Middle Ages
Fire, Bed and Bone: Henrietta
Branford (2001)
An old
hunting dog narrates the story of the Peasants’ Revolt. She has all a dog could
ask for - fire, bed and bone. But unrest is spreading like plague among the
peasants of southern England, who are tired of the hardship and injustice they
suffer. Life for man - and dog - is about to change dramatically...
A Story About the Great Plague: Jennet's tale: Herbie Brennan (2000)
Jennet is
a 14th-century maid. When the kindly Father Peter is replaced by a strange and
sinister priest, she finds her life in danger as she discovers that he is not
all he seems. Then rumours start about a terrible disease.
The Diary of a Medieval Squire: Moira Butterfield (2004)
It is
1332 and young William de Combe is very excited - he is to travel with his uncle,
John de Walton, to a faraway jousting competition.
Catherine, called Birdy: Karen Cushman (1994)
It is
1291. Catherine is 14. She should get married, but is doing everything she can
to get rid of Shaggy Beard, her disgusting suitor. She doesn’t wish to become the
perfect medieval lady like her mother wants, either.
Matilda Bone Karen Cushman (2000)
It is the
mid-14th century. The orphaned Matilda, brought up to be meek, saintly and
bookish is abandoned in Blood and Bone Alley and must face a new and scary life
as apprentice to Peg the Bonesetter. Can the saints help her now? Or can
goodness take new and unexpected forms?
The Midwife's Apprentice Karen Cushman (1995)
A
homeless waif named Brat roams the villages of 14th-century England, sleeping
in dung heaps and begging for scraps. But when he meets Jane the midwife and
becomes her apprentice his life changes forever.
A Tapestry of Murders Paul Doherty (1994)
In August 1358, the Dowager Queen
Isabella, mother of King Edward III, dies in the sombre fortress of Castle
Rising, where she has been held captive. Nicholas Chirke investigates the events
following her death - and finds himself at his wits' end trying to resolve the
mysteries before a great scandal unfolds.
Angel's Snare Dennis Hamley (2001)
Crispin
is coming home to Hereford to claim his inheritance and Joslin goes with him.
But a body is found at the foot of the tower of St Ethelbert’s Cathedral and
when Crispin finds out who it is he realises that there are people who don’t
want him there and are set on his death. (Part of the Long Journey of Joslin de Lay series)
The Wool-Pack Cynthia Harnett (1951)
In 1493 Nicholas Fetterlock, the 12-year-old
son of a rich wool merchant, learns that he will marry Cecily Bradshaw, and that
villainous swindlers want to ruin his father's business, and only he can stop
them.
At Agincourt: G
A Henty (1897)
A classic adventure set in the Hundred
Years War (Free to
download)
Wulf the Saxon: A story of the Norman Conquest: G A Henty (1895)
Wulf and his best friend, Beorn, fight bravely for their Saxon king —
capturing castles, rescuing shipwrecked survivors, repelling Viking invaders,
and fighting the Battle of Hastings. (Free to download)
A Little Lower than the Angels Geraldine McCaughrean (2003)
Gabriel runs away from his apprenticeship as a stonemason. But then he
meets Garvey the playmaster, who wants him to be the angel in his play. But
will his new life with the travelling players be any more secure?
Lionheart Sharon Penman (2013)
Richard I was crowned King in 1189 and set off
almost immediately for the Third Crusade. Overshadowing the battlefields were
the personalities of two great adversaries: Richard and Saladin. In this
gripping narrative of intrigue, battle and deceit, a true and complex Richard
is revealed – remarkable for his power and intelligence, his keen grasp of
warfare and his concern for the safety of his men, who followed him against all
odds.
When Christ
and his Saints slept; Time and Chance; Devils Brood Sharon Penman (1995)
The Eleanor of Aquitaine Trilogy, beginning in the 12th
Century with the civil war between Stephen and Matilda and exploring the
relationship between Eleanor and her husband Henry II.
Katherine: Anya Seton (2006)
The story of Katherine, who came to the court of
Edward III at the age of fifteen and eventually becomes the mistress of John of
Gaunt.
The Forest Wife Trilogy Theresa Tomlinson (1984)
A powerful retelling of the Robin Hood story from Marian’s point of
view. When fifteen year old Mary flees into the forest to avoid a fearsome
marriage arranged by her uncle, she knows what challenges lie in store for her
as the wise and magical Green Lady of the Woods.
Jepp, who Defied the Stars: Katherine Marsh (2012)
Jepp is living happily in his mother's inn,
when a nobleman entices him to become a court dwarf for the Infanta. The novel moves from late-sixteenth century Holland to
Spain to Denmark and features a wide range of real people. As the historical
note at the end reveals, even Jepp was a real person…
The Smile: Donna Jo Napoli (2009)
The story of a young girl who may have posed
for Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting. The story includes many interesting
details of Italian life, politics, and power struggles in Florence in the
1490s.
Gioconda: Lucille Turner (2012)
From the glittering court of the Medici
to the mortuaries of Milan and the battlefields of the Po valley, this novel
imagines Leonardo da Vinci’s lonely struggle to convince others of his vision
of the world.
The Medici Seal Theresa
Breslin (2008)
A boy is taken in by
Leonardo Da Vinci after the artist's companions save him from drowning while he
attempts to escape a murderous brigand.
A Golden Web: Barbara
Quick (2010)
A girl in
fourteenth-century Italy is desperate to escape her stepmother and the marriage
plans being made for her, so she can pursue learning instead; based on the life
of Alessandra Giliani, the first woman anatomist.
Wars of the Roses
The Sunne in Splendour Sharon Penman (1984)
Richard, last-born son of the Duke of York,
bloodied himself at the battles of Barnet and Tewkesbury, and earned his
legendary reputation. Filled with the sights and sounds of battle, the customs
and love of daily life, and the rigours and dangers of Court politics, this is a richly coloured
tapestry of medieval England.
The Daughter of Time: Josephine Tey (2009)
An investigation into the real facts behind Richard III’s reign, examining
his role in the death of his nephews
and attempting to right what many believe to be the terrible injustice
done to him by the Tudor dynasty.
Tudors
Shakespeare’s Apprentice: Veronica Bennett (2007)
In 1598 Sam Gilburne, an apprentice actor, meets Lady Lucie Cheetham, niece of Lord Essex, and
the two fall in love. But when Lord Essex is convicted of treason there are
repercussions for his whole family…
Spy for the Queen of Scots: Theresa
Breslin (2013)
Ginette is
Mary Queen of Scots’ lady in waiting. Growing up in the elegant but ruthless
French court, she overhears a mysterious plot, followed by several unexplained
deaths leading her to put her own life in danger.
Peril on the Sea: Michael Cadnum (2009)
A
seventeen-year-old boy sails with an English privateer during the battle
against the Spanish Armada.
The Lady of Fire and Tears: Terry Deary (1998)
In the north of England, in the last days of Elizabeth I, a silver cup
has been stolen. . . Meg the serving girl will hang for it, unless she agrees
to spy on her friends…
Armada: The Story of Thomas Hobbs (My
Story): Jim Eldridge
The Spanish Armada told from the point of view of a young
deck hand.
Raven Queen: Pauline Francis (2007)
About Lady
Jane Grey, who was Queen of England for nine days before being executed for
treason
At the House of the Magician: Mary Hooper (2007)
A young woman
who becomes a maid for Dr. Dee, the court magician for Queen Elizabeth
The Devil
and his boy: Anthony
Horowitz (2000)
London is dirty, distant and dangerous ... but that's where orphan Tom
Falconer is heading. And he's got a whole assortment of vicious criminals hot
on his heels.
The Lady in the Tower: Mary-Louise Jensen (2009)
Spring 1540. Eleanor's mother is imprisoned after a terrible accusation.
When she discovers a plot to murder her mother, she must free
her before it is too late. She can trust no one - especially not her father.
The Red Queen’s Daughter: Jacqueline Kolosov (2007)
The
orphaned daughter of Queen Katharine Parr is given the opportunity to study
magic and become a lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth.
Tarnish: Katherine
Longshore (2013)
Anne Boleyn is a new
arrival at the court of King Henry VIII who accepts poet Thomas Wyatt's offer
to teach her how to become popular.
Mary, Bloody Mary: Carolyn Meyer (1999)
about Mary Tudor, the
daughter of King Henry VIII, during her teen years; #1 in the Young Royals
series.
Raider’s Tide: Maggie Price (2009)
Strong historical fiction and powerful romantic drama set in border
country during Elizabethan times – forbidden passions and family loyalties;
heresy and witchcraft, and the burgeoning love of a young girl.
To the Edge of the World: Michele Torrey (2003),
A fourteen-year-old
boy who joins the crew of Magellan's ship after his parents die of the plague.
Anne Boleyn and Me: Alison Prince; Bloody Tower; To Kill a Queen: Valerie Wilding
Diaries witnessing Anne Boleyn in Henry’s court, Lady Jane Grey plot and
Mary Queen of Scots’ trial. From the My
Royal Stories series.
Stuarts
Burning Issy: Melvin
Burgess (2012)
A
twelve-year-old girl with mysterious abilities is accused of being a witch. Now
she
must run - from the Witch-finder, from the evil hag who wants her, from those
she loves and maybe even from her own true nature...
The Great Fire of London: Gillian Clements (2002)
A retelling of the story of why the fire started in 1666 and its consequences for London.
A retelling of the story of why the fire started in 1666 and its consequences for London.
Civil War (My story): Vince Cross (2002)
A personal account of
the war from 1643-50 by the soldier Thomas Adamson
I Coriander: Sally Gardner (2005)
Coriander’s idyllic childhood in 1650s London ends when her mother dies
and her father goes away, leaving her with her stepmother, who is in cahoots
with a fundamentalist Puritan preacher. She is shut away in a chest and left to
die, but is able to return, charged with a task that will transform her life.
The Dreadful Judgement Neil Hanson (2012)
The Great Fire of London told through the eyes of the individuals caught
up in it. Modern knowledge of the physics of fire and forensics combines with
eye-witness accounts to depict the terrible reality of the Great Fire
The Merrybegot Julie Hearn (2011)
In a remote village, all is not as it seems. The minister's daughters
have taken to bed, howling and spitting. Rumours of witchcraft are spreading, and
Matthew Hopkins, the Witch-Finder General, is on his way…
Friends: Though Divided G A Henty (1883)
A classic adventure tale from the Civil War (Free to download here)
The Remarkable Life and Times of Eliza Rose: Mary Hooper (2006)
Eliza is
befriended by the Charles II's mistress Nell Gwynn after being thrown in prison
for stealing bread.
Children of the New Forest: Captain Marryat (1847)
The turbulent setting of the English Civil war provides the background
for this classic tale of four orphans as they face adversity, survival in the
forest, reconciliation and eventual forgiveness. (Free to download here)
The Great Plague (My story) Pamela Oldfield (2008)
A thrilling story of a young girl during the plague epidemic of 1665.
Simon
Rosemary Sutcliff (1953)
Rosemary Sutcliff (1953)
Two
childhood friends fight on opposite sides in the English Civil War.
Bonnie Dundee Rosemary Sutcliff (1983)
A boy fights
in the army of Viscount Dundee in support of the King James during the 1689
Jacobite Rising
Trumpets in the West: Geoffrey Trease (1994)
Set in the West Country and London in the late 17th century, the story
follows the adventures of Somerset boy Jack Norwood. Jack's first love is
music, but he is threatened with a career in the wine trade instead…
No Shame, No Fear Ann Turnbull (2012)
1662 – England is reeling from the after-effects of civil war, with its
clashes of faith and culture. Seventeen-year-old Will returns home after
completing his studies, to begin an apprenticeship and falls in love with
Susanna, a young Quaker girl who faces persecution from the government.
The Diary of Samuel Pepys's Clerk Philip Wooderson (2003)
It is 1665 and young tearaway Will Scratch has got a job. He is going to
London to work as a clerk for Mr
Pepys at the Navy Office.
18th Century Britain
Cassandra’s Sister: Growing Up Jane Austen Veronica Bennett (2006),
Stories of the young Jane
Austen.
Star-Crossed Linda
Collison (2006)
An orphaned British girl
who goes to sea and dresses as a boy to train as a surgeon's mate; #1 the
Patricia MacPherson Nautical Adventure Series.
The White Cockade Janis
Dawson (1998),
Jenna
goes to live with her Scottish grandfather at the time of Bonnie Prince
Charlie. How can she choose between her Jacobean cousin, Ewan, and the dashing
English Lieutenant hunting Ewan down?
Coram Boy Jamila Gavin (2004)
A sweeping saga of growing-up, struggle, tradition and corruption that spans the lives of several fortunate and
unfortunate young people in 18th Century England. Winner of the
Whitbread Children’s Book Award
Stowaway Karen Hesse (2000)
Eleven-year-old Nicholas
Young stows away aboard Captain James Cook's ship Endeavour on its 1768 voyage.
The Highwayman's Footsteps Nicola
Morgan (2007)
A young highwayman pursued
across the moors by the redcoats.
18th Century Europe (Including the French
Revolution)
The Pale Assassin Patricia
Elliott (2009)
A girl in a convent school
in Paris has no idea that a revolutionary mob is about to change her life; #1
in the Pimpernelles series.
The Red Necklace Sally
Gardner (2007)
A fourteen-year-old gypsy
boy works as a magician's assistant during the French Revolution.
The Bad Queen Carolyn Meyer (2010);
The story of Marie-Antoinette, the extravagant and doomed last queen of
France; #6 in the Young Royals series.
In Mozart’s Shadow Carolyn Meyer (2008)
The story of Nannerl Mozart, sister of the musical prodigy Wolfgang
Amadeus Mozart, who also felt a passion for music.
Looking for more? Try http://www.historicalnovels.info/Young-Adult-Historical-Novels.html
Please send us your recommendations!
Updated: June 2014
No comments:
Post a Comment