madeleine Pollard, The Queen's Blessing (1964), about an eleven-year-old Scottish girl who swears revenge after her parents are killed by King Malcolm's army.
Jennifer Sparlin, The Sea at Mughain (2010), historical fantasy about a 6th-century Irish princess who must battle her family to gain the life she wants. Recommended for preteens.
Medieval Anglo-Saxons, A.D. 500-1066 (books for teens)
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Elizabeth Alder The King's Shadow (1995), about a Welsh serf who loses his dream of becoming a storyteller when his tongue is cut out, but later becomes a servant of King Harold. Recommended for ages 12 and up.
Katy Moran, Bloodline (2008), about a boy in eighth-century Britain whose father abandons him in a village under threat of attack from king Penda of Mercia; #1 in the Bloodline series. Recommended for ages 12 and up. Review or Author Interview
Katy Moran, Bloodline Rising (2009), about a boy who makes his way in Constantinople as the city's most daring and successful thief until he is enslaved and put on a ship sailing to the British kingdom of Mercia; #2 in the Bloodline series. Recommended for ages 12 and up.
Katy Moran, Spirit Hunter (2010), about a girl, the granddaughter of the boy in the first two Bloodline novels, who is captured while traveling on the Silk Road and brought to China; #3 in the Bloodline series. Recommended for ages 12 and up.
Medieval Anglo-Saxons, A.D. 500-1066 (books for preteens)
Donna Farley, Bearing the Saint (2010), about a Saxon fisherman's son who lives near Saint Cuthbert's monastery on the Isle of Lindisfarne when it is threatened by Viking raiders; Christian message. Recommended for ages 10 and up.
Allen French, The Lost Baron (1940), about a thirteen-year-old boy who becomes squire to a baron the day before the baron mysteriously disappears. Recommended for ages 10 and up.
Marion Garthwaite, The Locked Crowns (1963), a retelling of the Anglo-Saxon tale of Havelok the Dane. Recommended for ages 11 and up.
Gareth Hinds, Beowulf (2007), a graphic novel that retells the Anglo-Saxon story of the warrior who defeats a terrible monster who has been killing the king's men. Recommended for ages 10 and up.
Rosemary Sutcliff, Beowulf: Dragonslayer (1961), a retelling of the Anglo-Saxon story of the warrior who defeats a terrible monster who has been killing the king's men. Recommended for ages 9-11.
Rosemary Sutcliff, Blood Feud (1976), about a boy in tenth-century England who is captured by Vikings and sold into slavery. Recommended for preteens.
Rebecca Tingle, The Edge on the Sword (2001), about the eldest daughter of King Alfred, fifteen-year-old Athelflaed, and how she learns the arts of war. Recommended for ages 11-15. BBYA
Rebecca Tingle, Far Traveler (2005), about the sixteen-year-old daughter of Athelflaed, the Lady of Mercia, who after her mother's death disguises herself as a bard in order to escape a diplomatic marriage to an older man; sequel to The Edge on the Sword. Recommended for ages 11-15. BBYA
Theresa Tomlinson, Wolf Girl (2006), about a fourteen-year-old girl in Anglo-Saxon times who sets out to prove the innocence of her mother, at risk of being hanged for stealing a valuable necklace.
Robert Westall, The Wind Eye (1976), about a present-day English family vacationing on the coast of Northumberland who travel back to the time of St. Cuthbert. Recommended for ages 11-14.
Medieval England and Britain from 1066 (books for teens)
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Rebecca Barnhouse, The Book of the Maidservant (2009), about a fifteenth-century servant girl who works for the bad-tempered, fanatically pious Margery Kempe and accompanies her on a pilgrimage to Rome. Recommended for ages 12 and up. Review
Michael Cadnum, In a Dark Wood (1998), a retelling of the Robin Hood story from the perspective of the Sheriff of Nottingham. Recommended for ages 12-17.
Michael Cadnum, The King's Arrow (2008), about an eighteen-year-old boy who joins a hunting party and has to flee after he witnesses the death of King William Rufus, killed by a hunter's arrow. Recommended for ages 12-17. Review
Betsy Cornwell, The Forest Queen (2018), a reimagining of the legend of Robin Hood from a feminist perspective, about a girl from a noble family who runs away to the woods with her best male friend after her brother, the sheriff, decides to marry her to a much older man against her will. Recommended for ages 12 and up.
Susan Coventry, The Queen’s Daughter (2010), about Joan, the daughter of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II, who is caught between her parents as their discord intensifies. Recommended for ages 14 and up.
Joanne Dahme, The Plague (2009), about a peasant girl orphaned in a plague epidemic who is chosen to become a body double for Princess Joan and, when the princess dies, is sent to Spain to marry the Prince of Castile in Joan's place. Recommended for ages 12 and up.
Louis de Wohl, The Quiet Light (1950), about St. Thomas Aquinas; Christian message. Recommended for older teens.
Jill Eckersley, The Silver Rose (1998), about a girl who runs away from her father to find the boy she loves, who is fighting on the side of the future King Richard III during the Wars of the Roses. Recommended for teens.
Mollie Hunter, The King's Swift Rider (2000), about a sixteen-year-old boy who joins the army of Robert the Bruce of Scotland as a courier and spy during the rebellion against England. Recommended for ages 12 and up.
Sherryl Jordan, The Raging Quiet (1999), about a sixteen-year-old girl who, after being forced to marry an older man, discovers a boy the villagers believe to be possessed by demons is actually just deaf. Recommended for ages 13 and up. BBYA Review
Gladys Malvern, Heart's Conquest (1962), about a sixteen-year-old girl from an aristocratic Saxon family during the Norman invasion of England. Recommended for teens.
Gladys Malvern, So Great a Love (1962), about a lady-in-waiting.
Gladys Malvern, The Queen's Lady (1963), a romance about a charmaid who rises to become a confidante of Queen Anne of England during the reign of Richard III.
Margaret Moore, Gwyneth and the Thief (2002), historical romance about a fifteen-year-old girl who inherits her family estate when her parents die and, desperate to avoid marrying her unpleasant neighbor, blackmails a thief into training the townsfolk to fight for her. Recommended for teens.
Rosemary Sutcliff, Shield Ring (1956), about a Saxon boy and girl living in a secluded valley that has become the last holdout against the Normans after the Norman Conquest of England. Recommended for ages 12 and up.
Rosemary Sutcliff, Knight’s Fee (1960), about an orphaned boy in Norman England who is wagered in a game of chess after he angers the lord of Arundel Castle. Recommended for ages 14-18.
Henry Treece, Man With a Sword (1962), about Hereward, the Saxon who led the resistance to William the Conqueror after the Norman invasion. Recommended for teens.
Barbara Willard, If All the Swords in England (1961), about the martyr Thomas Becket; Christian message. Recommended for ages 13-17.
Jane Yolen and Robert J. Harris, Girl in a Cage (2002), about the daughter of King Robert the Bruce of Scotland, Princess Marjorie, publicly imprisoned in a cage after she is captured by the English. Recommended for ages 11-16. BBYA.
Medieval England and Britain from 1066 (books for preteens)
Henrietta Branford, Fire, Bed and Bone (1998), about a dog whose devotion to her human family leads her to help save the children when the family is captured and imprisoned after a rebellion. Recommended for ages 10-14.
Kevin Crossley-Holland, Gatty's Tale (2006), about a fifteen-year-old peasant girl of the thirteenth-century Welsh Marches who joins a pilgrimage to Jerusalem without realizing how far away it is. Recommended for preteens.
Karen Cushman, Catherine, Called Birdy (1994), about an English nobleman's daughter in 1290 who longs for adventure and doesn't want to get married. Recommended for ages 11-14. BBYA Review
Karen Cushman, The Midwife's Apprentice (1995), about an orphaned girl taken in by a midwife in medieval England. Recommended for ages 11-14. NA. BBYA.
Karen Cushman, Matilda Bone (2000), about a well-educated girl in medieval England whose life changes when she becomes the assistant to a bonesetter. Recommended for ages 8-12.
Joan Elizabeth Goodman, The Winter Hare (1996), about a twelve-year-old boy who becomes a page in his uncle's household during the war between Stephen and Matilda for the throne of England. Recommended for ages 9-12.
Joan Elizabeth Goodman, Peregrine (2000), about a fifteen-year-old widow who goes on pilgrimage to Jerusalem in order to avoid a second marriage and meets a strange Welsh girl along the way; sequel to The Winter Hare. Recommended for ages 9-12.
Kristiana Gregory, Eleanor, Crown Jewel of Aquitaine (2002), about Eleanor of Aquitaine in the years before she becomes the queen of France at age fifteen. Recommended for ages 9-12.
Berit Haahr, The Minstrel's Tale (2000), about a thirteen-year-old girl in fourteenth-century England who disguises herself as a boy so she can travel to King Edward's court and become a minstrel. Recommended for ages 9-12.
Eleanore M. Jewett, The Hidden Treasure of Glaston (1946), about a lame boy taken to Glastonbury Abbey in 1171, where he begins searching for a relic from the time of King Arthur; Christian message. NHB. Recommended for ages 11-13.
Gladys Malvern, My Lady, My Love (1957), about Princess Isabella of Valois, who at the age of six in 1396 was married to King Richard II of England. Recommended for preteens.
Eloise McGraw, The Striped Ships (1991), about an eleven-year-old Saxon girl orphaned during the Norman Conquest who takes part in the creation of the Bayeux Tapestry. Recommended for preteens.
Laura Amy Schlitz (illustrations by Robert Byrd), Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village (2007), linked verses (mostly) in the voices of children aged about ten to fifteen in a medieval village. NA. Recommended for ages 10 and up. Review
Rosemary Sutcliff, The Chronicles of Robin Hood (1950), a retelling of the Robin Hood story about an outlaw in medieval England. Recommended for preteens.
Rosemary Sutcliff, The Witch's Brat (1970), about a boy in twelfth-century England whose grandmother, a healer and wisewoman, is suspected of being a witch. Recommended for preteens.
Rosemary Sutcliff, The Minstrel and the Dragon Pup (1993), about a minstrel who raises a dragon from an egg; a picture book for readers aged 6 and up.
Theresa Tomlinson, The Forestwife (1993), about a fifteen-year-old girl who flees to Sherwood Forest to escape an arranged marriage and joins a community of outlaws; #1 in the Forest Wife trilogy, available in an omnibus edition titled The Forest Wife Trilogy. Recommended for ages 10-14.
Theresa Tomlinson, Child of the May (1998), about a girl who grew up in Sherwood Forest after her mother was murdered; #2 in the Forest Wife trilogy, available in an omnibus edition titled The Forest Wife Trilogy. Recommended for ages 10-14.
Theresa Tomlinson, The Path of the She-Wolf (1998), about a woman of the forest whose healing skills are needed during an uprising against King John; #3 in the Forest Wife trilogy, available in an omnibus edition titled The Forest Wife Trilogy. Recommended for ages 10-14.
Medieval Europe, the Continent and Byzantium (books for teens)
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Tracy Barrett, Anna of Byzantium (1999), about Anna Comnena, a Byzantine princess who was raised to become empress until her brother displaced her. Recommended for ages 12 and up. BBYA Review
Melanie Dickerson, The Healer's Apprentice (2010), about a woodcutter's daughter in Saxony given the opportunity to become a healer's apprentice, who is torn between the demands of her profession and her attraction to two different men; loosely based on the tale of Sleeping Beauty. Recommended for ages 15-18.
Nancy Garden, Dove and Sword: A Novel of Joan of Arc (1995), about the brother and a childhood friend of Joan of Arc who remember her life. Recommended for ages 12 and up.
Philippa Gregory, Changeling (2012), historical romance about a seventeen-year-old girl shut up in an Italian nunnery who is accused of witchcraft in 1453, and an eighteen-year-old boy, a member of a secret sect now headed by the pope, who is sent to investigate her; #1 in the Order of Darkness series. Recommended for ages 14-17.
Philippa Gregory, Stormbringers (2013), historical romance about a young nun and young monk who are traveling on an investigation for to a secret religious sect and encounter a boy who is leading an army of children to the Holy Land; #2 in the Order of Darkness series. Recommended for ages 14-17.
Philippa Gregory, Fools Gold (2014), historical romance about a young nun and young monk who arrive in Venice at carnival time to investigate a coin counterfeiting scheme
and encounter an alchemist who appears to have discovered how to turn base metals into gold; #3 in the Order of Darkness series. Recommended for ages 14-17.
Philippa Gregory, Dark Tracks (2018), historical romance about a young nun and young monk who investigate an outbreak of dancing frenzy; #4 and last in the Order of Darkness series. Recommended for ages 14-17.
Donna Jo Napoli, Breath (2003), about a boy in Hameln, Germany, who has a chronic lung disease and escapes a plague of madness suffered by the other townfolk; based on the legend of the pied piper and actual historical events. Recommended for ages 12 and up. BBYA.
Gloria Skurzynski, Spider's Voice (1999), about a boy in Paris who carries messages between his master, Abelard, and Abelard's beautiful student Eloise. Recommended for ages 12 and up. BBYA
Judith Tarr, His Majesty's Elephant (1993), historical fantasy about Charlemagne's daughter, a Breton boy, and an elephant given to Charlemagne by the caliph of Baghdad. Recommended for ages 12 and up.
Frances Temple, The Ramsay Scallop (1994), about a fourteen-year-old English girl who goes on a pilgrimage to Spain with her husband-to-be. BBYA. Recommended for ages 12 and up.
Carolyn Turgeon, The Fairest of Them All (2013), about a girl, raised by a witch in an enchanted forest, who falls in love with a prince; based on the fairy tales "Rapunzel" and "Snow White." Recommended for teens. Review
Jill Paton Walsh, The Emperor's Winding Sheet (1974), about an English boy who lands in Constantinople after a shipwreck, where the emperor adopts him as a good luck charm shortly before the city's fall to the Turks. WCBA. Recommended for ages 12 and up.
Medieval Europe, the Continent and Byzantium (books for preteens)
Elizabeth Borton de Trevino, Casilda of the Rising Moon (1967), about a daughter of the Moorish King Alamun of Toledo. Recommended for ages 8-11.
Pauline Chandler, Warrior Girl (2005), about Joan of Arc from the perspective of a fictional orphaned girl who travels with Joan on her way to visit the Dauphin and persuade him to let her lead his army to victory. Recommended for ages 10 and up.
Patricia Lyfoung, The Scarlet Rose: "I Knew I'd Meet You" (2017), a graphic novel about a medieval French girl trained in sword fighting who, after her father is murdered, goes on the road to seek vengeance and meets a mysterious highwayman; #1 in the Scarlet Rose series. Recommended for ages 10-14.
Patricia Lyfoung, The Scarlet Rose: "I’ll Go Where You Go" (2018), a graphic novel about a medieval French girl trained in sword fighting who teams up with a mysterious highwayman and travels to Versailles to steal a ring of the Knights Templar; #2 in the Scarlet Rose series. Recommended for ages 10-14.
Patricia Lyfoung, The Scarlet Rose: "I Think I Love You" (2018), a graphic novel about a medieval French girl trained in sword fighting and a young highwayman who travel to Istanbul in search of an evil baron; #3 in the Scarlet Rose series. Recommended for ages 10-14.
Catherine Gilbert Murdock, The Book of Boy (2018), about a fourteenth-century boy with a hump on his back who meets a pilgrim who takes him into his service and brings him on a hunt for the seven relics of St. Peter. Recommended for ages 8-12.
Bill Richardson, After Hamelin (2000), historical fantasy about an eleven-year-old deaf girl who escapes being led away from her town with its other children and uses her gift of "deep dreaming" to search for and rescue them; based on the "Pied Piper of Hamelin Town" legend. Recommended for ages 9-12.
The Crusades (books for teens)
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Richard Argent, Winter's Knight (2010), historical fantasy about a teen who becomes a Crusader in order to fulfill the glorious fate he believes has been promised him. Recommended for ages 12-14.
Kat Black, A Templar’s Apprentice (2009), historical fantasy about a thirteen-year-old Scottish boy with mystical abilities who is recruited to go on a dangerous mission for the Knights Templar; #1 in the Book of Tormod series. Recommended for ages 12 and up.
Kat Black, Templar’s Gifts (2011), historical fantasy about a Scottish boy with mystical abilities that make him ill who meets a girl who both annoys and helps him; #2 in the Book of Tormod series. Recommended for ages 12 and up.
Kat Black, A Templar’s Destiny (2012), historical fantasy about a Scottish boy with mystical abilities who returns to France with a group of companions to rescue his brother; #3 in the Book of Tormod series. Recommended for ages 12 and up.
Michael Cadnum, The Book of the Lion (2000), about a seventeen-year-old boy who serves as squire to a knight on his way to join Richard the Lionheart's army in the Holy Land during the Third Crusade. Recommended for ages 12 and up.
Olivia Coolidge, Tales of the Crusades (1970), about the three hundred years of war between Europe and the Middle East.
Kevin Crossley-Holland, The Seeing Stone (2001), historical fantasy about a boy in 1199 who is named after King Arthur and is given a "seeing stone" in which visions of the king appear; #1 in the Arthur trilogy. Recommended for ages 12 and up.
Kevin Crossley-Holland, At the Crossing Places (2004), historical fantasy about a thirteen-year-old boy who has achieved his dream of becoming a squire and now dreams of becoming a Crusader and winning the hand of a fair lady; #2 in the Arthur trilogy. Recommended for ages 12 and up.
Kevin Crossley-Holland, King of the Middle March (2004), historical fantasy about a young Crusader whose "seeing stone" shows him the destruction of King Arthur's court and the origins of an enduring legend; #3 in the Arthur trilogy. Recommended for ages 12 and up.
Kevin Crossley-Holland, Crossing to Paradise (2008), about an English country girl who joins a pilgrimage to the Holy Land; a sequel to the King Arthur trilogy. Recommended for ages 12 and up.
Rima Jean, Knight Assassin (2014), historical fantasy-romance about a seventeen-year-old girl with supernatural powers who joins a group of assassins and seeks revenge on the Templar Knights who burned her mother at the stake. Recommended for teens.
Catherine Jinks, Pagan's Crusade (1993), about a sixteen-year-old boy who becomes squire to a Templar knight just before the fall of Jerusalem to Saladin's forces; #1 in the Pagan series. Recommended for ages 12 and up. Review
Catherine Jinks, Pagan in Exile (2004), about a squire to a Templar knight who returns to France in 1188 after Jerusalem falls; #2 in the Pagan series. Recommended for ages 12 and up.
Catherine Jinks, Pagan's Vows (2004), about a squire to a former Templar knight who enters a convent and finds all is not well within its walls; #3 in the Pagan series. Recommended for ages 12 and up.
Catherine Jinks, Pagan's Scribe (2005), about a boy hired by an Archdeacon 1209 to serve as his scribe as a crusade against the Cathar heretics in France begins; #4 in the Pagan series. Recommended for ages 12 and up.
Gary Robert Muschla, Crusaders (2006), about the sixteen-year-old son of a Norman knight who travels to Jerusalem with a French count and his beautiful daughter during the First Crusade; Christian message. Recommended for ages 12-17.
Gary Robert Muschla, The Sword and the Cross (2009), about a seventeen-year-old boy in Spain who becomes a count when his parents die in 975 and must defend his territory from the lord who killed his parents as well as from the invading Moors; Christian message. Recommended for ages 12-17.
Susan Peek, Crusader King (2003), about Baldwin IV, who became the Christian King of Jerusalem in 1174 when he was thirteen and struggled with leprosy and a corrupt court; Christian message. Recommended for ages 12 and up.
Ronald Welch, Knight Crusader (1954), about a seventeen-year-old boy learning to be a knight in his father's castle in Jerusalem during the time of Richard the Lionheart and the Third Crusade in the twelfth century. Recommended for teens.
The Crusades (books for preteens)
Karleen Bradford, Angeline (2004) about a peasant girl persuaded to join the Children's Crusade who is forced into slavery in the Middle East after being betrayed by her own people. Recommended for preteens and young teens.
Karleen Bradford, There Will Be Wolves (1996), about a girl condemned as a witch who escapes execution by going on crusade with her father during the First Crusade. Recommended for ages 11-13. BBYA
K.M. Grant, Blood Red Horse (2005), about two thirteen-year-old boys, one Christian and one Muslim, fighting on opposite sides during a battle between the armies of Richard the Lionheart and Saladin during the Third Crusade; #1 in the De Granville trilogy. Recommended for ages 10-14.
K.M. Grant, Green Jasper (2005), about two English brothers who return from the Crusades to find England in turmoil because King Richard has not returned; #2 in the De Granville trilogy. Recommended for ages 10-14.
K.M. Grant, Blaze of Silver (2007), about a young Englishman chosen to help collect and deliver the ransom to free King Richard from imprisonment, and a young Arab in the Middle East who is in trouble for refusing to kill Saladin; #3 in the De Granville trilogy. Recommended for ages 10-14.
Margaret Ann Hubbard, The Blue Gonfalon (1960), about a boy chosen to serve as squire for his lord, the Duke of Lorraine, during the First Crusade; Christian message. Recommended for ages 10-13.
Eleanore M. Jewett, Big John's Secret (1962), about a boy raised as a serf who discovers his true heritage, trains to become a knight, and joins the Fifth Crusade in the hope of finding his father; Christian message. Recommended for ages 11-13.
Michael P. Spradlin, Keeper of the Grail (2008), about a fourteen-year-old orphan who becomes the squire of a Templar knight on his way to fight in the Holy Land; #1 in the The Youngest Templar series. Recommended for ages 8-12.
Michael P. Spradlin, Trail of Fate (2009), about a young squire assigned to bring the Holy Grail to England who falls for a pretty girl along the way; #2 in the The Youngest Templar series. Recommended for ages 8-12.
Michael P. Spradlin, Orphan of Destiny (2010), about an orphan who returns to the abbey where he was brought up to find it in ruins; #3 in the The Youngest Templar series. Recommended for ages 8-12.
The Albigensian Crusades in France
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Julie Berry, The Passion of Dolssa (2016), about a girl in thirteenth-century France who flees her hometown after she is accused of heresy, and finds shelter with a woman who runs a tavern in a fishing village. Recommended for ages 12 and up. BFYA
K.M. Grant, Blue Flame (2008), about the son of a Cathar weaver and the daughter of a Catholic family who fall in love in a time of religious conflict, as a mystical Blue Flame kindled at the moment of Christ's death is in danger of falling into the wrong hands; #1 in the Perfect Fire trilogy. Recommended for ages 12 and up.
K.M. Grant, White Heat (2009), about a young couple in love who have been separated during a time of religious conflict; #2 in the Perfect Fire trilogy. Recommended for ages 12 and up.
K.M. Grant, Paradise Red (2009), about a young couple in love who have been separated during a time of religious conflict; #3 in the Perfect Fire trilogy. Recommended for ages 12 and up.
Mary Hoffman, Troubadour (2009), about a young troubadour and the noblewoman who loves him during the thirteenth-century persecution of the Cathars in southern France. Recommended for teens.
Scandinavia and the Vikings (books for teens)
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Henrietta Branford, The Fated Sky (1996), about a sixteen-year-old Viking girl who flees Norway after she is chosen to be a sacrifice and goes to live in Iceland instead, where life is almost as dangerous for her. Recommended for ages 13 and up.
Michael Cadnum, Raven of the Waves (2001), about a seventeen-year-old Viking on his first raiding mission and his encounter with an Anglo-Saxon captive. Recommended for ages 12 and up.
Pauline Chandler, Viking Girl (2005), about a Viking princess in ninth-century England who must defend her tribe against hostile Saxons while trying to find out who killed her father. Recommended for teens.
Joan Clark, The Dream Carvers (1995), about a Viking boy from Greenland who, on a trip in search of lumber, is captured by a native Greenlander. Recommended for teens.
Julia Golding, The Silver Sea (2009; titled Wolf Cry in the U.K.), about a Viking girl whose reluctant father brings her along on the search for her brother after he is kidnapped by raiders. Recommended for ages 12-17.
Erik Christian Haugaard, A Slave's Tale (1965), about a slave girl who travels from Norway to Brittany with her master. Recommended for ages 12-17.
Marie-Louise Jensen, Daughter of Fire and Ice (2010), about a fifteen-year-old Viking girl who sees visions of the future and is kidnapped by her father's enemy, who takes her on his voyage to Iceland during the tenth century. Recommended for teens.
Marie-Louise Jensen, Sigrun's Secret (2011), about a fifteen-year-old girl from Iceland who must go into exile with her father in Jorvik (now York, England) after he is accused of murder. Recommended for teens.Review at Rebecca's Book Blog
Quinn Loftis, The Viking’s Chosen (2018), about a Viking leader sent to raid England, aware of a prophecy that he will marry a foreign woman who is a seer and healer; #1 in the Clan Hakon series. Recommended for ages 12-18.
Quinn Loftis, The Viking’s Captive (2018), about a Viking leader torn between his wish to rescue the woman he loves and his duty to defend his people from a foreign invader; #2 in the Clan Hakon series. Recommended for ages 12-18.
Judson Roberts, Viking Warrior (2006), about a fourteen-year-old Viking slave suddenly given the chance to become a warrior after his father dies; #1 in the Strongbow Saga. Recommended for ages 14 and up. Review
Judson Roberts, Dragons from the Sea (2007), about a fifteen-year-old Viking warrior on a mission of revenge; #2 in the Strongbow Saga. Recommended for ages 14 and up. Review
Judson Roberts, The Road to Vengeance (2008), about a fifteen-year-old Viking warrior on a mission of revenge; #3 in the Strongbow Saga. Recommended for ages 14 and up. Review
Marcus Sedgwick, Midwinter Blood (2013), linked short stories about passion and love, set on a remote Scandinavian island and moving backward in time from the present to the time of the Vikings. Recommended for ages 12-18.
Diane Lee Wilson, Raven Speak (2010), about the fourteen-year-old daughter of a Viking chieftain and her struggle to survive a terrible winter when the women and children are left behind while the men go to sea in search of food. Recommended for ages 12 and up.
Scandinavia and the Vikings (books for preteens)
Kevin Crossley-Holland, Bracelet of Bones (2011), about the fourteen-year-old daughter of a Viking adventurer who follows her father to Constantinople after he breaks a promise to bring her along; #1 in the Viking Sagas series. Recommended for ages 10-13.
Kevin Crossley-Holland, Scramasax (2012), about the daughter of a Viking adventurer who joins her father in Constantinople to find conflicts have broken out between the Viking guards and the Islamic people in nearby Sicily; #2 in the Viking Sagas series. Recommended for ages 10-13.
Nancy Farmer, The Sea of Trolls (2004), historical fantasy about an eleven-year-old boy and his younger sister who are kidnapped by Vikings in the year 793. Recommended for ages 10-13. BBYA.
Allen French, The Story of Rolf and the Viking Bow (1904), about a boy in tenth-century Iceland who searches for a bow that will shoot an unusual distance so he can get justice after his father is killed. Recommended for ages 9-12.
Jackie French, Rover (2007; titled The Slave Girl in England and They Came in Viking Ships in Australasia), about a farm girl and her dog who are taken captive by Viking raiders. Recommended for ages 10-14.
Matthew Kirby, Icefall (2011), about a Viking princess who faces danger during a winter when her father is at war. Recommended for ages 10-14. Review
Susan Price, Feasting the Wolf (2007), about a young Viking who leaves his farm with a friend to join a group of raiders. Recommended for ages 10-14.
Louise E. Schaff, Skald of the Vikings (1966), about a thirteen-year-old Viking skald, or singer, who takes part in an expedition from Greenland to Vinland. Recommended for preteens.
Rosemary Sutcliff, Chess-Dream in a Garden (1993), historical fantasy inspired by a twelfth-century chess set; a picture book for ages 4 and up.
Rosemary Sutcliff, Sword Song (1997), about a sixteen-year-old boy in Viking Scotland who becomes a warrior after he is exiled from his home; a manuscript discovered and published after the author's death in 1992. Recommended for ages 10 and up.
Asia
Katherine Roberts, Bone Music: The Legend of Genghis Khan (2018), about Genghis Khan as a youth in twelfth-century Asia, when he rides across the steppe to seek his bride. Recommended for older teens (content includes violence and sex).
Diane L. Wilson, I Rode a Horse of Milk White Jade (1998), about a girl in fourteenth-century Mongolia whose greatest wish is to win a horse race. Recommended for ages 11-15. Review
Dori Jones Yang, Daughter of Xanadu (2011), about a thirteenth-century Mongol princess who meets Marco Polo during his visit to the court of Khubilai Khan. Recommended for ages 12 and up. Review
Dori Jones Yang, Son of Venice (2011), about a thirteenth-century Mongol princess who journeys to Europe with Marco Polo as Khubilai Khan's ambassador; sequel to Daughter of Xanadu. Recommended for ages 12 and up.
Medieval Mysteries
Purchase from the Book Depository, Amazon or Powell's Books
Felicity Pulman, Rosemary for Remembrance (2005), about a girl in medieval England who refuses to believe her mother's death was an accident and sets out to find the truth; #1 in the Janna mystery series. Recommended for ages 12 and up.
Felicity Pulman, Rue for Repentance (2006), about an girl who disguises herself as a young man and takes refuge at a manor, but doesn't know who to trust after a child disappears; #2 in the Janna mystery series. Recommended for ages 12 and up.
Felicity Pulman, Lilies for Love (2008), about a girl who travels to Wiltune Abbey in search of her absent father and the truth about her mother's death; #3 in the Janna mystery series. Recommended for ages 12 and up.
Felicity Pulman, Willows for Weeping (2008), about a girl who travels to Stonehenge in search of her father during the war between Stephen and Maud for the throne of England; #4 in the Janna mystery series. Recommended for ages 12 and up.
Martha Bennett Stiles, The Star in the Forest (1979), about a sixth-century lord's daughter in Gaul who witnesses her brother's death and fears it may be the first step in a plot to steal her father's lands. Recommended for teens.
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