Middle Ages, Renaissance, Reformation, & Epistles

Summary

With these books your family will spend a delightful time getting to know the people, events, places, and culture of the Middle Ages around the world, plus the Renaissance and Reformation. Geography will focus on South and Central America and Australia, and you will begin to work your way through the epistles of the Bible. (Since the Bible history narratives are the focus in our three Ancients studies, the rest of the Bible books are spread throughout the remaining three studies.) Older students will learn how to study the Bible on their own, focusing on the same epistles that the Family does, and work on a six-year project of looking for doctrinal truths as they read through the Bible.

Daily lesson plans scheduling these books are available in Middle Ages, Renaissance, Reformation & Epistles.

Book List for History, Geography, Bible

Read the books listed under Family to all the students together. Add the grade-level books as individual reads for any children you have in those grades. For example, if you have students in grades 2 and 7, you will want to get the books under Family, Grades 1–3, and Grades 7–9.

[SCM]: Available from SCM
[Book Store]: Purchase from your favorite book store
[Library]: Check your library
[Public Domain]: Available free in the public domain

You can also view all the books below in the CM Bookfinder for easy scheduling in our CM Organizer.

Family (all students)

• Book StoreAround the World in a Hundred Years by Jean Fritz
• Bible
• Book StoreThe Bible Smuggler by Louise Vernon
• LibraryCastle by David Macaulay
• SCMA Castle with Many Rooms: The Story of the Middle Ages by Lorene Lambert
• LibraryCathedral by David Macaulay
• SCMMaterial World and SCMHungry Planet by Peter Menzel
• SCMThe Stuff They Left Behind: From the Days of the Middle Ages portfolio
• SCMVisits to South & Central America, Australia notebook by Sonya Shafer (one for each student)

plus . . .
Grades 1–3

• LibraryBrother Francis and the Friendly Beasts by Margaret Hodges
• LibraryCastle Diary: The Journal of Tobias Burgess by Richard Platt
• LibraryMarguerite Makes a Book by Bruce Robertson
• LibraryA Medieval Feast by Aliki
• LibraryPippo the Fool by Tracey E. Fern
• LibraryThe Sword in the Tree by Clyde Robert Bulla
• LibraryViking Adventure by Clyde Robert Bulla
• Book StoreAre We There Yet? A Journey around Australia by Alison Lester (optional, used with Visits to South & Central America, Australia. This book is out of print but will give a great overview of Australia if you can find a copy.)
• Book StoreElena’s Story by Nancy Shaw (optional, used with Visits to South & Central America, Australia)
• LibraryHands of the Rain Forest: the Embera People of Panama by Rachel Crandell (optional, used with Visits to South & Central America, Australia. This book is out of print, but a library near you may have a copy.)
• Book StoreHerbert: The True Story of a Brave Sea Dog by Robyn Belton (optional, used with Visits to South & Central America, Australia)
• Book StoreA Mango in the Hand: A Story Told through Proverbs by Antonio Sacre (optional, used with Visits to South & Central America, Australia)
• Book StoreNot Just Tacos by Shirley Solis (optional, used with Visits to South & Central America, Australia)
• Book StoreWaiting for the Biblioburro by Monica Brown (optional, used with Visits to South & Central America, Australia)

Grades 4–6

• LibraryAdam of the Road by Elizabeth Janet Gray
• Book StoreKing Arthur and His Knights audio recording by Jim Weiss
• Public Domain“The Pied Piper of Hamelin” poem by Robert Browning
• SCMThe Vikings by Elizabeth Janeway
• Book StoreKon-Tiki by Thor Heyerdahl (optional, used with Visits to South & Central America, Australia)

Grades 7–9

• SCMBook of Centuries (one for each student)
• SCMDiscovering Doctrine by Sonya Shafer (one for each student)
• Public DomainIn Freedom’s Cause: A Story of Wallace and Bruce by G. A. Henty
• SCMLife in the Word by Sonya Shafer (one for each student)
• SCMThe Magna Charta by James Daugherty
• Public DomainThe Prince and the Pauper by Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain)
• Book StoreThe Shining Company by Rosemary Sutcliff
• Public DomainThe Story of King Arthur and His Knights by Howard Pyle
• Book StoreThe White Stag by Kate Seredy
• Book StoreKon-Tiki by Thor Heyerdahl (optional, used with Visits to South & Central America, Australia)

Grades 10–12

• Public DomainThe Black Arrow by Robert Louis Stevenson
• SCMBook of Centuries (one for each student)
• SCMDiscovering Doctrine by Sonya Shafer (one for each student)
• Book StoreFamous Men of the Middle Ages, with extra chapters by Rob Shearer (2008 edition, published by Greenleaf Press)
• Book StoreFamous Men of the Renaissance and Reformation by Rob Shearer
• LibraryThe King’s Fifth by Scott O’Dell
• Book StoreThe Lantern Bearers by Rosemary Sutcliff
• SCMLife in the Word by Sonya Shafer (one for each student)
• Public DomainMen of Iron by Howard Pyle
• Book StoreThe Second Mrs. Giaconda by E. L. Konigsburg
• Book StoreVoices of the Renaissance and Reformation edited by Rob Shearer
• Book StoreKon-Tiki by Thor Heyerdahl (optional, used with Visits to South & Central America, Australia)

Bonus Titles

Here are more great titles that you can use for substitutions or leisure reading or to create your own heritage history stream as desired. We will add to this list as we discover and review more new-to-us books. Sign up to be notified when we add new bonus titles to our history book lists!

• The Beggars’ Bible by Louise Vernon (Family)
• Ink on His Fingers by Louise Vernon (Family)
• Joan of Arc by Diane Stanley (Family)
• Leonardo da Vinci by Diane Stanley (Family)
• The Man Who Laid the Egg by Louise Vernon (Family)
• The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle (Family)
• Michelangelo by Diane Stanley (Family)
• Thunderstorm in Church by Louise Vernon (Family)
• The Apple and the Arrow by Mary and Conrad Buff (Grades 1–3)
• Leif the Lucky by Ingri and Edgar Parin D’Aulaire (Grades 1–3)
• The Minstrel in the Tower by Gloria Skurzynski (Grades 1–3)
• The Hawk of the Castle: A Story of Medieval Falconry by Danna Smith (Grades 1–4)
• The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli (Grades 4–6)
• The World of Columbus and Sons by Genevieve Foster (Grades 4–6 or Family)
• Children of the Longhouse by Joseph Bruchac (Grades 4–8)
• Mansa Musa and the Empire of Mali: A True Story of Gold and Greatness from Africa by P. James Oliver (Grades 4–9)