A knight is the rare hero who arrives with paperwork. There is a training program — page, then squire, then a long night in a chapel — a uniform any child can draw from memory, a code with actual clauses in it, and somebody to report to. That is most of the appeal. A dragon or a wizard is something you either are or you are not, but knighthood is a job, and a small, unpromising, entirely unqualified creature can apply for a job. Which is why so many of the best knight books are really about the application: the candidate who is too short, the girl who is not supposed to want it, the owl who happens to be awake at three in the morning. It is also why the dragon at the end so often gets talked to rather than run through.
Drawing from Bookroo’s collection of 166 knight books, our editors picked twelve that earn the armor — rhyming read-alouds, a Caldecott Medal and a Caldecott Honor, an easy reader about dragons who will not go to sleep, a graphic novel where the squire does the thinking, and quests long enough to keep a ten-year-old busy for a month. This page keeps the storybook side of the visor: tournaments, castle dragons, Round Table legend, and children who decide to be knighted with no authority to do so. For the real Middle Ages — castle building, daily life, and the history underneath the costume — follow the medieval times link below. Then browse by age, from picture books for the shouting-and-sword-fighting years to chapter books for readers ready to ride out alone.
A castle short on knights hires the smallest applicant it has ever seen, and puts him on the shift nobody else can stay awake for.
A knight who would rather stay home and read is sent out to deal with a dragon, and packs books alongside the sword.
A knight who has never fought a dragon and a dragon who has never fought a knight both go away to study up first.
A young knight rides out with a borrowed shield to face the dragon that has kept a kingdom shut inside its own walls.
A king raises his daughter alongside her brothers in the training yard, then announces a tournament with her hand as the prize.
A knight from North Africa rides into Camelot searching for the father who never came home, and has to unhorse half the Round Table before anyone will listen.
A knight keeps riding down to the cave to investigate a terrible roar, and it turns out three small dragons simply cannot get to sleep.
A girl whose grandmother read her an old book about a knight-errant decides to become one herself, cape and squire included.
An apprentice troubadour who would much rather be a knight finally gets the chance when a tyrant hauls their uncle off to the castle.
A squire uncovers dark secrets in a cursed village while his knight seeks glory elsewhere.
On the night before his knighting, a candidate breaks the vigil to answer a stranger at the chapel door — and ends up carrying a sealed letter across two kingdoms.
A girl defies tradition, disguises as a boy, and trains to become a knight.
Dragons who would rather be friends, tiny heroes in outsized helmets, jousting tournaments, and bedtime quests down the hallway. Ages 3–8.
A tiny knight must rescue a maiden from a dragonfly's clutches.
Max turns forgotten toys into a thrilling adventure with pirates and dragons.
A knight and dragon must defy a duel law to save their friendship.
A dragon and knight become friends through mistaken identity. What happens when the truth is revealed?
A character navigates a world divided by a wall, encountering an ogre on the other side.
Sibling rivalry turns into a shared adventure with unexpected twists.
A young knight wins a kingdom's contest by choosing truth over strength.
A clumsy dragon's quest for glory hinges on a mysterious girl's help.
A prince and knight unite to battle a dragon and find unexpected love.
Fly Guy and Buzz explore the mysteries of castles on a thrilling field trip adventure.
A little knight's bedtime turns into a thrilling adventure.
A brave knight must rescue a lady from a dragon.
Squire training, knight school, cursed villages, Round Table retellings, and comic quests for independent readers ages 6–12.
A young mouse must uncover a hidden threat to save Camelot from destruction.
Three children flee across medieval France, pursued by knights and prejudice, to save sacred texts and confront a mysterious destiny.
Two siblings travel back in time to Camelot to retrieve a magical water that will save the kingdom from a terrible curse
A boy must save his dragon friend from a village's deadly misunderstanding.
Uncover the legend of King Arthur, from sword in the stone to the Last Battle.
A young boy's destiny unfolds as he learns magic and chivalry to claim a legendary sword.
Two siblings travel through time to the Middle Ages and find themselves in the middle of a castle feast
A middle schooler must prove their worth to become the Dog Knight and protect a magical pact.
A frog's quest to become a knight leads to a magical adventure.
Aidan faces a deadly quest into the Feechiefen Swamp, where no one returns alive.
A kingdom betrayed, a destiny tested, an epic battle looms.
A nonbinary knight battles prejudice and ancient threats to save their kingdom.
