by Marguerite De Angeli

Set in the middle ages. Robin has grown up the son of a nobleman and knows he must serve the king by becoming a knight.  But his destiny is changed suddenly when he falls ill and loses the use of his legs. A monk rescues Robin and cares for him at a hospice.  There he learns woodcarving and – much harder – strength and patience. When danger threatens, Robin discovers there are more ways to serve the king than riding into battle. The monk tells Robin he must only follow the wall long enough and there will be a door in it.

A favourite story in our home about endurance and the opportunities afforded through suffering that otherwise would remain unknown to us.  For ages 8+; PB, 100g.

by Margaret Leighton $21.45 This product is available for purchase from Chariot Press.

Margaret Leithton has created twelve wonderful historical fiction stories that span the Middle Ages, from the withdrawal of the Roman legions from Britain to the fall of Venice as Queen of the Sea.  The heroes and heroines of these stories are young people set in the dramatic events that have shaped Western Civilization.

‘The settings, the customs and ideas of the people pictured here are as true to the period as long and careful study could make them.  Whenever an historical figure does appear, like Vortigern or Charlemagne or Alfred, he is only doing what records tell us that he actually did do.’ – foreward.

These stories inspire courage, love, endurance, hope, industry and many other virtues.  They are also one of the best tools to teach the general timeline of the Middle Ages to children. For ages 10-13; pb 198p; 300g.

a Crabtree Book

Known for their courage on the battlefield and as masters of the sea, the Vikings spread out from their native Scandinavia to Greenland, North Africa, parts of Central Asia, and even Canada. Despite the fact that their heyday was short-lived, the Vikings left behind fragments of a culture that still fascinate children and adults alike. This exciting new book shows children what Viking life was really like.
Topics include
• the raiding season: individual and community preparation, targets of raids
• ship building, navigation, and life at sea daily life in the long house and the care of homesteads while the men were away
• seasonal festivals and their feasts
• rule by local chieftains
• pagan myths and legends, such as the
• Valkyries, and the arrival of Christianity

Ages 8-14.

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Related titles:

In the Days of Alfred the Great

Viking Quest series

Rolf and the Viking’s Bow

Historical Atlas of the Viking World

The Martyr’s Victory

a Crabtree Book

In the Middle Ages, a family’s position in society determined where children lived, what type of education they received, and what games they played. This colorful new book features beautiful artwork that helps show how children spent their days in medieval times.
Topics include;
• the importance of family
• a carefree life for young children up to the age of seven
• homemade toys
• indoor games including chess, backgammon, and cards
• outdoor activities including hunting, horseback riding, and archery
• growing up a peasant
• children in town
• apprenticeships for older children
• noble boys learning how to become a knight
• noble girls learning how a lady runs a household
• clothing and hygiene
• education according to sex and status
• religion and a child’s moral upbringing
• holidays
• community fun at markets and fairs

32p, Ages 8-14.

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a Crabtree Book

People who lived in towns in the Middle Ages were usually part of the merchant class and were more often than not wealthier than village dwellers. These craftsmen and business owners were independent men and women who did not work in service to anyone but themselves. Medieval Towns, Trade and Travel features daily life in a town, the artisans and businesspeople who populated it, and what kind of transportation was available in the days of horse and cart.
Topics include;
• the daily life of a family in town
• trades for food including the butcher, the baker, and the brewer
• trades for equipment such as the blacksmith and the woodworker
• belonging to a guild
• apprenticeship for a trade
• travel in the Middle Ages
• staying close to home because travel was time-consuming and uncomfortable
• travel by horse—the fastest way
• inns and taverns for weary travelers

Glossy paperback, 32p.  Ages 8-14.

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a Crabtree Book

Medieval Society describes life under the feudal system, the growth of towns and trade, and the influence of the church on society. Young readers will be captivated by this account of the daily lives of:
• the nobility
• knights
• peasants
• monks and nuns
• townspeople
• medieval Muslims

For ages 8-14.

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Twenty-one stories from the Arthurian legends specially selected and adapted for children and told in simple well-written prose. The stirring tales of these chivalrous knights awaken the reader’s admiration for courage and gentleness and high sense of honor essential in all ages. 224p. Ages 9-12.

Story of the life of Alfred the Great, how at twenty-two he inherited a land overrun by savage pirates, -a restless ignorant, defenseless land, and how he fought the Danes and restored the country to a condition of peace and safety. When he inherited his kingdom at twenty-two, the king was not safe in his palace, the priest in his church. There was little opportunity for agriculture; laws were not executed; schools had disappeared, the very wish to learn had disappeared; the whole land was rapidly sinking into ignorance and barbarism, and was exhausted by its sickening dread of the horrors that the next moment might bring. To restore a land in such a condition to peace and quiet and safety and freedom from fear of harm, to establish churches and schools, to make just laws, and see to it that they were justly executed-a man might well have been proud to have succeeded in doing any one of these things; and for the man who brought about all these good results, no praise can be too high. To him who, in the midst of all the fighting and the weariness and the anxiety and the temptation and the responsibility, lived a calm, simple, unselfish, blameless life, to him of all the sovereigns of England who have served their country well, may the title, “The Great,” most justly be given. 244 p. Ages 11-15. 

A stirring tale of medieval Germany in the days of robber barons and deadly feuds. The kidnapping of Otto, his adventures among the rough soldiers, and his daring rescue, make for a spirited and thrilling story. The author says of his tale that it “is of a little boy who lived and suffered in those dark middle ages; of how he saw both the good and the bad of men, and of how, by gentleness and love and not by strife and hatred, he came at last to stand above other men and to be looked up to by all.” Vigorous illustrations by the author add much to the interest of the book. Suitable for ages 11 and up. 160p; 300g.

Relates the thrilling exploits of Rolf in the land of the Vikings: how he becomes an outlaw, and a thrall, and at long last gains his freedom and avenges the unlawful slaying of his father. Through his trials Rolf is challenged to grow in manliness, developing courage, self-control, patriotism, and perseverance, and in the end rising above the feud that has consumed him for so long. The story, inspired by Icelandic sagas, serves as an excellent introduction to the prevailing values of the Viking era. Suitable for ages 11 and up. 268p.