Adam of the Road  •  Elizabeth Janet Gray  •  Robert Lawson LITERATURE •  1987 •  PAPER  • 317 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) A marvelous, classic children's book -- winner of a Newbery Medal in its day -- in which a minstrel's son loses his way on the highways and byways of 13th-century England. Jammed (but so subtly!) with period detail, this engrossing novel is an enduring introduction to merrie olde England for readers ages 8 to 12. (GBR336, $7.99)
Bard of Avon  •  Diane Stanley  •  Peter Vennema HISTORY •  1998 •  PAPER  • 48 PAGES • YOUNG READERS (Age 4-8) An illustrated account of William Shakespeare's life and 16th-century England, thoughtfully relating the circumstances of the playwright's environment to the content of his plays. Written for readers ages 6 to 9. (GBR151, $7.99)
Beware, Princess Elizabeth  •  Carolyn Meyer LITERATURE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 224 PAGES • YOUNG ADULTS An acclaimed young-adult novel, in which Henry VIII is recently dead and young Elizabeth Tudor must endure the tumultuous reigns of her brother Edward and sister Mary -- before ascending the throne herself, 11 years after her father's death. It's a very human portrait of the future queen, set squarely in Tudor England, from an author who has also written a novel about Mary Tudor (GBR333). (GBR332, $6.95)
Boy, Tales of Childhood  •  Roald Dahl BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1991 •  PAPER  • 176 PAGES • YOUNG ADULTS With his usual gift for storytelling, Dahl recalls growing up in a Norwegian-English family, spending his mischievous boyhood scheming in a boys' boarding school, working as a chocolate tester for Cadbury's and summering in Wales and the Norwegian islands. (GBR183, $6.99)
Coram Boy  •  Jamila Gavin LITERATURE •  2005 •  PAPER  • 336 PAGES • YOUNG ADULTS Jamila Gavin offers a textured, nuanced, evocative story of the upper and lower classes in England in 1741, concentrating her focus on two 13-year-old boys and their intertwined ambitions. It's a big, ambitious, old-fashioned book about England at the dawn of the industrial age. The word most frequently used to describe this young-adult novel, which won the Whitbread for best children's book of 2001, is "Dickensian" -- in the very best sense. (GBR339, $7.95)
Elizabeth I, Red Rose of the House of Tudor  •  Kathryn Lasky LITERATURE •  1999 •  HARD COVER  • 192 PAGES • YOUNG ADULTS One in the clever "Royal Diaries" series by Scholastic, which pairs young-adult authors with famous princesses. Eleven-year-old Elizabeth Tudor's diary, as written by Kathryn Lasky, is full of longing, intrigue and sibling rivalry -- a gripping introduction to the "Virgin Queen." The book is designed to feel like a real princess's diary, with gold-embossed pages and a sturdy binding. (GBR331, $10.95)
England, A True Book  •  Michael Burgan CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  PAPER  • 48 PAGES • YOUNG READERS (Age 4-8) An overview of England -- its geography, citizens and history -- for children 6 to 8. With its large color photographs, large-scale maps and focus on kid-friendly topics, this book is an engaging primer. (GBR338, $6.95)
King of Shadows  •  Susan Cooper LITERATURE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 186 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) A young actor joins a troupe to travel to London's Globe theatre and finds himself transported back in time to a production directed by none other than Mr. William Shakespeare. Intended for children ages 10-12. (GBR161, $5.99)
Knight's Castle  •  Edward Eager LITERATURE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 198 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) An irresistible classic. Before the kids can say "Ivanhoe" three times fast, they'll be transported to castle battlements in medieval England, where Robin Hood is battling for Sir Ivanhoe's release. Appropriately enough, the novel's four American protagonists are also thus suddenly transported -- in their case, when a toy soldier comes to life. Eager's book is packed with period detail (especially molten lead!) and great good humor. Ages 8 to 12. (GBR340, $6.99)
Madeline in London  •  Ludwig Bemelmans LITERATURE •  1977 •  PAPER  • 56 PAGES • YOUNG READERS (Age 4-8) Miss Clavel, Madeline and her 11 classmates travel to London to cheer up their former neighbor, Pepito, who had to move away from Paris. With the help of an adopted horse, the group embarks on a mad, rhyming tale of adventure through the city's busy streets. Written for kids ages 4-8. (GBR152, $17.99)
Mary, Bloody Mary  •  Carolyn Meyer LITERATURE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 240 PAGES • YOUNG ADULTS An unusually generous protrayal of the young Mary Tudor, nicknamed "Bloody Mary" by her Protestant subjects. Popular young-adult author Meyer richly recreates the Tudor era and its religious conflicts for audiences ages 11 and up. (GBR333, $6.99)
The Midwife's Apprentice  •  Karen Cushman LITERATURE •  1996 •  PAPER  • 122 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) The 1996 Newbery Medal winner, this novel geared for 8-12 year olds recounts the apprenticeship of a waif named Brat, who learns to be a midwife in 14th-century England. Short, funny and atmospheric. (GBR341, $5.99)
A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver  •  E.L. Konigsburg LITERATURE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 208 PAGES • YOUNG ADULTS A marvelous fictionalized portrait of Eleanor of Aquitaine who was queen of France and England successively, traveler to Constantinople, wife of a future saint, mother of Richard the Lionheart and for 15 years a prisoner of the English Crown. E.L. Konigsburg's irreverent, feminist, educational young-adult novel begins on a cloud in heaven, where Eleanor is awaiting the induction into heaven of her husband Henry II of England, who has spent the last 800 years in -- well -- not in heaven, at any rate. The rest of the book is a flashback. (GBR245, $5.99)
The Queen's Own Fool  •  Robert J. Harris  •  Jane Yolen LITERATURE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 400 PAGES • YOUNG ADULTS This excellent historical young adult novel relates the life of Mary Queen of Scots as witnessed by her jester, a spunky orphan named Nicola. Following Nicola (and Mary) from France to Scotland, the authors expertly recreate an era of intrigue, nationalist conflicts and entrenched class divisions. (SCT55, $7.99)
Ring of Bright Water  •  Gavin Maxwell NATURAL HISTORY •  1966 •  PAPER  • 224 PAGES • YOUNG ADULTS • COMING IN This magical book, treasured by generations of children and their parents, is known primarily for its wonderful portrayal of otters and the naturalist who loves them. But Maxwell's vivid descriptions of the Scottish coast are equally entertaining. (SCT17, $13.00)
The Shakespeare Stealer  •  Gary Blackwood LITERATURE •  2000 •  PAPER  • 224 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) Featuring an orphan boy, the Bard of Avon and an evil scene-stealer, this gripping novel will transport kids back in time to the Globe theatre and Elizabethan England. Young Widge is hired to infiltrate the Globe and steal "Hamlet" for another acting troupe. Recommended for readers ages 8 to 11. (GBR335, $6.99)