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Kings, queens, princes, and princesses. Knights and castles. Royalty. There is something romantic about it all. I’m sure the reality doesn’t quite match, but since I’ll never know for sure, I’ll just keep dreaming.
Today’s list for the A to Z challenge is Q is for queens, kings, and castles! The books here range in abilities, though most are good for elementary aged readers.
The Royal Diaries
This series of historical fiction books is from Scholastic. There are 20 books in the series, suggested for grades 3-9, depending on the book. Each book is a fictional diary of a real historical princess. The princesses include Elizabeth I, Cleopatra VII, Isabel, Anastasia, Weetamoo, and many more.
The Little Duke
This is a book that I purchased because of a homeschool curriculum’s recommendation. The Little Duke was written by Charlotte M. Yonge. It is the story of the boy who would become King Richard the Fearless. The story is inspiring as he overcomes tragedy and other obstacles in his journey to succeed his father’s throne.
Castles
Castles is a Beginners series title from Usborne, level 1. A lot of information in an easily accessible format, short descriptions and lots of illustrations.
Castle
Castle by David Macauley is a great book for kids who like detail. Macauley’s books are geared for 10-14 year olds. The drawings are incredible and the information is thorough.
100 Things You Should Know About Knights & Castles
100 Things You Should Know About Knights & Castles by Jane Walker is full of fun information on topics ranging from building a castle and how to be a good knight to songs, poems, and love. Lots of illustrations.
The Usborne Book of Kings and Queens
Can you tell I like Usborne books? The Usborne Book of Kings and Queens very thorough and has less illustrations, making it better for older elementary students. It covers rulers from all over the world.
Good Queen Bess: The Story of Elizabeth of England
Good Queen Bess: The Story of Elizabeth of England by Diane Stanley is a book for 4-8 year-olds about the queen long known for the era of peace literally called the Elizabethan Age. She was a smart woman who outwitted many foes.
Help me build this list!
What books would you recommend for kids in grades 1-8 about kings, queens, castles, and the like?
About Vicki Arnold
That first series looks wonderful. I mostly read stories about horses as a kid. None of them were set in castles. 🙂 Happy weekend. Untethered Realms
Lol, my daughter LOVES stories about horses. Her favorite series a couple years ago was the Keeker series.
Wonderful post – I love the site! Nice to meet and connect through atozchallenge. http://aimingforapublishingdeal.blogspot.co.uk/
I know a number of children who would love these books. I have MacCauley’s Castle in my classroom and kids spend hours pouring over it.
It’s fascinating stuff! My detail oriented son loves MacCauley’s books in general.
This is a great list. I loved when my kids were this age and we could sit down with a good book like these. Some of our favorites that I recommend are:
“The Queen’s Progress” by Celeste Davidson Mannis – a story of Queen Elizabeth’s journey through England and the interesting people she meets. It is as much about the people of England as it is about the Queen, and the illustrations are beautiful and colorful. There is even a little story within the story that is told through the illustrations. Though it is fictional there is much to learn about the people and culture within the story.
“Kings and Queens for God” by Carol Greene – a collection of stories about royal personages from different countries and periods of history. Some of these stories have become favorites of mine, and there is always a good moral to be learned from their lives.
“A Year in a Castle” by Rachel Coombs – lots of illustrations and gives information about how they lived in the castle.
Stephen Biesty’s Cross-sections Castles by Stephen Biesty – another heavily illustrated book with cross-section views of inside/outside the castle. Lots of information on how things were done.
These sound great! Thank you for sharing, I’ll be checking our library for them. 🙂