How to Survive in the Age of Knights: A Handy Guide to Defending Your Castle, Dodging the Black Death, and Mastering the Mayhem of the Middle Ages!

You’ve been transported back in time to an age of formidable fortresses, epic sieges, and deadly diseases! How will you survive

Do you have what it takes to dodge flying arrows shot from longbows? Or 1,000-pound stones flung at you from trebuchets? OK, maybe you’re great at dodgeball, so no sweat. But how about smaller and unseen dangers, like the deadly bubonic plague? FYI, you better not get sick—left in the care of a medieval doctor, you might end up worse off after their suggested “cure”!

This guide gives you all the know-how you need to survive one of the so-called darkest periods in human history. From ruthless rulers who issue grueling punishments for breaking their (sometimes silly) laws, to totally gross living conditions (alas, indoor plumbing is still hundreds of years away!), to what to do if you find yourself in a jousting tournament (uh-oh), this book gives you all the tips and tricks you need to make it out alive!

For real? YES—everything you read is backed up by leading historians and experts.

So what are you waiting for? Dive in and see if you have what it takes to survive in the age of knights!

Complete your collection with:

How to Survive in the Age of Dinosaurs How to Survive in the Age of Pirates

Series Overview: National Geographic Kids' How to Survive is a new series of must-have handbooks for time-traveling adventurers. Each book drops the reader in the middle of a different time in history (or pre-history!), and gives them the tips, tricks, and knowledge they would need to survive each era's particular perils. Using research from leading historians, kids will learn all about the surprising, silly, and sometimes disgusting facts of life throughout the ages!

Publisher: National Geographic Kids
Published: 6/2/2026
Pages: 96
Binding Type: Trade Paperback
Size / Weight: 9.1 in H | 7.5 in W | 0.3 in T | 0.6 lb Wt
ISBN: 9781426376177


About the Author

JAIME JOYCE is a former editor at TIME for Kids. Her writing has appeared in the New Yorker, the New York Times, and Washingtonian, as well as BuzzFeed and NPR, among others. This is her first book with National Geographic. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Author Residence: Brooklyn, New York