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I& #39;ve been writing about medievalist YA--i.e., YA (& middle-grade) books set in versions of the Middle Ages or that engage with the Middle Ages in some way. Here& #39;s a list of interesting titles I& #39;ve come across. They can be playful since medievalism is about adaptation.
"Sometimes We Tell the Truth," a retelling of Chaucer& #39;s Canterbury Tales, by Kim Zarins. Delightful read. Very sharp take on adapting Chaucerian stories, and great role for one of my favorite (often maligned) characters: The Pardoner. She also has the best stickers for fans!
"The Real Boy," by Anne Ursu (middle-grade-ish). The protagonist is an autistic herbalist living in a medievalist city ruled by the guild system. It features cats, nature magic, friendship, a mystery, and an achingly real look at how difficult neurotypical society can be.
"Queens of Geek," by Jen Wilde. New Adult. I classify this as medievalist because it centres on a convention fantasy space, and the protagonist& #39;s medievalist fandom (Queen Firestone). Explores both sexuality and neurodivergence while adapting medieval queendom.
"Carry On" by Rainbow Rowell. As an adaptation of Harry Potter, it& #39;s actually more explicitly medievalist in how the school becomes a kind of medieval university (complete with catacombs, Latin lessons, towers, sword-fighting, and cloisters). Also includes neuroatypical protag.
"The Wee Free Men" + whole Tiffany Aching series. Discworld is maybe just tacitly medievalist, but also celebrates medievalism& #39;s flavor of varied adaptations. Delightful witch girl hero, fairy antagonist, fusion of witchcraft with medicine/ midwifery, and Pictish myths.
"Alanna: The First Adventure," by Tamora Pierce. Well-known middle-grade. Protagonist is AFAB & disguised as a boy to become a knight (though readers could just as easily connect with Alan as a trans boy). Protags are twins who are both GNC (brother wants to be a wizard).
"Magic& #39;s Pawn," by Mercedes Lackey. Not explicitly marketed as YA, but the protagonist is a queer teen living in a fairly hostile medievalist world. It& #39;s a deeply melancholy series (poor Vanyel), but it was one of the first times I ever read same-sex desire in YA-fantasy.
"Pawn of Prophecy," by David Eddings. Not explicitly YA--the narrator is a bit distant--but it focuses on Garion as a tween/teen in a medievalist world that& #39;s critical of both feudalism and other high fantasy texts. It has a "YA" feel even if the focalizing is ambiguous.
"Hexwood," by Diana Wynne Jones. Middle-grade retelling of Merlin& #39;s story, set in a mixture of modern Earth and far-flung space. Like all books by DWJ, so subtle and sharp that when it does come together, it& #39;s like a symphony ("Fire and Hemlock" also features Tam Lin)
Also "The Merlin Conspiracy," featuring Roddy as an enchantress who inherits her magical knowledge from a disabled Iron Age witch (through a system of flowers--it& #39;s brilliant). Features a roaming court that is always going on "progress," as well as a dyslexic character.
"Hild," by Nicola Griffith (swoon). A re-telling of the life of Hilda of Whitby, with a thoroughly-researched look at Early Medieval society. Nice change from books set in the High Middle Ages. Features queer characters and a hero who totally defies conventions.
"The Sword of Summer" + Magnus Chase series by Rick Riordan. Retelling of Norse myths for YA/middle-grade audience. Unsurprisingly dark, given the mythic source material, but with some funny bits as well. Love the idea of Valhalla as a hotel.
"In Other Lands," by Sarah Rees Brennan. Snarky queer protagonist, medievalist portal fantasy, satire of high fantasy tropes in DWJ style, lovely artwork. Elliot is a charming, prickly, devastating character who captured my heart & the book asks tough questions about the genre.
Not a book, but both "Disenchanted" and "She-Ra" are also medievalist coming-of-age stories: one deals with a princess in a crypto-Arthurian world, and the other deals with a techno-medievalist society whose hero is more or less Arthurian.
"Historia del Rey Transparente" (Story of the Transparent King), by Rosa Montero. Features Leola, a medieval teen who disguises herself to become a knight. This novel has everything: troubadours, eunuchs, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and realistic depictions of knighthood.
"Once and Future," by Amy Capetta and Cori McCarthy. Retelling of the Morte D& #39;Arthur in space (through the lens of T.H. White). Queer and nonbinary characters, Ari/Arthur is a woman of color, Kay has 2 moms, Guinevere has a SPACE CASTLE. Please read it immediately.
I still haven& #39;t read "The Guinevere Deception," by Kiersten White but it looks great and seems to riff on the Guinevere Twin story in the Vulgate.
