STORIES OF THE MIDDLE AGES AND RENAISSANCE
Avi. Crispin: Cross of Lead. Hyperion Books For Children, 2002.
Avi. Crispin: At the Edge of the World. Hyperion Paperbacks for Children, 2006.
Avi. Midnight Magic. Scholastic, 2009, c1999.
Avi. Murder at Midnight. Scholastic Press, 2009.
Bogart, Jo Ellen. The White Cat and the Monk : a Retelling of the Poem ‘Pangur Bán’. Toronto; Groundwood Books/House of Anansi Press, 2016.
A monk spends hours studying while his cat spends hours hunting in the darkness. As a new day dawns, the cat has found his mouse and the monk has found the meaning of his manuscript. A retelling of an Irish poem from the 9th century, this picture book illustrated by Sydney Smith is accompanied by an explanatory author’s note. It is recommended for inquisitive readers 7 to 14 years old. [Cats; Middle Ages; Monks; Pets; Truth]
Bradford, Karleen. There Will be Wolves. HarperCollins, 1992.
Bradford,Karleen. Shadows on a Sword. Harper Collins, 1997.
Cushman, Karen. Catherine, Called Birdy. HarperTrophy, 1995.
Newbery Honor Book in 1995; on ERAC recommended novel list for grade 8.
Cushman, Karen. Matilda Bone. Clarion Books, 2000.
At first, because of the misguiding of Father Leufredus, a priest, Matilda is religiously confused; she thinks cats are devils, that the ill are wicked and that people should be judged by their accomplishments. She is incapable of making her own decisions. But one day she is faced with a conflict. Her friend, Tildy, has hurt herself badly. Should she go to Master physician Theobald who will be unable to help? Or should she go to Margery, a woman who can help but Father Leufredus disapproves of? Because she wants Tildy to live, she goes to Margery and in the end, Tildy lives. Would Tildy have died if Matilda had gone to Master physician Theobald instead? (Jezy in grade eight)
Cushman, Karen. Midwife’s Apprentice. HarperCollins, 1996.
1996 Newbery Winner; on ERAC recommended novel list for grade 8.
deAngeli, Marguerite. The Door in the Wall. Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers, 1990, c1949.
1950 Newbery Winner.
Ellis, Deborah. A Company of Fools. Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2002.
A Company of Fools by Deborah Ellis (Fitzenry and Whiteside, 2002) tells the story of loneliness, courage and friendship. Set in St. Luc’s monastery during the time of the Black Death, it describes the experiences of sickly boy named Henri who must find a way to give hope to the people of Paris.
This story has a binding nature. I never wanted to put it down. It entertained me with its ways of spreading joy and hope. It informed me about what life was really like in the Late Middle Ages. I knew that the time of the Black Death was bad but, I never truly understood how bad it was. It also affected my emotions: I felt sadness as I read about what people were willing to give to stop the Plague, I didn’t now how scared they were. Most importantly, it has changed how I see the world. If I think I’m having a bad day I think about those poor people in the time of The Plague. If you like books that have a strong friendship, you are sure to find this novel as entertaining as I did. (by Liam in grade eight)
Fern, Tracey E. Pippo the Fool. Charlesbridge, 2009.
A fictionalized picture book about Filippo Brunelleschi, the great Renaissance architect who built the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, Italy during the 14th century.
Garden, Nancy. Dove and Sword. Scholastic, 1995.
Gidwitz, Adam. The Inquisitor’s Tale: Or, The Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog. New York: Dutton Children’s Books, 2016.
Do miracles happen? Can hearts change? Will goodness prevail? Three travellers – a peasant girl with a mysterious greyhound, a Jewish refugee, and a boy raised in a monastery – flee persecution in 13th century France. Illustrated in medieval style by Hatem Aly and followed by a long author’s note and an annotated bibliography, this 337-page Newbery Medal winning novel will be avidly devoured by competent readers 11 years old and up. [Adventure stories, Faith; France; Medieval life; Quests; Persecution]
Gilbert, Henry. Robin Hood. Wordsworth Editions Limited 1994.
Gray, Elizabeth. Adam of the Road. Puffin Books, 1987, c1970.
1943 Newbery Medal Winner.
Hoffman. Mary. The Falconer’s Knot: a Story of Friars, Flirtation and Foul Play. Bloomsbury, 2007.
Hooper, Mary. At the Sign of the Sugared Plum. Bloomsbury, 2003.
On the ERAC recommended novel list for grades 6 to 9; sequel: Petals in the Ashes.
Hooper, Mary. Petals in the Ashes. Bloomsbury, 2004.
Kelly, Eric P. The Trumpeter of Krakow. Simon & Schuster, 1928, 1966.
1929 Newbery Medal Winner.
Little, Melanie. The Apprentice’s Masterpiece: A Story of Medieval Spain. Annick Press, 2008.
A novel written as a series of poems.
Matas, Carol. The Burning Time. Orca Book Publishers, 2007.
Napoli, Donna Jo. The Smile. Dutton Children’s Books, 2008.
Nichol, Barbara. Tales of Don Quixote. Tundra Books, 2004.
Nichol, Barbara. Tales of Don Quixote: Book II. Tundra Books, 2006.
Park, Linda Sue . A Single Shard. Dell Yearling, 2003.
Paterson, Katherine. Of Nightingales That Weep. Avon, 1974.
Paterson, Katherine. Parzival. Puffin Books, 1998.
Paterson, Katherine. The Sign of the Chrysanthemum. Avon, 1973.
Pyle, Howard. Robin Hood. ABDO Pub., 2002.
Pyle, Howard. The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood of Great Renown, in Nottinghamshire. Dover Publications, 1968.
Scott, Walter. Ivanhoe. Penguin Books, 2000.
Sturtevant, Katherine. The Brothers Story. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2009.
Fifteen-year-old Kit wants to leave home to become an apprentice in London, but he feels a sense of duty for his twin brother who is unable to care for himself. Set in the late seventeenth century, this young adult novel is recommended for grades eight to ten. (Renaissance; London (England); Apprentices; Brothers; Twins; People with mental disabilities; Poverty; Young adult fiction; Winter)
Sturtevant, Katherine. A True and Faithful Narrative. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2006.
A True and Faithful Narrative by Katherine Sturtevant (Farrar Straus Giroux New York, 2006) is a simply divine novel about pirates, writing, and true love. The main character, Meg, unlike most of the girls in London, pours over books and loves to talk with writers who come into her father’s bookstore. Above all, though, she loves to write. After her father forbids her to do so because it is considered shameful for women to be writers, she secretly meets with a man trying to court her, Edward, for whom she is writing a narrative about his time of enslavement in the Algiers. Unfortunately, Will, another man trying to court her, spots the two of them together in a tavern and reports her to her father who is outraged. Meg finds herself in a sticky situation: What will her father say to her? What will happen to the narrative she is writing? You’ll have to read this amazing novel find out! (Andriana in grade eight)
Sutcliff, Rosemary. Light Beyond the Forest. Knight Books, 1980.
Thal, Lilli. Mimus. Annick Press, 2005.
Turnbull, Ann. No Shame, No Fear. Candlewick Press, 2003.
Turnbull, Ann. Forged in the Fire. Candlewick Press, 2007.
White, T.H.. Sword in the Stone. HarperCollins Children’s Books, 2008, c1938.
Demi. Joan of Arc. Marshall Cavendish, 2011.
Visconti, Guido. Clare and Francis. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2004, c2003.
Wildsmith, Brian. Saint Francis. Wm. B. Eerdmans Pub., 1996.