Eagle of The Ninth

One of the great adventure stories. The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff.

The Silver Branch

Part two of her Roman trilogy, The Silver Branch by Rosemary Sutcliff.

The Lantern Bearers

The final part of her Roman trilogy, much more than an adventure story by now but an exploration of divided loyalties, by Rosemary Sutcliff.

Rider of the White Horse

The Civil War, told through the story of Thomas and Anne Fairfax. Together with Barbara Willard’s Harrow and Harvest this book gives more insights into the Civil War than a shelf of books in a university library, by Rosemary Sutcliff.

The Driftway

A really thought provoking story about the lives of people living in the same stretch of countryside, at different times in the past, by Penelope Lively.

Fire, Bed and Bone

The 1381 Revolt from a very unusual perspective – by Henrietta Branford.

The Lark and the Laurel (Puffin Books)

The first in a stunning series of novels by Barbara Willard, ranging from the 1480s to the 1640s. Published in the 1970s, they are no longer in print but well-worth reading. Although said to be for children, they deal unflinchingly with the realities of death, decisions and the passage of time. Two of the best are A Cold Wind Blowing which deals with the consequences of Henry VIII’s distant decision to close the monasteries while Harrow and Harvest explores the fears and vulnerability of ordinary people during the Civil War.

The Wool-pack (Puffin Story Books)

One of an excellent quartet of books set in the fifteenth century. Well-worth looking out for second-hand.

The Gauntlet (Oxford Children's Modern Classics)

Travel back to the 1300s! One of my favourites growing up. Some of it reads a bit didactically now but the rest still captures the imagination.

The Seeing Stone (Arthur)

The first book of a superb trilogy combining the Arthurian legend with the story of another Arthur growing up in the early 1200s on the borders of England and Wales.