Crossing to Paradise by Kevin Crossley-Holland

 

Gatty is a simple field hand in medieval England and a supportive character in Crossley-Holland's Arthur series.  In this "companion" book, Gatty is asked to accompany a group on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.  In the midst of the Crusades, this journey is full of danger, adventure, and a bit of romance.  Readers witness great changes in Gatty's life and get to experience what it was like during that amazing time with an unforgettable cast of characters.  Good story...great ending.

Burn My Heart by Beverley Naidoo

Mathew and Mugo have been lifelong friends, but it isn't an easy friendship. Mathew's grandfather had taken the Kenyan land from Mugo's family, so the two boys were very aware of their difference in status. In the 1950's Kenya was a colony of the British, but the settlers were growing more and more concerned about a secret society called the Mau Mau. Determined to take back the land from the white settlers, the Mau Mau campaigned to drive the invaders out. At the same time, the British brutally repressed all hopes of freedom for the native people--leaving the friendship of Mathew and Mugo tested and betrayed.