​

Our Journey Westward

  • Shop
  • Blog
    • Bible & Character
    • Living Math
    • Language Arts
    • Science & Nature
    • History & Geography
    • Fine Arts
    • Brain Training
    • Holidays
    • Healthy Homeschool
    • Preschool
    • Elementary
    • Middle School
    • High School
    • Curriculum & Schedules
  • Homeschool Speaker
  • My Account
  • 0 items$0.00

by Cindy 6 Comments

10 Living Books to Teach Medieval History

Share34
Pin1.6K
Email
Print
1.6KShares

Ah, the middle ages – kings, knights, castles, art, politics, plagues and more.  What an exciting time in the history of our world!  It was hard to narrow my favorite medieval history living books into a Top 10 list, but below you’ll find the best of the best.  Be ready for adventure!

Cindy's top living literature picks for the middle ages

This post contains affiliate links.

The list is ordered chronologically for you.

Living Books for Medieval History

Otto of the Silver Hand is historical fiction that takes place in early western Europe.  Otto, the main character, is a sweet boy who has grown up in a monastery after the death of his mother and the barbarian life of his father.  Upon the return of his father, Otto is kidnapped in revenge of his father’s deeds.  The book is very suspenseful and very thought-provoking.

The Sword in the Tree is a King Arthur story that is easy enough for elementary students to understand, yet full of enough plot and excitement to keep older kids interested.  The main character, Shan, must help his family regain their castle from a greedy uncle.  The book is full of excitement and especially appeals to boys.

Leif the Lucky, like all d’Aulaire books, is a fantastic example of a biography and living literature coming together seamlessly.  In this book, you actually learn not just about Leif Erickson, but his father, Viking life, Norwegian history, and early exploration.  I read this with my late elementary students, but older students would enjoy it, too.

The Adventures of Robin Hood is a story many of us are familiar with, but have you taken the time to read the entire story all the way through?  You should!  It’s full of adventure, cunning plans, and hope for the oppressed.  It also has it’s share of violence and revengeful acts, so be warned.

Adam of the Road follows the wanderings of Adam, a boy who gets separated from his dad and his dog on a long journey through 13th century England.  Adam meets many people from many walks of life giving you quite a full historical perspective of the time period.  The book is a tad long, which is why we opted to listen to it on CD in the car during our travels.

The Door in the Wall is exciting historical fiction with yet another young man as the main character.  That’s pretty common thread with this list, but I love how these young boys must face difficult situations which require them to acquire important character traits like courage and perseverance.  The Door in the Wall is full of these situations as Adam, a crippled character, overcomes much adversity during the Scottish wars.

Crispin: The Cross of Lead is first in a series of three books about the main character.  Crispin is a boy who has grown up as a poor peasant in 14th century England.  His life gets even worse when he’s accused of a crime he didn’t commit, so he decides to run away.  Be aware that this book contains some violence and “opportunities” to discuss the topics of atheism and adultery.

The Trumpeter of Krakow takes place in Poland in 1461 and is not only historical fiction, but full of mystery as well.  The plot line is quite detailed, so I would recommend reading it with children who are at least in 6th grade.  We absolutely got lost in this book and it’s twists and turns.  Considering we rarely learn anything about Poland in the Middle Ages, it was perfect for a new perspective on the time period.

The World of Columbus and Sons is what I like to call textbook living literature.  It can be used as a spine when learning about the world during the time of exploration, but is quite fascinating and story-like at the same time.  Officially set in the time of the Renaissance and Reformation, this book picks up where the end of the Middle Ages leaves off.

The Prince And The Pauper is another tale that is quite familiar to most of us as a simple fairy tale, but I encourage you to read the full-length version to learn all the ins and outs of the time period surrounding Henry VIII and the Tudors.  It’s full of all the adventure a “character switch” story should have as a prince and a pauper unintentionally begin to live the life of the other person.

Otto of the Silver Hand (Dover Children's Classics)The Sword in the Tree (Trophy Chapter Book)Leif the LuckyPuffin Classics The Adventures Of Robin Hood by Roger Green (Jan 25 2011)Adam of the Road (Puffin Modern Classics)The Door in the WallCrispin: The Cross of LeadThe Trumpeter of KrakowWorld of Columbus and SonsThe Prince And The Pauper (Unabridged And Illustrated)

 

I can’t wait to hear your favorite living books for Medieval History!

Other posts you might enjoy:

 Living Books for Ancient History Living Books for Early American History Living Books for Modern American History

  

Share34
Pin1.6K
Email
Print
1.6KShares

Last Updated: April 9, 2020 Filed Under: Charlotte Mason, Elementary, History & Geography, Language Arts, Middle School, Unit Studies Tagged With: Classical homeschooling, historical fiction, living books, living literature, living literature series, Medieval, middle ages, multi-age learning

Previous Post: « 10 Living Books to Teach Ancient History
Next Post: 10 Living Books to Teach Early American History »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

subscribe without commenting

Comments

  1. janete says

    July 22, 2016 at 11:25 pm

    hi there! thank you so much for this list. i’m still pretty new to homeschooling and we will be starting the middle ages this school year. i was wondering if this list of books is more for read alouds or for the kids to be reading on their own?

  2. Cindy says

    July 25, 2016 at 4:05 pm

    Janete,
    Welcome to homeschooling! You’ll love the middle ages – it always keeps the attention of my children no matter their ages!

    Whether or not you read these books aloud or assign them really depends on the ability of your readers. Typically, I always have one family read aloud going and one assigned history selection for each child to be reading alone. The easier books on this list for read alones are probably The Sword in the Tree, Leif the Lucky, The Door in the Wall, and Adam of the Road. They are still easiest read alone by the 4th-7th grade crowd – or a really good 3rd grade reader.

    This is a big list. Don’t feel like you need to read aloud/assign them all. Enjoy them!

  3. Ashley Wright says

    July 29, 2016 at 3:17 am

    Thanks for all the information! Great that you have included books for all ages. What a great culmination of excellent resources! Thank you.

  4. Cindy says

    July 29, 2016 at 8:14 am

    I’m glad you found the post useful, Ashley! 🙂

  5. Stephanie says

    January 23, 2017 at 5:00 pm

    Thank you so much for this list! Just starting implementing CM into our homeschool. Can’t wait to read these to my daughter.

Trackbacks

  1. The Ultimate Guide to Using Story of the World in Your Homeschool - Learning Mama says:
    April 27, 2018 at 7:24 am

    […] 10 Living Books to Teach Medieval History from Cindy at Our Journey Westward […]

Primary Sidebar

NaturExplorers Science Curriculum

NaturExplorers guides are perfect for the 1st-8th grade homeschool, co-op or classroom. This highly adaptable curriculum series uses nature study as the starting point for science lessons that reach into every other subject and meet all learning styles.

Popular Posts and Series


 photo widget300_zps64ea557d.jpg
 photo CMWidget_zpsd7fc8669.jpg
 photo livinglitwidget_zps657f0460.jpg

 photo 3b118073-e528-40c6-b009-8be2ccfc0a74_zps79607282.jpg
 photo NatureStudySneezePageWidget_zps3dc3947e.jpg


 photo ArtistStudyWidget_zps6df6beae.jpg
 photo Untitled_zps78916d12.jpg
 photo Unitstudywidget_zps852cf098.jpg
 photo PBLwidget_zps5a4c210f.jpg

 photo valueswidget_zpscf5135ed.jpg
 photo USA300widget_zpsb2606835.jpg



 photo SeasonsandHolidaysWidget_zpscc545744.jpg

Categories

Charlotte Mason How-To

 photo 2235a4d3-bec7-488d-89f5-e2dcd32a42db_zpsb2ec2b26.jpg

Most Recent Pins

 photo WhatsPinteresting_zps8b7f9748.jpg

Trusted Curriculum

All About Spelling



  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy and Blog Terms of Service
  • Affiliations & Disclosure Policy
  • Reviews and Advertisements
  • eShop Terms & Conditions
  • Affiliates
When my boys were little, I loved reading these “letters from God” to them as blessings to start the day.

As I was sorting bookshelves earlier this month, I stumbled across this sweet book again. I decided the blessings are still as pertinent today for my bigger boy as they were years ago. So, we’re starting our day yet again with a quick, but powerful “letter from God” before jumping into our daily Bible studies.

Do you do anything special to start your day off on the right foot? I’d love to hear about it!

Click the link in my bio for a link to the book.

#homeschoolblessings #homeschoolfamily #homeschoolmom #homeschool #homeschooling #yourmorningbasket #startthedayoffright #charlottemasonmama #loveyourkids #wildandfreemama #childrensbook #devotionalforkids #homeschool365 #homeschoolmorning #ourjourneywestward #ihsnet
Winter homeschooling can be tough in normal years. Winter homeschooling can be tough in normal years. It’s cold, the days are dark, and everyone’s cooped up together 24/7. That’s a recipe for the winter blahs to march right into your house and wreak havoc on attitudes and motivation.⠀
⠀
This year’s winter is unlike any other and those blahs may have actually settled in long before now. If you or your children are feeling down, anxious, or bored with school, are “at” each other constantly, bouncing off the walls, or tears and fighting are the norm…the blahs are there.⠀
⠀
Let’s get you, your children, and your homeschool back on track. I’ll be teaching a Homeschool Masterclass on Thursday afternoon to help you kick the blahs to the curb. If you can attend live, come! If you can’t attend live, catch the replay!⠀
⠀
We’ll tackle all sorts of problems the blahs bring with them with very practical  ideas that are easy to implement! ⠀
⠀
Click the link in my bio to join me. There is no shame in admitting that the blahs have arrived and you need a little boost from a friend. ❤️ ⠀
⠀
#homeschool #homeschooling #homeschoolmom #homeschoolfamily #wildandfreemom #charlottemasonmama #winterhomeschool #homeschoolhelp #homeschoollookslikethis #thisishomeschool #homeschoolmasterclass #homeschool365 #ihsnet #homeschoolmama #helpmehomeschool #winterblahs
Oh, what peace this quote brings to my soul. It’ Oh, what peace this quote brings to my soul. It’s true, you know. I’ve told my children for years that it only takes a nature walk to see God through His handiwork and to know that His promises are true.⠀
⠀
When the world seems to be falling apart around you, the sun never stops shining. The seasons never stop moving. Without a single, solitary effort of human hands, the woodlands still buzz with life.⠀
⠀
A student of nature can see the consistency in cycles and notice the incredible and creative intricacy of even the smallest specimen and be in awe that we truly serve a God who isn’t unaware of even one tiny detail in our world right now. ⠀
⠀
Life kind of seems overwhelming, though, I know. Remember when I said my motto lately has been to just put one foot in front of the other to do the next right thing? Nature walks (even when it’s cold) never fail me as a right thing. ⠀
⠀
Breathe, friend. Take a nature walk today and let God speak to your soul.⠀
⠀
#homeschool #homeschooling #homeschoolmom #homeschoolfamily #wildandfreemom #charlottemasonirl #winterhomeschool #homeschoollookslikethis #thisishomeschool #winternaturestudy #nosweatnaturestudy #homeschool365 #ihsnet #naturestudy #naturexplorers #nature #hewins
It might seem trite to post a winter picture book It might seem trite to post a winter picture book list right now, but I’m a big believer in keeping things as normal as possible in my home when things aren’t so normal otherwise.⠀
⠀
It’s the principle of putting one foot in front of the other as you simply do the next right thing. Good books almost always can be a “next right thing” choice.⠀
⠀
Even though I’m not homeschooling younger children anymore, I’ll probably never stop sharing wonderful picture book ideas with you. 🤓 I’ve spent way too many hours reading and collecting to ever stop loving them!⠀
⠀
Eli and I may not be using these books right now, but they are still some of my favorites for winter reading. Whatever may be going on around you, the winter months are always a good time of year to get in lots of extra reading. Snuggling and hot chocolate are optional, but encouraged.⠀
⠀
Click the link in my bio to find a blog post about these books + some of our favorite winter chapter books, too!⠀
⠀
#homeschool #readmorebooks #livingbooks #livingliterature #picturebooks #winterpicturebooks #homeschoolmom #wildandfreefamily #charlottemasonirl #winterhomeschool #homeschoollookslikethis #thisishomeschool #winternaturestudy #nosweatnaturestudy #homeschool365 #ihsnet
We celebrated a 14th birthday over Christmas break We celebrated a 14th birthday over Christmas break! 🎉🎁🎂🏀🥰
I love being auntie to a sweet baby again! 😍 I love being auntie to a sweet baby again! 😍
Merry Christmas from the Wests! 🎄 Merry Christmas from the Wests! 🎄
Christmas picture books are some of my very favori Christmas picture books are some of my very favorite books of all time. I’ve spent years collecting new ones here and there (and will probably continue collecting for years to come because there are at least a few favorites I still don’t own).🤗🤫⠀
⠀
When the kiddos were younger, I would sometimes wrap each of the books and place them in a basket near the Christmas tree. 🎁 Each morning during December, one of my children would choose a book to unwrap and that was the one we would read for the day. Oh, such precious memories!⠀
⠀
This year, even though my youngest is in 8th grade, the books are not hidden away! I’ve found a creative way to read them with Eli. We’re using them as mentor texts for his own stories during language arts. #sneakysmart (He’s writing some pretty great stories, too!)⠀
⠀
Click the link in my bio if you’d like to see my entire list of picture book favorites for the Christmas season!🎄If you’d like to know more about using picture books to teach writing to older kids, search “writing with picture books masterclass”on my website.⠀
⠀
#homeschoolbooks #christmasbooks #christmasbooklist #christmaspicturebooks #christmasschool #creativehomeschooling #livingbooks #livingliterature #readmorebooks #Decemberhomeschool #homeschoolfamily #homeschoollookslikethis #homeschoolmiddleschool #ilovebooks #charlottemasonirl #yourmorningbasket #ourjourneywestward #homeschoolrocks

Copyright 2006 -© 2021 · Our Journey Westward · All Rights Reserved

1.6KShares