A Medieval/Early Renaissance Reading List for children aged 6-12
King Arthur to King Henry VIII and beyond
We follow the history schedule set out in The Well-Trained Mind, so for the past year we’ve been engrossed in the medieval world (and a bit beyond). Here are the books we’ve most enjoyed—obviously, you don’t need them all, but I’ve listed them so you can see, for example, which Robin Hood book might work best for your own family.
Last year we did the Ancient World. The reading list for that is here.
Where there are age guidelines online I’ve given them, but take it with a pinch of salt: publishers often underestimate what small children are capable of, especially if it’s read aloud to them.
It’s a pretty England-centric collection. I wanted to do more world history but we just didn’t manage it this year. Next time…
It’s a long list, you’ll need to view it in your browser or click ‘View entire message’ to get to the very bottom. I’ve suggested some audiobooks and places to visit in the UK after all the books.
Please feel free to add your own favourites in the comments. Enjoy!
Myths, legends, literature
Adventures of Robin Hood, Usborne Young Reading Series 2 (6+)
Tales of Robin Hood, Tony Allan (out of print Usborne, 10-14)
Robin of Sherwood, Michael Morpurgo (6-11)
Outlaw: The Story of Robin Hood, Michael Morpurgo (9+)
Usborne Illustrated Arabian Nights (8+)
Tales of King Arthur (Ladybird, out of print, four books: The Deeds of the Nameless Knight, The Knight of the Golden Falcon, Mysteries of Merlin, Sir Lancelot of the Lake)
Excalibur, Hudson Talbott (8-10)
Usborne Illustrated Tales of King Arthur (7-10)
The Advenures of King Arthur, Usborne Young Reading Series 2 (6+)
DK Eyewitness Classics: King Arthur (a blend of the story with factual explanations, maps, explanations and photographs)
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Selina Hastings
The Kitchen Knight: A Tale of King Arthur, Margaret Hodges (6-9)
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Michael Morpurgo (9-11)
Usborne Illustrated Norse Myths (6-9)
The Orchard Book of Viking Stories (6-11)
Beowulf, Michael Morpurgo (8-10)
St George and the Dragon, Geraldine McCaughrean
St George and the Dragon: A Golden Legend, Margaret Hodges
The Canterbury Tales, Usborne (8+, and be on your toes—Chaucer wasn’t writing for children!)
The Canterbury Tales, Geraldine McCaughrean (10+)
A Little Lower Than the Angels, Geraldine McCaughrean. (9-12. Story about a medieval stone mason’s apprentice who joins a band of travelling players. Won the Whitbread Children’s Award in 1987.)
, on the same history schedule as us, recommended The Book of Boy (9-12), The Inquisitor’s Tale: Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog (10-12), and The Samurai’s Tale (10-12) as good medieval-themed middle-grade fiction. I wish we had got around to reading these together. Next time!
Know a family studying medieval history? Feel free to share this post!
Anglo Saxons, Vikings, and Normans
The Story of the Vikings Picture Book
DK Find Out! Vikings (7-9. I think these books are brilliant introductions to a wide range of subjects.)
50 Things You Should Know About the Vikings, Philip Parker. (We actually didn’t use this, because I’ve only stumbled across it while compiling this list. But we have the WW1 and WW2 books from the same series and they are excellent. I’ve just discovered there’s a Tudors one too!) (7-11, although my son has been enjoying them since he was 5.)
Anglo-Saxons and Vikings, Hazel Maskell (from the Usborne History of Britain series. There’s plenty of information—probably too much for younger children, but it’s the sort of book you’ll still be using several years down the line. The Middle Ages is from the same series.)
So You Think You’ve Got it Bad? A Kid’s Life as a Viking and In A Medieval Castle (not for everyone, as plenty of toilet humour and jokes about how awful parents are, etc. My children find it hilarious but I’m not convinced how much they actually learn.)
Viking Voyagers, Jack Tite (7-11)
Ladybird Adventures from History: William the Conqueror, and King Alfred the Great. Lots more in the series that we haven’t read: list here.)
The Battle of Hastings, Gillian Clements (6-11, from the excellent Great Events series.)
Who Was… Lief Erikson? (Penguin say 8-12, but my children have been enjoying this series since they were 5.) (See also: Who Was Shakespeare, Galileo, Marco Polo, Age of Exploration, Columbus, Ponce de Leon, Ferdinand Magellan).
Watch: Vikings Live video from the British Museum, exploring their 2014 exhibition
Tudors
Elizabeth I, and Henry VIII, both Usborne
Mysteries in Time Elizabethans issue
A Day in the Life of a Tudor Criminal
The Queen’s Pirate—Francis Drake (Usborne Young Reading Series 3)
Shakespeare
Usborne Young Reading Series 2: Macbeth, Hamlet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo and Juliet, The Tempest, Twelfth Night
William Shakespeare, Usborne Young Reading Series 3 (7+)
A Stage Full of Shakespeare Stories (7-9)
How To Teach Your Children Shakespeare, Ken Ludwig
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, picture book retelling
See Inside the World of Shakespeare, lift the flap book
Something Rich and Strange, A Treasury of Shakespeare’s Verse (Lots of lovely illustrations)
General history books
DK A Child Through Time and A Street Through Time
Usborne Encyclopedia of World History
Usborne Kings and Queens of Britain
DK History Atlas (Fantastic for older children, 9-12)
Other
Corpse Talk Explorers (7-9. Series of comic-strip style books with a good balance of humour and information. I want the whole series.)
Christopher Columbus (Usborne Young Reading Series 3, 7+)
Explorapedia (9-12, but can be read aloud to younger children).
Leonardo da Vinci (Usborne Young Reading Series 3)
Who Was… Joan of Arc? (Be aware there’s no way to make burning at the stake child-friendly)
Who Was… Genghis Khan? (8-12)
The Black Death (Usborne Young Reading Series 2, 7+)
The Story of Islam (Usborne Young Reading Series 3, 7+)
See Inside the Middle Ages, Usborne lift the flap book with lots of good information (6-9)
Barley Hall: A Day in a Medieval Town House (You can visit the recreated Barley Hall in York)
Medieval Town, Daisy Kerr
You Wouldn’t Want to be… series
These are mostly great. Lots of information and the right amount of humour to make it enjoyable without being idiotic.
Places to visit in the UK
Tower of London (Home educators get discounts to HRP sites, including the Tower and Hampton Court. Book 6 weeks or more in advance, term time weekdays only.)
Winchester (Cathedral, and more)
Sutton House and Breaker’s Yard (one of London’s few remaining Tudor houses)
Kenilworth Castle (Elizabethan)
And obviously lots of other castles depending on where you are!
Things to Listen To
Ladybird Audio Adventures: Castles and Vikings
Greeking Out has an episode on Norse myths
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What a rich list! Two favorites of mine for kids are Adam of the Road and A Door in the Wall, both of which are historical fiction. I highly recommend them as read-alouds.
This is a great list! I'm a little late in the game here... We did this time period a few years back, and some titles we liked include:
Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi
Otto of the Silver Hand by Howard Pyle
The Sword in the Tree by Clyde Robert Bulla
Also, a favorite of mine is A Door in the Wall, but someone beat me to mentioning it. :-)