Things for Teens - Book Lists

Middle Ages and Renaissance Historical Fiction for Teens

The words Teen, Children and Adult let you know where in the library you can find the book.

Middle Ages

Anna of Byzantium by Tracy Barrett – 1999 - Teen
In the eleventh century the teenage princess Anna Comnena fights for her birthright, the throne to the Byzantine Empire. She fears it will be taken from her by her younger brother John because he is a boy.

The Book of the Lion by Michael Cadnum – 2000 - Teen
In twelfth-century England, after his master, a maker of coins for the king, is brutally punished for alleged cheating, seventeen-year-old Edmund finds himself traveling to the Holy Land as squire to a knight crusader on his way to join the forces of Richard Lionheart.

Breath by Donna Napoli – 2003 - Teen

Salz is a boy afflicted with cystic fibrosis -- though in the Middle Ages in Saxony no one can identify it as such. Instead he is an outcast.  When his town is threatened by a plague that does not seem to affect him, he may become a hero.

Blood Red Horse by KM Grant – 2005 - Teen

Hosanna may be small and oddly colored as far as war horses go.  But Will is about to join King Richard I in a Crusade to Jerusalem and sees in this stallion a soulful presence. Together the young knight and horse travel to the mideast witnessing bloodshed and the terrors of war.  Also in the series Green Jasper, Blaze of Silver

Catherine Called Birdy by Karen Cushman – 1994 - Children
The thirteen-year-old daughter of an English country knight keeps a journal in which she records the events of her life, particularly her longing for adventures beyond the usual role of women and her efforts to avoid being married off.

Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi – 2002 - Children
Falsely accused of theft and murder, an orphaned peasant boy in fourteenth-century England flees his village and meets a larger-than-life juggler who holds a dangerous secret. Sequel Crispin : at the edge of the world

The Demon in the Teahouse by Dorothy Hoobler – 2001 - Teen

In eighteenth-century Japan, fourteen-year-old Seikei, a merchant's son in training to be a samurai, helps his patron investigate a series of murders and arson in the capital city of Edo, each of which is associated in some way with a popular geisha.

The Executioner's Daughter by Laura E. Williams. - 2000 - Teen
Thirteen-year-old Lily, daughter of the town's executioner living in fifteenth-century Europe, decides whether to fight against her destiny or to rise above her fate.

First Test by Tamora Pierce – 1999 - Children

Ten-year-old Keladry of Mindalen, daughter of nobles, serves as a page but must prove herself to the males around her if she is ever to fulfill her dream of becoming a knight. Also in the Series:Page, Squire, Lady Knight

Girl in a Cage by Jane Yolen – 2002 - Teen
As English armies invade Scotland in 1306, eleven-year-old Princess Marjorie, daughter of the newly crowned Scottish king, Robert the Bruce, is captured by England's King Edward Longshanks and held in a cage on public display.

Hush: An Irish Princess' Tale by Donna Jo Napoli - 2007 - Teen
Fifteen-year-old Melkorka, an Irish princess, is kidnapped by Russian slave traders and not only learns how to survive but to challenge some of the brutality of her captors, who are fascinated by her apparent muteness and the possibility that she is enchanted.

Incantation by Alice Hoffman – 2006 - Teen
During the Spanish Inquisition when everyone who was not Christian was in danger, sixteen-year-old Estrella, brought up a Catholic, discovers her family's true Jewish identity. 

King of the Middle March by Kevin Crossley-Holland. - 2004 - Teen
Arthur de Caldicot, on his way to becoming a man, witnesses the horrors of the Fourth Crusade in Venice and Zara, as well as the downfall of King Arthur's court, in his seeing stone.

Kite Rider by Geraldine McCaughrean – 2002 - Children

In thirteenth-century China, after trying to save his widowed mother from a horrendous second marriage, twelve-year-old Haoyou has life-changing adventures when he takes to the sky as a circus kite rider and ends up meeting the great Mongol ruler Kublai Khan.

Lady Ilena: Way of the Warrior by Patricia Malone - 2005 - Teen
Now chief of Dun Alyn, fifteen-year-old Ilena disgraces herself on the battlefield and, while subsequently exiled from her people, becomes involved in a plan to rescue King Arthur from his Saxon captors.

Matilda Bone by Karen Cushman - 2000 - Teen
Fourteen-year-old Matilda, an apprentice bonesetter and practitioner of medicine in a village in medieval England, tries to reconcile the various aspects of her life, both spiritual and practical.

Mimus by Lilli Thal – 2005 - Teen

Prince Florin of Moltovia is captured by his country's arch enemy - King Theodo of Vinland.  He is forced into being the assistant to the cruel Court Jestor.  He knows that all thoughts of escape or rebellion are impossible because his father is imprissoned in the dark and tortuous dungeon.  

The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman - 1995 - Children
In medieval England, a nameless, homeless girl is taken in by a sharp-tempered midwife, and in spite of obstacles and hardship, eventually gains the three things she most wants: a full belly, a contented heart, and a place in this world. Newbery Award Winner.

Pagan's Crusade by Catherine Jinks – 2003 - Teen
In twelfth-century Jerusalem, orphaned sixteen-year-old Pagan is assigned to work for Lord Roland, a Templar knight, as Saladin's armies close in on the Holy City.

Rover by Jackie French – 2007 – Teen
Captured by Vikings, young Hekja is taken as a slave to Greenland by the daughter of Erik the Red, and accompanied by no one from her homeland but her loyal dog, shares adventures with her new mistress, who is determined to make a name for herself as her father and brother have.

The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer – 2004 – Teen
After Jack becomes apprenticed to a Druid bard, he and his little sister Lucy are captured by Viking Berserkers and taken to the home of King Ivar the Boneless and his half-troll queen, leading Jack to undertake a vital quest to Jotunheim, home of the trolls. Sequel: Land of the Silver Apples

A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park – 2001 - Children

Tree-ear is an orphan boy in a 12th-century Korean potters’ village. When he accidentally breaks a pot, he must work for the master to pay for the damage by setting off on a difficult and dangerous journey that will change his life forever.

Spider's Voice by Gloria Skurzynski – 1999 - Teen
Because he is a young mute person who can hear, Aran becomes involved in the adventures of Eloise and Abelard, France's most famous lovers, who lived during the twelfth century.

The Squire's Tale by Gerald Morris – 1998 - Teen
In medieval England, fourteen-year-old Terence finds his tranquil existence suddenly changed when he becomes the squire of the young Gawain of Orkney and accompanies him on a long quest, proving Gawain's worth as a knight and revealing an important secret about his own true identity.

The Renaissance

Blood Stone by Jamila Gavin – 2005 - Teen

In the early seventeenth century, young Venetian Filippo Veroneo travels from Venice to Afghanistan to rescue his imprisoned father, Geronimo, and stops in India to raise the ransom by selling his father's beautiful diamond to the ruler Shah Jehan, who later uses the stone as the model for the Taj Mahal.

Daughter of Venice by Donna Jo Napoli - Teen
Frustrated with the restrictions her gender imposes on her life, fourteen-year-old Donata, disguised as a boy, sneaks out of her noble family's house to roam the streets of late sixteenth-century Venice and then must confront the repercussions of her actions.

Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier – 1999 - Adult
Set in 17th-century Delft, this historical novel intertwines the art of Johannes Vermeer with his life and that of a maiden servant in his household. From the few facts known about the artist, Chevalier creates the reality of the Netherlands.

Queen's Own Fool by Jane Yolen – 2000 – Teen
When twelve-year-old Nicola leaves Troupe Brufort and serves as the fool for Mary, Queen of Scots, she experiences the political and religious upheavals in both France and Scotland.

Shakespeare Stealer by Gary Blackwood – 1998 - Teen
A young orphan boy is ordered by his master to infiltrate Shakespeare's acting troupe in order to steal the script of "Hamlet," but he discovers instead the meaning of friendship and loyalty.

compiled from various web and print sources updated 1/08

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