Read Living Books to Guarantee a Love of Medieval History

Time to explore Medieval Times with Living Books!

Use Living Books in your medieval study to turn your kids who show some slight interest in History to those who LOVE it!

Read, read and read!  Read together - and encourage reading on their own.

This page is written to help the homeschooling family plan and design a unit study of the Early Middle Ages with living books.  The literature books cover Early

  • Briton and Europe,
  • The Byzantines,
  • the Vikings,
  • The Crusades roughly in that order.

Historical Fiction Read Aloud Books for Medieval Studies

These wonderful history living books will inspire curiosity and a love of the middle ages.

Here are our favourites:

  • Leif the Lucky By Ingri D'Aulaire / Beautiful Feet Books
  • Favorite Medieval Tales by Mary Pope Osbourne
  • Son of Charlemagne By Barbara Willard / Bethlehem Books
  • The Story of Rolf and the Viking Bow By Allen French / Bethlehem Books
  • The Door in the Wall By Marguerite DeAngeli
  • Wulf the Saxon by G.A. Henty
  • The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle  (also on audio CD)
  • In Freedom's Cause by G.A.Henty

History Living Books - Middle Ages - Years 1-4

Medieval living books for younger children:

  • The Sword in the Tree By Clyde Robert Bulla / Harpercollins Publishing
  • The Story of Saint Patrick By Christopher Fay / Paulist Press
  • Augustine Came to Kent By Barbara Willard / Bethlehem Books
  • Brendan the Navigator
  • The Miracle of St. Nicholas By Gloria Whelan / Bethlehem Books
  • Leif the Lucky (as above)
  • Castle By David Macaulay / Houghton-Mifflin
  • A Storytellers Version of the 3 Musketeers & Robin Hood - Audio CD By Jim Weiss / Greathall Productions Inc
  • Chanticleer and the Fox By Geoffrey Chaucer / HarperCollins
  • Cathedral: the Story of its Construction By David Macaulay / Houghton-Mifflin
  • A Medieval Feast By Aliki
  • The Legend of William Tell
  • A Boy named Giotto
  • Brother Francis and the Friendly Beasts
  • The Minstrel in the Tower
  • The Reluctant Dragon

Medieval Living Books - Years 5-8  or as read aloud books for younger children

For older children (years 5-8), these at our favourite living books for the middle ages. Some of these are also in the read aloud section.

  • Trial and Triumph by Richard M. Hannula / Canon Press
  • Famous Men of the Middle Ages By John H. Haaren, Addison B. Poland & Leigh Lowe / Memoria Press;  Check out the free history notebooking pages that have been created to go with Famous Men of the Middle Ages.
  • Kind Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table By Roger Lancelyn Green / Puffin
  • Son of Charlemagne By Barbara Willard / Bethlehem Books
  • Anna of Byzantium  by Tracey Barrett
  • Viking Quest Series - Volumes 1-5  by Moody Publishers
  • Beorn the Proud By Madeleine Polland / Bethlehem Books
  • The Story of Rolf and the Viking Bow by Allen French / Bethlehem Books
  • Wulf the Saxon by G.A. Henty
  • If All the Swords in England by Barbara Willard
  • Winning His Spurs by G.A. Henty
  • The Lost Baron By Allen French, illustrated by Andrew Wyeth / Bethlehem Books
  • The Magna Charta By James Daugherty / Beautiful Feet Books
  • Adam of the Road By Elizabeth Janet Gray / Penguin Putnam Inc.

G.A. Henty Books for the Middle Ages

870 The Dragon and the Raven
1066 Wulf the Saxon
1190 Winning His Spurs
1314 In Freedom's Cause 
1340 St George For England 
1380 The Lion of St.Mark 
1381 A March on London
1400 Both Sides of the Border 
1415 At Agincourt 
1480 A Knight of the White Cross 

Medieval  Living Books - Years 9-12

Invitation to the Classics provides overviews of some of the more difficult text and I would recommended that you add this as a resource covering historical texts. This provides details about the author, summary and a Christian perspective.

I have also used the Smarr Literature Courses which I found to be a great way to study some of the time period literature. It comes with a study guide, vocabulary quizzes, writing assignments and a schedule to follow.

Other books which you may choose to add to your living books education in the middle ages time period are:

Librivox Titles

Ivanhoe - this links to the free audio recording from Librivox; We listened to this version.

Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle - this links to the audio recording from librivox.org. I like this version.

Pages to help you create your Homeschool History Medieval Study

Related Pages