1285. Fictional diary of eleven-year old Tobias Burgess, sent to live as a page in his uncle's castle. A lively look at castle life from a kid's perspective – staying warm in the kitchen, eating too much rich food at a feast, sneaking out to the fields instead of doing lessons. Wonderful illustrations. (Chapter book, illustrations)

How Welsh castles were built – choosing the site, stone work, fortifications, and where to put all the bathrooms (garderobes). A great read before you explore ruined castles. (Picture book)

Essential guide to 13th century castles, with a two-page cutaway of Conwy Castle – castle defenses and sieges, knights and arms, home life, food and drink, fashions, and sports. (Picture book)

High-quality knight figure (comes with helmet, sword, shield, breast-plate) and a drawer full of goodies – sticker shield decorations (you can take them on and off), fun-facts booklet, map of castle sites, mini backgammon board (popular medieval game), plus a lovely stained glass window in the box. (Activity pack)

This is a terrific pop-up book of castles and knights, daily life (lots of detail), jousts and feasting, with a tall castle keep, similar to castles you'll see in Wales. "Behold the castle!" (Pop-up book)