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BookHistorical Fiction: Prehistory Through to the Middle Ages

Browse the list below for a great selection of historical fiction for kids. Click the book cover or title to go to the book in the online catalog. Click the author's name to search for more books by that author.

Prehistory and Ancient Kingdoms

A is for aarrgh! A is for aarrgh!
Brooke, William J.
Mog, a young boy living during the Stone Age, discovers words and language and teaches his fellow cave dwellers how to talk, thus altering the course of history.



I am the mummy Heb-Nefert I am the mummy Heb-Nefert
Bunting, Eve, 1928-
A mummy recalls her past life in ancient Egypt as the beautiful wife of the Pharaoh's brother.



Malu's wolf Malu's wolf
Craig, Ruth.
Malu is permitted to raise a wolf pup which eventually is instrumental in bringing about significant changes to the lives and traditions of the young girl's Stone Age clan.



Noli's story Noli's story
Dickinson, Peter, 1927-
After she and Suth rescue four small children following an attack on Good Place about 200,000 years ago, Noli heeds the warnings of Moonhawk and leads the group to safety.



Year of the tiger Year of the tiger
Lloyd, Alison, 1966-
In ancient China, two boys forge an unlikely alliance in an effort to become expert archers and, ultimately, to save their city from invading barbarians.



The ugly goddess The ugly goddess
Marston, Elsa.
Fourteen-year-old Princess Meret is unhappy with her future as consort of the Egyptian god Amun, especially after meeting Hector, a handsome Greek soldier, but when she is kidnapped, it is up to Hector and a young servant boy to help rescue her with the aid of the goddess Taweret.



Dinosaurs before dark Dinosaurs before dark
Osborne, Mary Pope.
Eight-year-old Jack and his younger sister Annie find a magic treehouse, which whisks them back to an ancient time zone where they see live dinosaurs.



Mummies in the morning Mummies in the morning
Osborne, Mary Pope.
Jack and his younger sister take a trip in their tree house back to ancient Egypt, where they help a queen's mummy continue her voyage to the Next Life.



Day of the Dragon King Day of the Dragon King
Osborne, Mary Pope.
The magic treehouse takes Jack and Annie back two thousand years to ancient China where they must find the original copy of an old legend before the Imperial Library is burned down by the evil Dragon King.



The wadjet eye The wadjet eye
Rubalcaba, Jill.
After his mother dies, Damon, a young medical student living in Alexandria, Egypt, in 45 B.C., makes a perilous journey to Spain to locate his father who is serving in the Roman army led by Julius Caesar.



The Roman Empire 27 BC to 476 AD


Cleopatra VII : daughter of the Nile Cleopatra VII : daughter of the Nile
Gregory, Kristiana.
While her father is in hiding after attempts on his life, twelve-year-old Cleopatra records in her diary how she fears for her own safety and hopes to survive to become Queen of Egypt some day.



The thieves of Ostia : a Roman mystery The thieves of Ostia : a Roman mystery
Lawrence, Caroline.
In Rome in the year 79 A.D., a group of children from very different backgrounds work together to discover who beheaded a pet dog -- and why.



Roman diary : the journal of Iliona of Mytilini, who was captured by pirates and sold as a slave in Rome, A.D. 107 Roman diary : the journal of Iliona of Mytilini, who was captured by pirates and sold as a slave in Rome, A.D. 107
Platt, Richard.
When Iliona's ship is boarded by pirates, she ends up in Rome as a slave. Separated from her brother, Apollo, Iliona is soon at the whim of her owners, and the chance of regaining freedom seems like a distant dream. Iliona's life as a slave isn't as bad as she feared: her new family provides clothing, food, and even schooling, and best of all, she is free to explore the wonders of Rome.



The Bronze bow The Bronze bow
Speare, Elizabeth George.
When the Romans brutally kill Daniel bar Jamin's father, the young Palestinian searches for a leader to drive them out, but comes to realize that love may be a more powerful weapon than hate.



The eagle of the Ninth The eagle of the Ninth
Sutcliff, Rosemary.
A young centurion ventures among the hostile tribes beyond the Roman Wall to recover the eagle standard of the Ninth, a legion which mysteriously disappeared under his father's command.



The Dark Ages: Sixth through Tenth Centuries


Viking ships at sunrise Viking ships at sunrise
Osborne, Mary Pope.
Their magic tree house takes Jack and Annie back to a monastery in medieval Ireland, where they try to retrieve a lost book while being menaced by Viking raiders.



Sword song Sword song
Sutcliff, Rosemary.
At sixteen, Bjarni is cast out of the Norse settlement in the Angles' Land for an act of oath-breaking and spends five years sailing the west coast of Scotland and witnessing the feuds of the clan chiefs living there.



The Middle Ages: Eleventh through Fourteenth Centuries


Crispin : the cross of lead Crispin : the cross of lead
Avi, 1937-
Falsely accused of theft and murder, an orphaned peasant boy in fourteenth-century England flees his village and meets a larger-than-life juggler who holds a dangerous secret.



Fire, bed, and bone Fire, bed, and bone
Branford, Henrietta, 1946-
In 1381 in England, a hunting dog recounts what happens to his beloved master Rufus and his family when they are arrested on suspicion of being part of the peasants' rebellion led by Wat Tyler and the preacher John Ball.



The seeing stone The seeing stone
Crossley-Holland, Kevin.
In late twelfth-century England, a thirteen-year-old boy named Arthur recounts how Merlin gives him a magical seeing stone which shows him images of the legendary King Arthur, the events of whose life seem to have many parallels to his own.



Matilda Bone Matilda Bone
Cushman, Karen.
Fourteen-year-old Matilda, an apprentice bonesetter and practitioner of medicine in a village in medieval England, tries to reconcile the various aspects of her life, both spiritual and practical.



The midwife's apprentice The midwife's apprentice
Cushman, Karen.
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 door in the wall The door in the wall
De Angeli, Marguerite, 1889-1987.
A crippled boy in fourteenth-century England proves his courage and earns recognition from the King.



The trumpeter of Krakow [by] Eric P. Kelly. Decorations by Janina Domanska. Foreword by Louis Seaman Bechtel. The trumpeter of Krakow [by] Eric P. Kelly. Decorations by Janina Domanska. Foreword by Louis Seaman Bechtel.
Kelly, Eric Philbrook, 1884-1960.
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 A proud taste for scarlet and miniver
Konigsburg, E. L.
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.



The puppeteer's apprentice The puppeteer's apprentice
Love, D. Anne.
A medieval orphan girl called Mouse gains the courage she needs to follow her dreams of becoming a puppeteer's apprentice.



The kite rider The kite rider
McCaughrean, Geraldine.
In thirteenth-century China, after trying to save his widowed mother from a horrendous second marriage, twelve-year-old Haoyou has life-changing adventures when he takes to the sky as a circus kite rider and ends up meeting the great Mongol ruler Kublai Khan.



Parsifal's page Parsifal's page
Morris, Gerald, 1963-
In medieval England, eleven-year-old Piers' dream comes true when he becomes page to Parsifal, a peasant whose quest for knighthood reveals important secrets about both of their families.



The knight at dawn The knight at dawn
Osborne, Mary Pope.
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.



A single shard A single shard
Park, Linda Sue.
Tree-ear, a thirteen-year-old orphan in medieval Korea, lives under a bridge in a potters' village, and longs to learn how to throw the delicate celadon ceramics himself.



Castle diary : the journal of Tobias Burgess, page Castle diary : the journal of Tobias Burgess, page
Platt, Richard.
As a page in his uncle's castle in thirteenth-century England, eleven-year-old Tobias records in his journal his experiences learning how to hunt, play games of skill, and behave in noble society. Includes notes on noblemen, castles, and feudalism.



Happily ever after Happily ever after
Quindlen, Anna.
When a girl who loves to read fairy tales is transported back to medieval times, she finds that the life of a princess in a castle is less fun than she imagined.



Rowan Hood, outlaw girl of Sherwood Forest Rowan Hood, outlaw girl of Sherwood Forest
Springer, Nancy.
In her quest to connect with Robin Hood, the father she has never met, thirteen-year-old Rosemary disguises herself as a boy, befriends a half-wolf, half-dog, a runaway princess, and an overgrown boy whose singing is hypnotic, and makes peace with her elfin heritage.



The forestwife The forestwife
Tomlinson, Theresa.
In England during the reign of King Richard I, fifteen-year-old Marian escapes from an arranged marriage to live with a community of forest folk that includes a daring young outlaw named Robert.



Adam of the road Adam of the road
Vining, Elizabeth Gray, 1902-1999.



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Last modified on Thursday, July 26, 2012
Kids page artwork courtesy of and copyright Todd Parr.