DragonFaerie Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 Okay, so we're doing Middle Ages for history next year (400 AD - 1500 AD, 3rd/4th grades) and I want to coordinate our literature read alouds to go along with it. I have a list of DOZENS of books! There is no way I can read all of them and I have no idea how to narrow it down. So, I need the help of the Hive Mind. Will ya'll please give me your top ten must-reads for medieval history-based literature? :bigear: Thank you!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmericanMom Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 Do you mean specific books or topics? Do you want novels or picture books or both? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonFaerie Posted April 13, 2011 Author Share Posted April 13, 2011 (edited) Do you mean specific books or topics? Do you want novels or picture books or both? Sorry, I mean novels, mostly. No picture books. I'd like to have a book to coincide with the different time periods of our history study if possible. At the risk of a huge post, here is the list I have compiled that I'm trying to whittle down. Favorite Medieval Tales, by Mary Pope Osborne His Majesty’s Elephant, by Judith Tarr (about Charlemagne’s daughter) Tales of the Kitchen Table, by Jon Scieszka The Sailor Who Captured the Sea: A Story of the Book of Kells, by Deborah Nourse Lattimore Aladdin and Other Tales From the Arabian Nights (Puffin Classics)- Amazon Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves by Walter (One of the tales from A Thousand and One Arabian Nights) Odin’s Family: Myths of the Vikings by Neil Philip Ivanhoe by Marianne Mayer Pendragon series Stories of Robin Hood (Told to the Children)- Amazon Sir Gewain and the Green Knight by Tolkein If You Lived in the Days of the Knights by Ann McGovern Stories of Beuwulf (Told to the Children)- Amazon Tales of King Arthur (Usborne Classics Retold)- Amazon The Door in the Wall by Marguerite De Angeli- Amazon The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman- Amazon Viking Tales (Yesterday’s Classics)- Amazon A Grain of Rice - Pittman SLC (Ancient China) The Apple and the Arrow - Buff SLC (Wiliam Tell) The Usborne Time Traveler (Medieval & Viking sections) SL1 The Viking Adventure - Bulla SL2 Eric the Red & Leif the Lucky - Schiller SL2 (Vikings) Marco Polo - Graves SL3-5 (middle ages) A Door in the Wall - De Angelli SL2 (Plague) The Sword in the Tree - Bulla SL2 (Middle Ages - King Arthur) The Minstrel in the Tower - Skurzinsky SL1 (Middle Ages) Castle Diary - Platt SL2 Michaelangelo - Stanley SL2 Good Queen Bess - Stanley SL2 The Explorer's News - Johnstone SL2 Tales of Robin Hood - Allan SL2 Incas, Aztecs & Mayans - Holzmann SL3 The Secret of the Andes - Clark SL3 (Incas) The Corn Grows Ripe - Rhoads SL3 (Mayas) Walk the World's Rim - Baker SL3 (16th cent Cabeza de Vaca) North American Indians - Gorsline SL3 Pedro's Journal - Conrad SL3 (Columbus) The Story of the USA Book 1: Explorers and Settlers - Escher SL3 Robin Hood of Sherwood Forest - McGovern SL1 Fine Print: A Story About Johann Gutenberg - Burch SL2 Joan of Arc - Stanley SL2 Mistrel in the Tower Beorn the Proud Minstrel in the Tower Marguerite Makes a Book St George and the Dragon The Sword in the Tree Sir Small and the Dragonfly Knights by Daly Leif the Lucky Castle Diary: The Journal of Tobias Burgess by Richard Platt Hidden Treasure of Glaston Favorite Celtic Fairytales Edited April 13, 2011 by DragonFaerie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momee Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 Check out WTM :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonFaerie Posted April 13, 2011 Author Share Posted April 13, 2011 Check out WTM :) I did. That's where about a third of my list came from. But I need to narrow it down. Which ones do you like? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 What grades are we talking about? Because a lot of the books you have listed are higher level picture books and not chapter books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2boys030507 Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 My boys are enjoying If you lived in the Days of Knights Castle Diary Sir Gewain and the Green I would think your boys can read these as independant reading. Minstrel in the Tower Sword in the Tree These are the ones we are currently enjoying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa B Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 Favorites: Robin Hood King Arthur Arabian Nights Hobbit (not exactly middle ages :)) Adam of the Road Beowulf Books from your list that didn't go over well: Pedro's Journal Ivanhoe - hoping for a better response from my son when he is older :) -- about half your list are books that could be read in a day or two - so you could likely get through the whole list if you wanted to --My kids read Castle Diary, Battle for the Castle? and sequel and Knight's Castle (Eager) and enjoyed them all - but I've never read them myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blessdmommy Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 I would eliminate these. They aren't what I considered novels when we read them. The Explorer's News - Johnstone SL2 (good for what it is; not a novel) Sir Small and the Dragonfly (reader; only topical because there is a knight character) I would include these (we have read these and enjoyed them) Castle Diary: The Journal of Tobias Burgess by Richard Platt (enjoyable description of daily life for a young boy in a castle) Castle Diary - Platt SL2 (in your list twice) The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman- Amazon (short story; interesting plot) Eric the Red & Leif the Lucky - Schiller SL2 (Vikings) The Viking Adventure - Bulla SL2 Pedro's Journal - Conrad SL3 (Columbus) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Critterfixer Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 I'm going to jump on with a plug for a well-illustrated version of Beowulf. But I also love, love, love the Robert Nye version. The Door in the Wall was good. St George and The Dragon and The Kitchen Knight are two of my favorites, and would be read-alone for third and fourth grade. I really like Tolkien's Sir Gawain and The Green Knight. Look around for good selections in Norse Mythology-there are a bundle of them out there. If you can find it-try to get Welsh Tales with the story "Six and Four is Ten". It's likely out of print and I've had to get it on library loan before--but that story is worth the wait! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonFaerie Posted April 13, 2011 Author Share Posted April 13, 2011 Thanks! This helps because I am not familiar with many of these books. I am definitely looking for books to read and study allowing 2-3 weeks per book (therefore not the ones that are little one or two day reads). The kids will be in 3rd and 4th grades but since I'll be reading aloud to them, harder books are fine. So far I'm planning on The Door in the Wall and The Whipping Boy for sure (I think) but I'd like to have a good ten or twelve total. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeidiKC Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 I would include these (we have read these and enjoyed them) Castle Diary: The Journal of Tobias Burgess by Richard Platt (enjoyable description of daily life for a young boy in a castle) :iagree: This is a GREAT book, with wonderful illustrations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonFaerie Posted April 13, 2011 Author Share Posted April 13, 2011 I also want to make sure that all my selections don't linger around the knights and castles theme, as much as that is my favorite. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonFaerie Posted April 13, 2011 Author Share Posted April 13, 2011 Any suggestions for good Celtic reading? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarrieF Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 We are just wrapping up Middle Ages/Reformation/Renaissance and here are the books that have been the biggest "hits" for my 9 and 7 yo sons (and for me, too!): - Castle Diary - The Sword in the Tree - The Whipping Boy - Otto of the Silver Hand - Spy for the Night Riders - Marco Polo - Who was William Shakespeare? (great series of biograhies!) Sorry there aren't ten, but these are the first that came to mind. HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 http://farrarwilliams.wordpress.com/2011/02/15/our-ten-favorite-books-with-the-middle-ages/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonFaerie Posted April 13, 2011 Author Share Posted April 13, 2011 http://farrarwilliams.wordpress.com/2011/02/15/our-ten-favorite-books-with-the-middle-ages/ Wonderful! Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonFaerie Posted April 13, 2011 Author Share Posted April 13, 2011 Thanks, Carrie! That's a great list. :001_smile: Anybody have some Celtic suggestions to add? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeidiKC Posted April 13, 2011 Share Posted April 13, 2011 We have this book - it's beautiful and divides the myths into the Irish literature cycles, such as the Ulster cycle (I think!). Large hardback, nicely illustrated. Names Upon the Harp: Irish Myths and Legends http://www.amazon.com/Names-Upon-Harp-Irish-Legends/dp/0590680528/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1302738557&sr=1-1 I thought about having my son outline the book, having each cycle as the main topic, then stories as sub-topics, and finally story details below that. Just would lend itself well to that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonFaerie Posted April 14, 2011 Author Share Posted April 14, 2011 We have this book - it's beautiful and divides the myths into the Irish literature cycles, such as the Ulster cycle (I think!). Large hardback, nicely illustrated. Names Upon the Harp: Irish Myths and Legends http://www.amazon.com/Names-Upon-Harp-Irish-Legends/dp/0590680528/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1302738557&sr=1-1 I thought about having my son outline the book, having each cycle as the main topic, then stories as sub-topics, and finally story details below that. Just would lend itself well to that. Thank you! That does look beautiful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Critterfixer Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 If you are interested in adding some Maya literature, I would find some adaptations of the Popol Vuh. It might be interesting to study heroes from Mayan culture and compare them to the heroes of the Ulster Cycle. Are you planning on seeing a play by Shakespeare toward the end of the year? You should probably plan on reading an adaptation of whatever play you choose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonFaerie Posted April 14, 2011 Author Share Posted April 14, 2011 If you are interested in adding some Maya literature, I would find some adaptations of the Popol Vuh. It might be interesting to study heroes from Mayan culture and compare them to the heroes of the Ulster Cycle. Are you planning on seeing a play by Shakespeare toward the end of the year? You should probably plan on reading an adaptation of whatever play you choose. We did three adaptations from the Shakespeare Can Be Fun series this year and the kids loved them. So, we're doing four more next year. I don't know that I'll take them to see a play yet. They're still pretty young for that, I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeidiKC Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 We did three adaptations from the Shakespeare Can Be Fun series this year and the kids loved them. So, we're doing four more next year. I don't know that I'll take them to see a play yet. They're still pretty young for that, I think. You might be able to find a high school production or something that is shorter and might appeal to them more. Or at least is inexpensive if it's a bust! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Critterfixer Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 Has anyone found a favorite adaptation for the Canterbury Tales? I've looked at a few but I've not found one that I like yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.