Great Russell Street, London Across from the British Museum

Very Rough Age Categorization: YA=Young Adult (Gr. 6 up), UG=Upper Grades (Gr. 4-8), MG=Middle Grades (Gr. 2-5)
 
 

GENERAL

The King’s Shadow (YA)  Elizabeth  Alder  After he is orphaned and has his tongue cut out in a clash with the bullying sons of a Welsh noble, Evyn is sold as a slave and serves many masters, from the gracious Lady Swan Neck to the valiant Harold Godwinson, England's last Saxon king. Based on the Anglo-Saxon chronicle.  Lost Magic (YA)  Berthe  Amoss  In the Middle Ages, orphaned Ceridwen learns the art of herbal healing and gains the protection of the local lord until she is accused of witchcraft.  Door in the Wall (UG)  Marguerite de  Angeli  Newbery Medal 1950. A crippled boy in 14th century England proves his courage and earns recognition from the King.  The Examination (YA)  Malcolm  Bosse  Fifteen-year-old Hong and his older brother Chen face famine, flood, pirates, and jealous rivals on their journey through fifteenth century China as Chen pursues his calling as a scholar and Hong becomes involved with a secret society known as the White Lotus.  The Bookstore Mouse (MG)  Peggy  Christian  A mouse living in an antiquarian bookstore learns the true power of words when he literally falls into a medieval tale and helps defeat the dragon Censor.  Catherine Called Birdy (UG)  Karen  Cushman  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 Midwife’s Apprentice (YA)  Karen  Cushman  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.  The King's Falcon (UG)  Paula  Fox  With the help of a falcon, an ineffectual medieval king trades the troubled, boring life of royalty for the freedom of a falconer.  A Boy and His Bear (UG)  Harriet  Graham  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.  Adam of the Road (UG)  Elizabeth Janet Gray  The adventures of eleven-year-old Adam as he travels the open roads of thirteenth-century England searching for his missing father, a minstrel, and his stolen red spaniel, Nick.  Quest for a Maid (YA)  Frances Mary Hendry Aware of her sister's deadly efforts to secure the Scottish throne for Robert de Brus, Meg realizes she must protect the young Norwegian princess who has been chosen as rightful heir.

The Trumpeter of Krakow (UG)  Eric. P. Kelly  A Polish family in the Middle Ages guards a great secret treasure and a boy's memory of an earlier trumpeter of Krakow makes it possible for him to save his father.  A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver (UG)  E.L.  Konigsburg  While waiting in heaven for divine judgement to be passed on her second husband, Eleanor of Aquitaine and three of the people who knew her well recall the events of her life  Princess Megan (MG)  Magic Attic Club Series  Trisha Magraw  The Juggler (UG)  John  Morressy  Beran makes a pact with the devil to become the greatest juggler in the world.  The Knight at Dawn (MG)  Book 2 of the Magic Treehouse  Mary Pope Osborne  Eight-year-old Jack and his younger sister Annie use the magic treehouse to travel back to the Middle Ages, where they explore a castle and are helped by a mysterious knight.  An Army of Children (YA)  Evan H.  Rhodes  Two teenage boys encounter suffering and tragedy when they participate in the Children's Crusade of the 13th century.  The Golem (MG)  Barbara  Rogasky  A saintly rabbi miraculously brings to life a clay giant who helps him watch over the Jews of 16th century Prague.  Knights of the Kitchen Table (MG)  Book 1 of the Time Warp Trio  Jon Scieszka  When Joe, Fred, and Sam are sent back in time by a magic book, they find themselves face-to-face with giants, dragons, wizards, and the Knights of the Round Table.  The Golem (MG)  Isaac Bashevis  Singer  A clay giant miraculously brought to life by a saintly rabbi saves a Jewish banker who has been falsely accused in the Prague of Emperor Rudolf I  Song of the Gargoyle (UG)  Zilpha Keatley  Snyder  When mysterious men in black abduct his father, the court jester of Austerneve, thirteen-year-old Tymmon flees into the forest, where he acquires a strange animal companion and plots to rescue his father.  The Battle for the Castle (UG)  Elizabeth  Winthrop  Sequel to The Castle in the Attic. 12-year-old William uses the magic token to return, through the toy castle in his attic, to the medieval land of Sir Simon, which is now menaced by a skeleton ship bearing a plague of evil.  The Castle in the Attic (UG)  Elizabeth  Winthrop  A gift of a toy castle, complete with a drawbridge and silver knight, introduces William to an adventure involving magic and a personal quest. Sequel: The Battle for the Castle.

 
 

KING ARTHUR

The Lost Years of Merlin Series (YA)  T. A. Barron  First of five books. A young boy who has no identity nor memory of his past washes ashore on the coast of Wales and finds his true name after a series of fantastic adventures.  Of Swords and Sorcerers (UG)  Margaret Hodges and Margery  Evernden  Nine episodes in the Arthurian cycle, from the placing of the boy Arthur in Merlin's care to Arthur's departure for Avalon.  Eyewitness Classics: King Arthur  (UG)  Rosalind Kerven  A retelling of the story of the boy fated to be the "Once and Future King," covering his glorious reign and his tragic, yet triumphant, passing. Illustrated notes throughout the text explain the historical background of the story.  Black Horses for the King (YA)  Anne  McCaffrey  Galwyn, son of a Roman Celt, escapes from his tyrannical uncle and joins Lord Artos, later know as King Arthur, using his talent with languages and way with horses to help secure and care for the Libyan horses that Artos hopes to use in battle against the Saxons.  Arthur, High King of Britain (MG)  Michael Morpurgo  A contemporary boy falls into rising tide waters and wakes to find himself in a cave under the care of King Arthur, who tells the boy stories from his life.  King Arthur (MG)  James Riordan  A new retelling of the Arthurian legend.

The Arthurian Cycle (MG)  Robert D. San Souci  Consists of Young Merlin, Young Guenivere, Young Lancelot, and Young Arthur.  Tales of King Arthur (MG)  Hudson Talbott  Consists of King Arthur and the Round Table, King Arthur: The Sword and the Stone, Excalibur, and Lancelot.  A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (YA)  Mark  Twain  A blow on the head transports a Yankee to 528 A.D. where he proceeds to modernize King Arthur's kingdom by organizing a school system, constructing telephone lines, and inventing the printing press.  The Sword in the Stone (YA)  T. H.  White  Wart, as Arthur is called, becomes a wiser, more thoughtful person and a worthy king as a result of Merlin's lessons.  Hobby (MG)  Jane  Yolen  Book 2 of the Young Merlin Trilogy. Young Merlin  is orphaned by a fire and joins a traveling pair of magicians who help him begin to discover his true powers.  Merlin (MG)  Jane  Yolen Third in the Young Merlin Trilogy. Merlin, now 12 years old, begins to come into his magic while being held captive by a band of wild folk.

 

ROBIN HOOD

In a Dark Wood (YA)  Michael  Cadnum  On orders from the King, the Sheriff of Nottingham seeks to capture the outlaw Robin Hood, but he finds him to be a tricky and elusive foe.  Robin of Sherwood (MG)  Michael Morpurgo  A twelve-year-old boy dreams about the life and adventures of Robin Hood, who lived in Sherwood Forest as an outlaw dedicated to fighting tyranny.  Eyewitness Classics: The Story of Robin Hood (UG)  Neil Philip  Recounts the life and adventures of Robin Hood, who, with his band of followers, lived in Sherwood Forest as an outlaw dedicated to fighting tyranny. Illustrated notes throughout the text explain the historical background of the story.

The Forestwife (YA)  Theresa  Tomlinson  In England during the reign of King Richard I, 15-year-old Marian escapes from an arranged marriage to live with a community of forest folk that includes a daring young outlaw named Robert.  Sherwood (UG)  Jane Yolen  Original short stories from the world of Robin Hood.