This is a list of all the novels we publish. They are available from our Hillside Education page at Bookshop.org (or from other online retailers). We focus on reprints of historical fiction, but also have some contemporary titles (in red).
NEW! Marathon Looks on the Sea by Olivia Coolidge
T
his incredibly accurate historical look at the Battle of Marathon follows the life story of Metiochos, son of Greek General Miltiades. Miltiades is made “tyrant” of the Chersonese and marries a Thracian Princess. Metiochos, son of Miltiades’s first wife, escapes his life in Athens to join his father and thus sets his fate in motion. He is eventually captured by the Persians during a naval battle and adopted into the Persian kingdom, a favorite of King Darius. He marries a Persian woman and rules peacefully over a part of the Persian empire. Until fate calls him into the conflict that will lead to the Battle at Marathon, his old home. In the end, which side will he choose? This story portrays all the political movements and people of the time period, adding depth and understanding to the ultimate famous Battle. Recommended for high school.
The Queen’s Blessing by Madeleine Polland
After the Norman invasion, King Malcolm of Scotland sweeps through Northumbria leaving death, destruction . . . and orphans in his wake. He also finds a queen, Margaret, sister of theling, who seeks to tame his vengeance and make reparation for the damage his sword has wielded. Two Saxon orphans, Merca and Dag, are adopted by her court, and while Dag accepts his new life and the safety it brings them, Merca is bent on revenge on the cruel King who ripped her old life from her. Merca stands in the shadow of the blessing cup that Margaret raises to the civilizing of the Scottish court. Will she learn forgiveness from her saintly Queen Margaret?
Click here to purchase The Queen’s Blessing at the Hillside Bookshop
To Kill a King by Madeleine Polland
Sequel to The Queen’s Blessing: After Merca prevents the murder of King Malcolm, happiness still eludes her. She continues to suffer from the trauma of her early life, having witnessed the murder of her parents by the King’s avenging armies. She finds solace in the Church, however, and has determined to become a nun in a local convent. That decision doesn’t make her happy, but it makes her feel safe. Queen Margaret sees other things for Merca, though, and sends her to London with the King and a small retinue. She discovers a Saxon rebellion against the new Norman king underway and becomes wrapped up in it. She knows how it feels to want to kill a king . . . how will she advise her new-found Saxon friends and save the boy she has come to love?
Click here to purchase To Kill a King at the Hillside Bookshop.
Escape to King Alfred by Geoffrey Trease
Word to Caesar by Geoffrey Trease was the first novel we published and we learned a lot about the publishing business trying to get it in print. And ever since then, I have wanted to do another book by this groundbreaking author. Enter Escape to King Alfred: It’s 878 AD, and King Alfred of West Saxony is the last Saxon hold-out against the Vikings. There is an uneasy peace, but Guthrum the Dane breaks the treaty and plans a surprise attack on Alfred’s army. Two young Saxons, hostages of the Danes, escape to make the journey to warn King Alfred of the treachery. Wolf packs snap at their heels and the people of the countryside turn a deaf ear to their pleas, but they arrive in time. Alfred retreats to the marshy Athelney and from there plans his final battle with Guthrum. This is a memorable and exciting interpretation of a period when King Alfred was laying the foundation for a unified England, in which he would foster freedom, humanity, love of learning–indeed, civilization itself. Originally released in England as ‘Mist Over Athelney.’
Click here to purchase Escape to King Alfred at the Hillside Bookshop.
Young Chesterton Chronicles trilogy (Book 3 due out in 2022):
The Tripods Attack by John McNichol
Sixteen-year-old Gilbert Chesterton is orphaned and friendless, stuck working a menial job in grimy turn-of-the-century London. Then one night strange lights fill the sky and a hail of giant meteors crashes into a field outside the city. The next day Gilbert is amazed to find himself hired by a newspaper and rushed out to investigate the scene. Is it a harmless natural phenomenon, or the first wave of an alien invasion?
Gilbert soon learns he’s not the only one asking that question, and he’s joined by three strangers with their own interest in the fantastic events.
Herb Wells, a journalist for rival paper; the Doctor, an enigmatic bearded man, is suave, cultured, and friendly–maybe too friendly; and Father Brown, a short, mild, middle-aged priest with an extraordinary talent for solving mysteries.
As Gilbert is drawn deeper in the threat of the mysterious tripods, he unveils a sinister conspiracy that may hold the key not only to the fate of mankind, but to his parents’ violent and tragic death. And so, with only his friends, his wits, and a tattered holy card to help him, Gilbert must race to save the world–all the while struggling to reconcile his troubling past with his budding faith in God.
Click here to purchase The Tripods Attack at the Hillside Bookshop
The Emperor of North America by John McNichol
We have been working on this book for so long that it almost seems surreal to actually have it in print. It is the sequel to Tripods Attack! (See description below) and the second in the Young Chesterton Chronicles. The author has place a teen Chesterton in an alternate world powered by steam. It is adventure packed!!
Click here to purchase Emperor of North America at the Hillside
Queen Without Country by Madeleine Polland
Our pursuit of all things Polland continues with this adventurous tale of Irish Pirate Grainne O’Malley. She resisted the English takeover in the 16th century by causing havoc to British ships and trade. Young Patch join her “court” and accompanies her as she tries to find the balance between loyalty to Ireland and keeping her people safe.
Click here to order this book at our Hillside Bookshop
Black Fox of Lorne by Marguerite de Angeli
Yes, it’s true . . . we are reprinting this favorite from a favorite author! Set in the 11th century, twin boys leave Norway with their father and his entire household to build a new life in Britain. However, their ships crash on the shore of Scotland and they meet death and danger in the lands of the Black Fox. The boys use their wits and their natural talents to persevere and eventually accept the land and religion of the Scots. Okay, the story is way better than that retelling, but I can’t give it all away – right? A Newbery Honor Book winner in 1957, we humbly re-present it to today’s young readers!
Click here to order Black Fox at the Hillside Bookshop
Children of the Red King by Madeleine Polland
This was Mrs. P
olland’s first novel for children, and it is excellent! In her usual beautiful storytelling style, she tells the story of the last Irish chieftain to hold out against King John and the English conquest of Ireland. While his children are held captive by a Norman knight, Cormac of Connacht battles to keep the land free and retain his kingship against conspirators. Exciting historical fiction set in early 13th century Ireland.
Click here to order Children of the Red King at the Hillside Bookshop
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Chuiraquimba and the Black Robes by Madeleine Polland
Chuiraquimba has lived all her life in the forests, the daughter of a powerful chief. When her father abandons her dying brother, she runs to the “Black Robes” for help. She and her brother are welcomed into the Jesuit reductions and come to believe in the Christian religion. Slave traders however hunt the Guarani, poaching them from the reductions despite the priests efforts to convert the slavers and reform the practice of slavery. Eventually the priests gather the remaining Guarani and move south over the falls along the Parana River to a better location. Along the way, Chuiraquimba’s faith is tested, but she never falters and ultimately finds hope waiting at the end of her journey. Based on the true events of 1600s Paraguay. A former “Clarion” book originally published in 1961.
Click here to order Chuiraquimba at the Hillside Bookshop
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City of the Golden House by Madeleine Polland
Perfect for unit studies of the early years of the Church!
The events surrounding the burning of Rome and the subsequent Christian persecution provide the backdrop for this story of faith and friendship. A young slave from Britain finds himself in Rome at a tumultuous time. Through his acquaintance with Christians he comes to understand and love the new religion. Out of his zeal for the love of the Christ, he performs a great spiritual work of mercy that sadly goes awry. In the end, God’s providence and mercy shine through. (We don’t want to give away too many more details of the story and ruin it for you!) It’s a beautiful story.
Click here to order City of the Golden House at the Hillside Bookshop
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Cross Among the Tomahawks by Milton Lomask
Two Huron boys learn about living the Faith from martyr John de Brebeuf. Taken from their home and sent to seminary school in Canada, the boys learn the faith as well as how to overcome their faults and trust in God. When they return to their tribe, they assist Father de Brebeuf, but eventually they are unable to hold off the marauding Iroquois. Based on the life and martyrdom of St. John de Brebeuf. Reprinted from the Catholic Clarion series.
Copyright note: Mr. Lomask renewed the copyright for this title, but we have been unable to find his family/estate. We have reprinted it considering it an orphan work. We request that if you have any information about the estate of Mr. Lomask, please contact us: sales@www.hillsideeducation.com.
Click here to order Cross Among the Tomahawks at the Hillside Bookshop
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Fabiola by Cardinal Wiseman
Cardinal Wiseman’s classic story of the Christian persecution under Emperor Diocletian in the 300s AD. Fabiola is perplexed by the new-found faith of her cousin Agnes as well as her servant, but is especially intrigued when she finds the noblest Roman soldier she knows, Sebastian, is also a Christian. In this moving description of the Roman catacombs and the captured Christians who faced cruel death with unearthly fortitude, a story of faith and renewal unfolds in the decaying Roman empire. This is the version recommended by MODG.
Click here to order Fabiola at the Hillside Bookshop
Fingal’s Quest
by Madeleine Polland
At last! It has been our dream to publish this book for a long time, and we are so excited to have it in print again. Fingal is a fatherless boy who goes to a monastery in Ireland to become a priest in the mid 500s AD. He attaches himself to one of the Brother priests, taking him as a father figure. When this Brother (St. Columban) is finally permitted to go to Gaul to reclaim it for Christianity after the barbarian overrun, Fingal wants to go,too. But he must stay and finish his studies. He secretly follows Columban and travels all through Gaul, following his trail and experiencing many adventures along the way. In the end, what was his true quest? One of the best by Madeleine Polland!
Click here to order Fingal’s Quest at the Hillside Bookshop
Father Brown Reader: Stories from Chesterton adapted by Nancy C. Brown
Adaptations of four of Chesterton’s Father Brown mysteries for young readers: “The Blue Cross,” “The Strange Feet,” “The Flying Stars,” and “The Absence of Mr. Glass.”
Available from
Click here to order Father Brown Reader from the Hillside Bookshop
Father Brown Reader II: More Stories from Chesterton adapted by Nancy C. Brown
Sequel to the popular Father Brown Reader: Stories from Chesterton. Includes adaptations for young readers of four of Chesterton’s Father Brown murder mysteries: The Inivisible Man, The Mirror of the Magistrate, The Eye of Apollo, and The Perishing Pendragons. In these stories, the notorious criminal Flambeau has reformed and is now a great detective. He is often aided by his friend and confidant Father Brown.
Click here to order Father Brown Reader II at the Hillside Bookshop
The Gauntlet
by Ronald Welch
A young boy visits the ruins of a castle in Wales which his ancestors once inhabited. He is magically transported back in time to the 1300s by means of the gauntlet he finds on the ground. He is the supposed son of the lord of the castle and learns all about Medieval life . . . first hand. When he returns to his own time, he wonders how he can possibly make people believe everything truly happened.
For 5th grade and up. Click here to order The Gauntlet at the Hillside Bookshop
God and the General’s Daughter by Anne Heagney
This is based on the true story of Ethan Allen’s daughter, Fanny! I don’t want to give away too much in this blurb because reading the story is so delightful. You can sort of figure out from the title, though, that God works in wonderful ways in Fanny’s life, and through her grows the Church in New England.
Francis Margaret Allen, daughter of legendary Revolutionary War hero Ethan Allen, leads a charmed life. She is beautiful, intelligent, compassionate, and loves the vitality of freedom in pristine Vermont. Devoted to the “rock-bound hills” of the Green Mountains and finding God in every blade of grass, she doesn’t see the need for organized religion and its needless rituals. But God has other plans for Fanny Allen. She has but to open her mind to the longings of her heart!
Click here to order God and the General’s Daughter at the Hillside Bookshop
Lion in the Gateway by Mary Renault
Subtitled, The Heroic Battles of the Greeks and Persians at Marathon, Salamis, and Thermopylae, this is a great retelling of those epic ancient battles which shaped the course of Western Civilization. All the great characters are there: Darius and Xerxes, the Persian Kings; the Greeks Themistocles, Alcibiades, and the Spartan for whom the book is named, Leonides, and many others. The book begins with the historical roots of the people of Ancient Greece and how they came to love their freedom more than anything else. Recommended for ages 9 – 12.
Click here to order Lion in the Gateway at the Hillside Bookshop
The Paradise Project
by Suzie Andres
Fun, light Catholic romantic comedy!!
Have you ever kept a New Year’s Resolution? Elizabeth Benning hasn’t, but she’s determined that this will be her year. Like Elizabeth Bennet before her, Liz Benning doesn’t work, lives at home, and takes pride in her resourcefulness, but when she resolves on a yearlong project to be happier, it looks like her ambition has outrun her abilities . . . Enter a love interest more conniving than Wickham, a blonde cold enough to freeze out Caroline Bingley, and Elizabeth’s paradise project is heading for disaster. She’s never been so unhappy, but if she can discover which hero is straight out of her beloved Jane Austen, she might yet take the prize for happiest ever after.
For high school and adult readers
E-book for Kindle
Click here to order Paradise Project at the Hillside Bookshop
Priest on Horseback by Eva K. Betz
This true story of a priest in the American colonial period will inspire young readers to learn more about our religious and patriotic roots. While stationed in Pennsylvania, Father Farmer is assigned to meet the needs of the Catholics in the colony of New Jersey, but there is one problem–Catholic priests are appreciated at all in the New Jersey colony. He goes in plain clothes about the countryside for twenty-one years, never failing to reveal himself as a priest whenever needed. And there is a lot of need, as Father Farmer encounters one adventure after another in his travels. The backdrop of the story is the tumultuous period in which the colonists decide whether or not to rebel against England. Father Farmer’s life is a testament to the living of the faith in word and deed, and that the Christian religion is one of love and service to others.
Yet for all his outward mildness, within him a white hot flame burned, a consuming love of God which made him willing to run all risks, a flame which enkindled those whom he instructed. Eva Betz
Click here to order Priest on Horseback at the Hillside Bookshop
Prince of the Double Axe
by Madeleine Polland
On a hillside in ancient Crete, a young boy tends his father’s goats. A girl abou
t his age, dressed in finery, appears on his hill and then the adventure begins. The girl, the Princess of Knossos, and the goatherd are captured by Egyptian slave traders. To hide her identity as the Princess, the boy puts on her ring–the symbol of the double axe. Mistaken then as the Prince of Knossos, he is treated royally while she becomes a slave. He eventually finds a way for them to esacpe. How will they ever make it back to Crete? For 3rd or 4th grade readers (or a good 2nd grade reader).
Click here to order Prince of the Double Axe at the Hillside Bookshop
Ship’s Boy with Magellan by Milton Lomask
Young Pedro escapes his uncle who is planning to kill him in order to gain the family title and fortune. His escape route takes him around the world . . . literally, as the cabin boy on Magellan’s flagship the Trinidad. Lomask tells a tale of great adventure as Pedro experiences the joys and perils of the fleet Armada de Maluca These include mutinies and battles with native people as well as with the sea herself. Pedro is one of the few who survive the voyage, and he returns to Spain to claim his birthright. Recommended for grades 4-7. Used in the 4th Grade Mother Of Divine Grace Syllabus
Copyright note: Mr. Lomask renewed the copyright for this title, but we have been unable to find his family/estate. We have reprinted it considering it an orphan work. We request that if you have any information about the estate of Mr. Lomask, please contact us: sales@www.hillsideeducation.com.
Click here to order Ship’s Boy with Magellan at the Hillside Bookshop
Sword of Clontarf by Charles Brady
Niall must leave his native Iceland after the murder of his father and make his way to his Irish grandfather, the Chieftain Mael Seachlinn. Before he can be presented to his grandfather and the High King Brian Boru, he stays in a monastery and studies at a bardic school. As the battle for Ireland approaches and the chieftains of Ireland unite, Niall is swept along and both weeps for the loss his North must endure and rejoices in the glory of Ireland. In the end he learns “what is the greatest bard fee” . . . the glory of heaven. Filled with poetry and valor, this is a great adventure in the Catholic tradition!!
We are thrilled to offer this reprint (originally published in 1960) of such a masterfully told story.
Click here to order Sword of Clontarf at the Hillside Bookshop
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The King’s Gambit by John McNichol
Illustrated by Sean Fitzpatrick
An action sci-fi adventure for tweens — with a chess theme!!
Edward’s life isn’t the best it has ever been. His Dad’s been missing for two years; his mom’s job keeps her busy and tired all the time; and the bully situation at school is getting rougher. Next to his apartment, the only place he feels safe is reading at the local library.
Suddenly, the library isn’t safe either! A black knight on a horse charges at Edward right out of the Children’s Fiction section, and soon he’s on the run with an FBI agent for company.
Dodging dangers and looking for help in some surprising places, Edward travels to fantastic world, fights incredibly powerful enemies, and learns how all his adventures tie in to his father’s fate.
But will he live long enough to save his parents and himself?
192 pages Softcover
Click here to order King’s Gambit at the Hillside Bookshop
The King’s Thane by Charles Brady
This action-packed story retells the Beowulf tale, but sets it in England at the time of St. Paulinus, first Archbishop of York. Young Beorn a lame youth of fifteen, had little hope of becoming a thane or knight in King Edwin’s English court. However, when the Norse hunter Bjarki-a traveler from Geatland, descendant of the first Beowulf-takes Beorn on as an apprentice thane, Beorn becomes involved in adventures he never dreamed of: slaying of the Grendel, uncovering and foiling a conspiracy against the King, and finally the conversion of Northumbria to Christianity.
Click here to order The King’s Thane at the Hillside Bookshop
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The Lances of Lynwood By Charlotte Yonge with illustrations by Marguerite DeAngeli
A young knight must prove his loyalty in this chivalrous story set in the time of Edward, the Black Prince, just at the beginning of the War of the Roses. Edward occupies the French region of Bordeaux and calls upon his liege lords to maintain his kingdom as his health fails. Young Sir Eustace Lynwood, newly knighted upon the battlefield, must preserve his nephew’s rights to his lands back in England while defending himself from treachery at court. Evil knights seek to steal the nephew’s land and disgrace Sir Eustace by feeding false rumors about him to the Prince. They plot to kill Sir Eustace; but they don’t account for his perseverance and the loyalty which he inspires in his men-at-arms. Sir Eustace maintains a humble chivalry throughout adversity and proves a model of virtuous knighthood. While some programs have students in 7th or 8th grade read this novel, I think it would be enjoyed by highschoolers as well.
Click here to order Lances of Lynwood at the Hillside Bookshop
The Thrall of Leif the Lucky
by Ottilie A Liljencrantz
English born Alwin is captured by Viking slave traders and becomes a thrall of Leif the Lucky. He proves his worth in many ways and becomes a trusted servant of Leif, even sharing in Leif’s dream of finding the mysterious land in the West. Leif had promised King Olaf that he would convert Eric the Red, but that path is filled with danger as the Christian religion is outlawed by Eric. Just as he is making strides with his mother and Eric the Red, the thrall Alwin crosses Leif in a way that cannot be forgiven and is struck down and thought dead. Alwin’s romance with Leif’s foster daughter takes shape in that moment, and no one’s life will be the same. Told in the style of a Nordic saga and filled with Nordic traditions and stories, as the Vikings, perched on the tipping point of a new way of life, slowly convert to Christianity. Recommended for high school readers.
Click here to order The Thrall of Lief the Lucky at the Hillside Bookshop
The Two Trumpeters of Vienna
by Hertha Pauli
Two Trumpeters of Vienna: It’s 1683. Wars and rumors of wars. Two teenage boys live at an Abbey outside Vienna and work as trumpeters for the choir. Trumpets are used as signals for all sorts of things in that time–in the military and in the Church. When the Ottoman Turks make their way to the doorstep of Vienna, all is chaos and the two boys are separated. One goes with their prefect to make sure the younger boys are safe in the hills, and the other goes into the city and ends up staying there throughout the siege. At last (literally) the cavalry arrives, the Turks and their allies are defeated and Vienna is freed. And never again do the Turks advance on Christendom/Europe. Both boys in the story play critical roles in some part of the action–inserted in a believable way into the bigger story of the war. The Clarion books, for this is one, were so good at doing that. This is a reprint from a book published in 1961. We now have 8 books published from that series (including Fingal’s Quest above).
Click here to order Two Trumpeters at the Hillside Bookshop
Word to Caesar by Geoffrey Trease
Set in Imperial Rome at the time of Emperor Hadrian, a teenaged boy travels across the Empire from his home in Britain to seek an audience with the Emperor. Along the way he meets up with the villains who are trying to stop him, a famous charioteer who helps him, apathetic solicitors who won’t help him, and finally the Emperor. At every step of his adventure, he remains loyal, demonstrates courage and prudence, and does not give up even when it seems impossible.
Click here to order Word to Caesar at the Hillside Bookshop