Book Stack: Best Books about the Middle Ages in Asia

After filling our hearts with stories of knighthood and chivalry in Europe, we investigated the Middle Ages in Asia. And I’m not only talking about the perspective of Marco Polo!

Book Covers, Books set in the middle ages in Asia

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Okay, not ALL of these books are set in the Middle Ages in Asia. Some are just other books we were using to study the countries of southwest Asia while we wrapped up the last of our country studies (our 4-year project!) Don’t worry, I’ll specify below.

Korea: the Middle Ages in Asia

These books are featured in my country study, “Discover Korea: A Book A Day,” so check it out for more interesting books to learn about Korean culture.

Mongolia

I Rode A Horse of Milk White Jade
Windy Night with Wild Horses: Magic Tree House (*contemporary)
Addison Cooke and the Tomb of the Khan (*contemporary)

We also read picture book biographies about Genghis and Kublai Khan, who both lived during the middle ages in Asia. Learn more about the beautiful country of Mongolia with “Discover Mongolia: A Book A Day.”

China: the Middle Ages in Asia

Chinese Menu
- Grace Lin provides a wonderful timeline at the beginning of this compilation of food legends. We read the stories about foods that came about during the middle ages in Asia. A few took place during the Yuan Dynasty, during which period Mongolian Kublai Khan was the emperor of China.
Marco Polo
When the Mountain Meets the Moon (*the legends could be considered Ancient China…)

The book that is open to “Genghis Khan and the Mongols” is called Warriors. It features many types of warriors around the world, a few in the Ancient period, but most during the Middle Ages: Gladiators, Samurai, and Aztec warriors, to name a few.

The book in the foreground is Marco Polo: HIstory’s Great Adventurer, which I found so helpful for side information, pictures, and maps as we read through the other Marco Polo chapter book. This oversized book is the type of book with flaps to lift and where copies of documnets can be pulled out of envelopes for closer investigation

Japan

These two books are both from Magic Tree House, which my younger kids find so much fun! The medieval period of Japan is heavily featured in the first half of my country study, “Discover Japan: A Book A Day.” However, we focused on learning about medieval Japan through picture books and did not dive into any of the chapter books recommended in the study.

The Silk Road

Samir, the Seller of Dreams
Marco Polo books (see above)

Türkiye (*not medieval!)

The True Saint Nicholas (*ancient period)
Once Upon a Camel (*1900s)
- This story bounces between Türkiye and Texas

Middle East

Season of the Sandstorms, Magic Tree Hosue (Iran)
The Button Box: this is mainly set in Morocco, but the medieval history is about the Abbasid prince fleeing from the Middle East and later establishing a kingdom in Spain. I learned a lot from this one, especially in the Author’s Notes at the end.
The Turtle of Oman (*contemporary)
The Trees Kneel at Christmas (*contemporary, Lebanese-American)
The Arabian Nights

Retellings from The Arabian Nights

I bought two books from an author, Joan Friday, after hearing her give a talk on writing and self-publishing. The books sat on my nightstand, in my “to be read pile,” and I recently read “My Sister, My Soul.” It is a retelling of “The Arabian Nights” but it is the story behind the scenes, detailing the lives of Scheherazade and her sister, Dunyazad.

Ms. Friday had clearly done much research into the medieval harems of the Persian and Ottoman Empires and it was a very compelling read. I found myself flipping ahead “to find out what will happen” when I already knew what was going to happen because I’ve read “The Arabian Nights.” But I didn’t know what was going to happen next in the author’s imagination! What a page-turner!

In addition, this book “mimics a symphonic suite with a prelude, four movement, an intermezzo and a coda to remind readers of Rimsky-Korsakov’s beautiful orchestral piece, Scheherazade.” Oh, the detail to attention is exquisite.

“My Sister, My Soul,” is recommended for ages 13+, as the harem is a main setting of the story.

I can’t wait to read Joan Friday’s other book, “The Plans of Morgiana,” which is a retelling of the story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.