Historical Fiction

The Sword and the Shield of the Realm, Florian Stone Wells (Sapientus, 2008).

This story, the first of a planned series of seven, begins in 1448 in eastern Europe, on the borders between Medieval and Early modern history, and between Christian Europe and the expanding Ottoman Empire. The young hero, Lorian Comosicus, is engaging as are some of the action sequences but the need to introduce many characters and to fill in the background history tends to slow the plot. The book is clearly well researched and would be a useful resource to history departments planning a medieval historical fiction project. Ask your school librarian to buy it.

Arthur The Seeing Stone, Kevin Crossley-Holland (Orion, 2000). TOP BOOK CHOICE

An excellent book. Life in a medieval village as seen through the eyes of the son of the Lord of the Manor. An entirely convincing depiction of the daily routine through the seasons. This would be ideal for use in the classroom as a stimulus for historical fiction writing. See 'History and Literacy in Y7: Building the lesson around the text ', by Christine Counsell for practical guidance on how to do this.

Sequels:

Arthur At the Crossing-places, Kevin Crossley-Holland (Orion, 2002) TOP BOOK CHOICE

Another top quality piece of writing that continues Arthur's story as he adjusts to life as a squire and prepares for the Crusade. One of the many things the author does so well is the subtle conveying of character. Here the Arthur living in medieval Shropshire describes Merlin.

Merlin is nothing like so good at telling as asking. He's like a deep well: if you stop winding the handle, the water doesn't come up!

• Arthur King of the Middle Marches, Kevin Crossley-Holland (Orion, 2004)

 

Crusade, Elizabeth Laird (Macmillan, 2007) New title shortlisted in Children’s books category for 2007 Costa book awards and short listed for the Carnegie Medal 2008.

In this new title the author Elizabeth Laird follows in the footsteps of Geoffrey Trease. In 1966 he wrote The Red Towers of Granada to address,  “…the highly topical theme of racial and religious toleration. I had long wanted to use an Andalusian setting and to depict for children the period when Arab culture had transformed southern Spain into a garden, later spoilt by the neglect of Christian conquerors. The then tolerant attitude of the Arabs to the Jews, in striking contrast to the persecution practised by the Catholics, added a further dimension”. Laird, who lived in the Lebanon during the civil war, explains her motive for writing Crusade as, “Later, when I read about the Crusades, I realised how profoundly those events of so long ago had shaped the Middle East, and how they affect it still. The story of Adam and Salim, whose worlds of Christianity and Islam, of West and East, collided so catastrophically then, are colliding again now. Crusade is, in fact, a story of our time.”

The plot is straightforward. Adam, a serf from the English midlands is convinced that the only way his dead mother will get to heaven is if he is able to scatter some soil from Jerusalem over her grave. In order to do this he enlists for service with the local feudal knight on the third Crusade. At the siege of Acre he comes across Salim, a Muslim boy of similar age who has been apprenticed to Saladin's personal physician, himself a Jew. Through a series of meetings an unlikely friendship develops and the boys come to see that their stereotypical views of infidels and Franks are flawed as this extract on Adam's thoughts shows.

"I never realised that Saracens were ordinary people, he thought, just farmers and merchants. they're like the people at home in Ashton, in a way. He'd been deeply impressed to discover that Salim could read and write. He'd been surprised too to see both him and the doctor pray."

This title would work well in the history classroom as part of an exploration of the medieval period, of the Crusades in particular or as part of a study of the changing nature of conflict and cooperation between countries and peoples and its lasting impact on national, ethnic, racial, cultural or religious issues. And as Laird suggests it should lead pupils to reconsider their own modern world.

 

Gatty'sTale, Kevin Crossley-Holland (Orion, 2006)TOP BOOK CHOICE

In the year 1203, nine pilgrims set out on a dangerous pilgrimage - on foot, on horseback and by sea – across Europe to Jerusalem. Among them is Gatty, the village girl from The Seeing Stone, following Arthur as he sets off on the crusade.  All the pilgrims endure aches and pains, homesickness and loss; they are prey to thieves and murderers; but it is Gatty, whose impulsiveness lands her in desperate trouble, who is transformed by the experience. A wonderful book which was short listed for the Carnegie Medal in 2008.

 

The Midwives ApprenticeTOP BOOK CHOICE

Karen Cushman (Macmillan, 1995).

One problem some of the participating teachers and Year 7 students in the original EACH project work was concerns about the difficulty of using 'A Little Lower Than the Angels'. It was chosen as the 'best story' from the titles currently available but some people have found it too difficult for their students. Here is a title that may answer their need. This is 'The Midwives Apprentice' by Karen Cushman. She is an author whose books are regularly borrowed by children unlike authors such as Rosemary Sutcliff who now sit neglected on the shelf.

Her book tells the story of a young girl in fourteenth century England and it has a great opening.

When animal droppings and garbage and spoiled straw are piled up in a great heap, the rotting and moiling give forth heat. Usually no one gets close enough to notice because of the stench. But the girl noticed and, on that frosty night, burrowed deep into the warm, rotting muck, heedless of the smell. In any event, the dung heap probably smelled little worse than anything else in her life – the food scraps scavenged from kitchen yards, the stables and sties she slept in when she could, and her own unwashed, unnourished, unloved and unlovely body.

Do you want to read on? I did and so will Year 7.

The author sets out her purpose in writing,
"I grew up tired of hearing about kings, princes, generals, presidents. I wanted to know what life was like for ordinary people in other times".

Other titles by the same author are: Catherine, Called Birdy and Matilda Bone also set in Medieval England.

Cover illustration reproduced by permission of Macmillan Children's Books, London

Fire, Bed and Bone TOP BOOK CHOICE

Henrietta Branford (Walker Books, 1998).

This story is set in 1381, the year of the Peasants' Revolt. It is the story of a peasant family Rufus and Alice, their children and dogs narrated by the old hunting dog. Whilst feeling authentic the author does not over load her narrative with historical detail. So as the reader you do not feel yourself being instructed. Instead you find yourself caring what happens to the people and dogs. When the people are held prisoner in the stable at the manor house you care about the inhumanity of the conditions they have to endure. At the same time you do learn some of the detail of medieval life and of the causes, rather than the events of the Peasants' Revolt.

This is also a story about birth and death, the separation of mother and child and the nature of power and justice in a medieval village. It will engage the interest of readers in Year 7 and could serve as a valuable addition to library stock to support the teaching of the Medieval Realms history study unit. It would also form a valuable addition as a good story. It is no accident that it has won the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize for 1998.

It has also been used as a template by the history department in one Somerset school. They have transfered the idea to another period, their students tell the story of one man's experience of the English Civil War through the eyes of his dog. Hopefully more on this next year.

Silver Rose

Jill Eckersley (Scholastic Books, 1998).

This is a Forget-me-Not Romance set in Medieval England in the years 1471 and 1472. Heroine Alys, a young noblewoman accompanied by her sister runs away from their cruel stepfather and an arranged marriage to the elderly Sir Henry Capshaw. As she herself puts it, "I will not marry that … that stinking Lancastrian oaf!" Instead she is making for the northern home of her sweetheart Tom, a fine young Yorkist supporting knight.

This story device allows Alys to travel across an England disturbed by the Wars of the Roses. On her way she is attacked by robbers, helped by nuns, nurses a merchant's family of children through illness and performs with a troupe of travelling players all before an ending as predictable as you might expect. It was this last element that I found least satisfying. Since I knew what to expect the story lacked dramatic tension. Having said that there is much that is good in the book.

The author successfully creates a whiff of medieval life. When the Bedford merchant's children fall ill with the scarlet sickness he behaves appropriately for the period. John Stillington, a posy of herbs held to his nose as a precaution against infection, stood in the doorway as his sister and her helpers fought to save his little boy's life. "I shall pray for him, for you all," he called. Throughout the historical detail is authentic without being intrusive.

Also the plot positively bristles with strong female characters. Alys is no frail heroine but a determined young woman willing to fight off robbers, scrub floors, act on the stage or do whatever other work is necessary. So are most of the other women she meets but it is this that constitutes the other unsatisfactory element of the book, the modernism of the behaviour of some characters. In reply to John Stillington above his sister responds, "Useless great lump. Just like a man!" scolded Dame Margery. Or is it perhaps my own male prejudices coming out? Whatever, the book will be a useful addition to school libraries although my guess is that the readers will be female.

The Ramsay Scallop

Frances Temple (Harper Trophy, 1994).

Set in 1299 this is the story of the developing relationship between a young noble man and woman as they travel on pilgrimage from England to the shrine of St James of Compostela at Santiago in Spain. The author gives a convincing portrait of Medieval England and France, although at times the detail on specific places such as the building of the cathedral at Amiens slows down the narrative. What she does particularly well is to convey a sense of medieval attitudes to religion and to the non Christian Moors of Spain. Here she describes part of the pilgrimage route through the thoughts of the young noble woman.

Elenor grabbed at a small tree to pull herself up a steep stretch. It occurred to her that those who had first worn and then paved the Pilgrim Way didn't much care about getting to Santiago. Their aim was to get close to God. They built shrines on the tops of mountains. The harder the mountain was to climb, the better.

Santa Lucia was a pilgrimage church built where nothing grew but stunted pines, up where it was windy and cold even in August. A hundred and thirty stone steps were carved into the highest peak on its steepest side. To climb these steps on their knees, saying an Ave Maria on each step, and a Paternoster every ten, one for each Station of the Cross, was called by the pilgrims a Calvary. It was designed to make the pilgrim suffer the way Jesus suffered on his way to being crucified.

Through the characters the author then goes on to explore the differing attitudes of the pilgrims to this idea ranging from those who, armed with leather kneepads, do it to those who are horrified by the idea.

As so often with historical fiction the author is able to highlight the diversity of thought even within such a seemingly homogenous group as a band of pilgrims. While this book will not appeal to all Year 7 students it would make a useful addition to the school library. It could also prove to be a good quarry for the history teacher trying to tackle the incredibly difficult task of conveying to modern 11 and 12 year olds an appreciation of medieval religious belief.