The Medieval World

Medieval worlds haven't ceased to tickle the imagination, especially Medieval-esque worlds, like Frozen. Here are some of my favourite medieval "worlds."

Midnight Magic

AVI


I must have picked this up as a young student because I was looking for a romance, but the story is certainly more of a mystery. If you know AVI, you know that his endings always beg a longer conclusion, but his stories are so engaging that it almost doesn't matter.

Reading Level: G. 5 and up

Knight at Dawn

Mary Pope-Osborne

The Magic Tree House series has continued to be immensely popular among emerging readers for obvious reasons.

First, the writing style. Mary Pope-Osborne keeps short sentences and reduces the text on the page. She asks questions first and answers them later.

Second, the content: who wouldn't be intrigued by finding a secret tree house that opens doors to other worlds? There are so many imaginative possibilities here.

Third: there is a larger story that binds all the smaller stories together that gets kids hooked on reading them all.

Reading Level: G. 3 and under

Ella Enchanted

Gail Carson Levine


 This classic that was made into a movie is considerably less popular today than it has been, but it's still a great read and wow, Newberry Honor!

Gail Carson Levine has a quick, easy way of writing that lets you enter the story fairly quickly. The characters are mostly predictable, but if you have a student looking for a romance, this is a great story.

Reading Level G. 4 and up










If we want a rendition of Cinderella, my personal favourite is....




Just Ella

Margaret Peterson Haddix

Definitely this is a more mature version of the story, but there is nothing in the book that is innapropriate for younger readers. Margaret Peterson Haddix weaves a convincing, compelling, and very convincing story that leads you on a more emotional ride than Levine's Ella Enchanted. I think for this reason, that it has more "adult sentimentality" that I give it an older rating.

Haddix is also just a brilliant writer!

Reading Level G. 7 and up

Ancient Civilizations

Did you ever wish as a child that you could travel back in time to Ancient Egypt or Greece?

Children's imaginations today still sparkle when you tell them about how Egyptians were mummified, Roman gladiators fought, and Greek temples were built. And there is so much more to tell about the ancient world: samurai warriors in Japan, forbidden silk secrets in China, and the haunting empire of the Aztecs.

Here's some great books for 10-12 year olds that read like a story book--with a quick pace, dialogue and even great pictures:

This is such a fun and intriguing way to learn about the Aztecs. It's extremely informative, but also riveting at the
same time! The students were really into it as I read the excerpt. The book in length is like a short novel, but there are
a number of photos and artful renditions of events.
By Shelley Tanaka

Follow the events of this great historical disaster with a young
boy named Eros. Real photos of artifacts are also shown.
By Shelley Tanaka

"The room is dark, even though it is early
afternoon. Heavy curtains have been
pulled across the tall windows, blocking
out light and noise from the busy city
street outside...The guests are waiting,
their voices hushed."
Excerpt from book, by Shelley Tanaka 

This series follows two modern characters as they
get lost in different historical periods!
By Linda Bailey