Historical Fiction Novels of Ancient Worlds

Historical Fiction Novels of Ancient Worlds

Ancient Worlds

Corydon and the Island of Monsters by Tobias Druitt

Goddess of Yesterday by Caroline B. Cooney

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Lost in the Labyrinth by Patrice Kindl

Odysseus and the Serpent Maze by Jane Yolen

The Oracle Betrayed by Catherine Fisher

Pharaoh’s Daughter: A Novel of Ancient Egypt by Julius Lester

Quiver by Stephanie Spinner

Sirenaby Donna Jo Napoli

The Thieves of Ostia: A Roman Mystery by Caroline Lawrence

Young Adult Historical Novels: Ancient History

This page lists historical novels for young adult readers set in ancient times, from times as early as the fourteenth century B.C. in Egypt up to the fifth century A.D. "Arthurian" period in Britain after the Romans withdrew

Abbreviations for Awards and Honors:

ALANCB = American Library Association Notable Children's Book
BBYA = An American Library Association "Best Books for Young Adults" pick
CM = Carnegie Medal
CMH = Carnegie Medal Honor Book
IBBY = International Board on Books for Young People Honour Book
JFA = Josette Frank Award
NA = Newbery Award
SOA = Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction

Ancient Greece

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Tracy Barrett,King of Ithaka(2010), a retelling of Homer's Odyssey narrated by Telemachos, the son of Odysseus. Recommended for ages 12 and up.Review

Tracy Barrett,Dark of the Moon(2011), a retelling of the Minotaur legend, as told by the Minotaur's sister, Ariadne, and his killer, Theseus. Recommended for ages 12 and up.

DyanBlacklock,Pankration: The Ultimate Game(1999), about a boy who is kidnapped just before he plans to attend the Olympic Games with his friends. Recommended for ages 9-12.

Ken Catran,Voyage with Jason(2000), about a young apprentice shipbuilder who gets the chance to sail with Jason and the Argonauts on the risky quest for the Golden Fleece. Recommended for ages 9-12.

Ken Catran,The Golden Prince(1999), about Pyrrhus, the son of the Greek warrior Achilles, who after his father's death had to take over the role of the Greek leader during the Trojan war.

Caroline Cooney,Goddess of Yesterday(2002), about a young woman who impersonates a princess after she is the only survivor of a pirate raid, and then goes to Sparta just before Helen and Paris fall in love, triggering the Trojan War. ALANCB, JFA.

Esther Friesner,Nobody's Princess(2009), about the determined and beautiful young Helen of Sparta (who would later become known as Helen of Troy); #1 in the Helen of Sparta series.

Esther Friesner,Nobody's Prize(2009), about Helen of Sparta and her adventures when she disguises herself as a boy to join her brothers in a quest for the Golden Fleece; #2 in the Helen of Sparta series.

Priscilla Galloway,The Courtesan's Daughter(2002), about a fourteen-year-old girl from ancient Athens whose father has married a famous and well-educated courtesan, and whose plans to marry the man she loves are disrupted by an enemy of her family. Recommended for ages 12 and up.

Adele Geras,Dido(2009), about the serving maid of a queen who falls in love with the same man the queen loves.

Adele Geras,Troy(2001), about two sisters in Troy who fall in love with the same man during the Trojan War.

Adele Geras,Ithaka(2001), about a girl who is in love with Odysseus's son Telemachos during the time when Odysseus is absent from home and his wife is besieged by men who wish to marry her and gain control of Odysseus's kingdom. Recommended for grades 7-12.

Helen M. Hoover,The Dawn Palace: The Story of Medea(1988), the story of Medea and Jason and the transition from matriarchal rule and worship of a goddess to patriarchal rule and the rise of male gods. Recommended for grades 7-12.

Nikos Kazantzakis,Alexander the Great(1982), about a boy who becomes a close friend of Alexander the Great.

Clemence McLaren,Inside the Walls of Troy(1996), about the beautiful Helen of Troy and the seeress Cassandra.Recommended for ages 12 and up.

Geraldine McCaughrean,Odysseus(2004), a retelling of the Odyssey. Recommended for ages 14 and up.

Caroline Dale Snedeker,The Spartan(1912), about a Spartan boy who grows up to become the only survivor of the Battle of Thermopylae.

Caroline Dale Snedeker,Theras and His Town(1924), about an Athenian boy who escapes from Sparta and sets out on a long journey home with another boy. Recommended for ages 10 and up.

Caroline Dale Snedeker,Lysis Goes to the Play(1962), about a thirteen-year-old Athenian boy who breaks his society's rules by taking his sister along to see a play during the festival of Dionysus. Recommended for preteens and young teens.

Elizabeth George Speare,The Bronze Bow(1961), about a young Palestinian boy who is eager to rebel against the Romans after they kill his father, until he learns the power of love. NA

Rosemary Sutcliff,The Truce of the Games(1971; also titled "A Crown of Wild Olive" in the collectionHeather, Oak and Olive), about two young athletes, one from Athens and one from Sparta, who compete against each other in the Olympic Games.

Rosemary Sutcliff,Heather, Oak and Olive(1972), a collection of three stories, one set in ancient Greece during the Olympic Games, one in ancient Britain and one in Roman Britain.Review

Rosemary Sutcliff,Black Ships Before Troy: The Story of the Iliad(1993), a retelling of the ancient Greek tale of the Iliad about the Trojan War. Recommended for ages 10 and up.

Rosemary Sutcliff,The Wanderings of Odysseus(1995), a retelling of the ancient Greek tale of Odysseus and his struggle to return home after the Trojan War. Recommended for ages 10 and up.

Theresa Tomlinson,The Moon Riders(2002), about a young warrior priestess of the Amazons at the time of the Trojan War.

Theresa Tomlinson,Voyage of the Snake Lady(2004), about a young warrior priestess of the Amazons after the fall of Troy who must protect her people from the vengeance of Achilles; sequel toMoon Riders.

Henry Treece,The Windswept City(1967), about a young slave boy to Helen of Troy who witnesses the key events of the Trojan War.

Ancient Rome

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Hans Baumann,I Marched with Hannibal(1962), about a boy who joins Hannibal's march over the Alps to attack Rome with elephants.

Judith Geary,Getorix: The Eagle and The Bull(2005), about a 15-year-old Celtic warrior from Gaul whose life is spared by a Roman general who brings him back to Rome as a slave; #1 in the Getorix series. Recommended for ages 12 and up.

Judith Geary,Getorix: Games of the Underworld(2011), about a Celtic boy in Rome who must find out the truth after his friend is kidnapped in a raid by blue-painted men wearing Celtic helmets; #2 in the Getorix series. Recommended for ages 12 and up.

L.S. Lawrence,Eagle of the East(2007), about a young Roman tribune who survives the disastrous Battle of Carrhae in 53 B.C. as a captive of the Parthians. Recommended for ages 10 and up.From an Australian publisher and difficult to obtain in the U.S.

L.S. Lawrence,Escape by Sea(2009), about the daughter of a senator in ancient Carthage who must flee with her father after Rome attacks and destroys their city. Recommended for ages 8-12.

Gladys Malvern,The Secret Sign(1961), about an actor and a senator's daughter who fall in love during the time when Emperor Nero was persecuting Christians in Rome.

Marissa Moss,Galen: My Life in Imperial Rome(2002), about a twelve-year-old slave boy in ancient Rome during the time of Emperor Augustus.

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor,Shadows on the Wall(1980), about a present-day boy who learns a terrible family secret when he visits York, England, with his family, and travels back in time to when York was a Roman military camp; #1 in the Haunting York trilogy; recommended for ages 10 and up.

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor,Faces in the Water(1981), about a present-day boy who goes to his grandmother's farm for the summer, and travels a thousand years back in time to when Britain was a Roman province; #2 in the Haunting York trilogy; recommended for ages 10 and up.

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor,Footprints at the Window(1981), about a present-day boy who time-travels to medieval England during a plague epidemic; #3 in the Haunting York trilogy; recommended for ages 10 and up.

William Chad Newsom,Polycarp: The Crown of Fire(2005), about a Christian leader, a disciple of St. John, during the second-century Roman persecution of Christians. Recommended for ages 7-12.

Simon Scarrow,Gladiator: Fight for Freedom(2011), about a boy recruited into the life of a gladiator after his father is murdered and his mother forced into slavery. Recommended for ages 8-12.

Caroline Dale Snedeker,The Forgotten Daughter(1934), about a wealthy Roman man's daughter who is being raised as a slave on her father's estate. Recommended for ages 9 and up.

Caroline Dale Snedeker,The White Isle(1940), about a thirteen-year-old girl who noble Roman family has lost their fortune and travel to Britain in the hope of making another, where she becomes attracted to a young Christian man. Recommended for ages 12 and up.

Caroline Dale Snedeker,A Triumph for Flavius(1955), about a Roman boy whose soldier father gives him a captured Greek as a slave. Recommended for ages 8 and up.

Patricia St. John,Twice Freed(1970), about a slave boy in Rome who longs for freedom and falls in love with a rich merchant's daughter; based on the Bible story about the slave-owner Philemon, a follower of the Apostle Paul. Recommended for ages 12 and up.

Chelsea Quinn Yarbro,Locadio's Apprentice(1984), about a boy apprenticed to a physician in Pompeii in the days before the eruption of Vesuvius.

Chelsea Quinn Yarbro,Four Horses for Tishtry(1985), about a slave girl in ancient Rome who is trying to earn enough money as a stunt rider to buy her whole family out of slavery.

Ancient Rome: Mysteries

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Caroline Lawrence,The Thieves of Ostia(2001), about a Roman sea captain's daughter and her friends in the port of Ostia who decide to find out who killed the dog belonging to her neighbors, who are secret Christians; #1 in the Roman Mysteries series. Recommended for ages 9-14.

Caroline Lawrence,The Secrets of Vesuvius(2001), about four friends in ancient Rome who go to spend the summer near Pompeii just as Mount Vesuvius is about to erupt; #2 in the Roman Mysteries series. Recommended for ages 9-14.

Caroline Lawrence,The Pirates of Pompeii(2002), about four friends who discover that in the chaos after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius numerous children have gone missing, and set out to find them; #3 in the Roman Mysteries series. Recommended for ages 9-14.

Caroline Lawrence,The Assassins of Rome(2002), about four friends from the Roman port of Ostia who discover one of them has gone on a secret mission and decide to follow him to Rome, where they discover an assassin is at work; #4 in the Roman Mysteries series. Recommended for ages 9-14.

Caroline Lawrence,The Dolphins of Laurentum(2003), about four friends who discover a wrecked ship and a sunken treasure; #5 in the Roman Mysteries series.Recommended for ages 9-14.

Caroline Lawrence,The Twelve Tasks of FlaviaGemina(2003), about a girl who sets out during the holiday season of Saturnalia to find out whether a Roman widow's interest in his father is for his own sake or for his money; #6 in the Roman Mysteries series. Recommended for ages 9-14.

Caroline Lawrence,The Enemies of Jupiter(2003), about four friends who try to discover the cause of an epidemic after the father of one of them is summoned to Rome to help treat the sick; #7 in the Roman Mysteries series. Recommended for ages 9-14.

Caroline Lawrence,The Gladiators from Capua(2004), about three friends who arrange to be invited to Rome to see the gladiatorial games in the new amphitheatre so that they can search another of their friends, who is believed to be dead; #8 in the Roman Mysteries series. Recommended for ages 9-14.

Caroline Lawrence,The Colossus of Rhodes(2005), about four friends who sail to Rhodes in search of the mother of one of them, and discover a criminal is using the island as his base of operations; #9 in the Roman Mysteries series. Recommended for ages 9-14.

Caroline Lawrence,The Fugitive from Corinth(2005), about a girl whose three friends help her track down her tutor, who has fled after committing a violent crime; #10 in the Roman Mysteries series. Recommended for ages 9-14.

Caroline Lawrence,The Sirens of Surrentum(2006), about a girl and her three friends who, while spending the summer at an expensive villa, are asked to find out if one of the houseguests is a poisoner; #11 in the Roman Mysteries series. Recommended for ages 9-14.

Caroline Lawrence,The Charioteer of Delphi(2006), about four friends who meet a young charioteer in Rome and help him investigate who stole a famous race horse during the chariot races of the Festival of Jupiter; #12 in the Roman Mysteries series. Recommended for ages 9-14.

Caroline Lawrence,The Slave-Girl from Jerusalem(2007), about four friends who go to the aid of a freed slave-girl accused of murder after she has difficulty proving she has been freed in a court case brought by the man who inherited the estate where she was a slave; #13 in the Roman Mysteries series. Recommended for ages 9-14.

Caroline Lawrence,The Beggar of Volubilis(2008), about four friends on a mission from Emperor Titus to find and steal a gemstone that, according to prophecy, will assure that its owner becomes ruler of the Roman Empire; #14 in the Roman Mysteries series. Recommended for ages 9-14.

Caroline Lawrence,The Scribes from Alexandria(2008), about four friends separated when the ship they are traveling on is wrecked in a storm near the Egyptian city of Alexandria; #15 in the Roman Mysteries series. Recommended for ages 9-14.

Caroline Lawrence,The Prophet from Ephesus(2009), about four friends who set out to investigate a continuing rash of kidnappings and find the trail leads to distant Halicarnassus; #16 in the Roman Mysteries series. Recommended for ages 9-14.

Caroline Lawrence,The Man from Pomegranate Street(2009), about four friends who investigate the death of Emperor Titus; #17 and last in the Roman Mysteries series. Recommended for ages 9-14.Review atRebecca's Book Blog

Mary Ray,The Ides of April(1974), about a Greek slave whose efforts to find out who murdered his master, a Roman senator, bring him into contact with the new Christian sect. Recommended for teens.

Mary Ray,Beyond the Desert Gate(1977), about the youngest son of a merchant from Palestine who is killed while on caravan during the time of the Jewish War, after bringing home a man who has lost his memory; sequel toThe Ides of April. Recommended for teens.

Henry Winterfield,Detectives in Togas(1956), about schoolboys in ancient Rome who must find the real culprit after one of them is accused of breaking into their schoolroom and tying up their teacher. Recommended for ages 8 and up.

Henry Winterfield,Mystery of the Roman Ransom(1971), about schoolboys in ancient Rome who uncover a plot to assassinate the father of one of the boys. Recommended for ages 8 and up.

Ancient Britain and Ireland

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Pauline Chandler,The Mark of Edain(2008), about a British girl and her brother enslaved by Romans who are brought along as hostages when Emperor Claudius takes his war elephant to Britain as part of his mission of conquest.

Rosemary Sutcliff,The Hound of Ulster(1963), a retelling of the legend of the ancient Irish hero Cuchullain.

Rosemary Sutcliff,The High Deeds of Finn MacCool(1967), a retelling of the legend of Finn MacCool, the leader of a band of renowned warriors.

Rosemary Sutcliff,The Changeling(1974), about a boy of the Dark People who, as a baby, is left in place of the stolen baby of a chieftain of the Epidii Tribe.Review

Roman Britain

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