Kids and Families

Medieval Era Fiction for Older Readers

Anna of Byzantium by Tracy Barrett. Delacorte Press, 1999.
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.

A Boy and His Bear by Harriet Graham. Margaret K. McElderry, 1996.
Dickon rescues his bear cub friend from certain death at the hands of bear catchers in Medieval England. Told in part from the point of view of the cub.

Catherine Called Birdy by Karen Cushman. Clarion Books, 1994.
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.

The Making of a Knight: How Sir James Earned his Armor by Patrick O'Brien. Charlesbridge, 1998.
Traces James's journey during the Middle Ages in England from inexperienced page at the age of seven to knighthood at the age of twenty-one.

Matilda Bone by Karen Cushman. Clarion Books, 2000.
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.

The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman. Clarion Books, 1995.
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.

Spider's Voice by Gloria Skurzynski. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 1999.
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. Houghton Mifflin, 1998.
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.

What Happened in Hamelin by Gloria Skurzynski. Four Winds Press, 1979.
A novel of the Pied Piper legend told from the standpoint of a 14-year-old baker's assistant who dreams of freedom from his harsh medieval life and of a new life with the piper.

The Winter Here by Joan E. Goodman. Houghton Mifflin Co., 1996.
In 1140, with England divided between the supporters of King Stephen and those of the Empress Matilda, twelve-year-old Will Belet, small for his age but longing to be a knight, comes to his Uncle's castle to be a page and soon finds himself involved in dangerous intrigues and adventures.