Early Times: The Story of the Middle Ages

This author does a very good job of providing a good basic introduction to historical eras and this is a fine entry in the series. I think the edition on the Renaissance is most likely the best but this one is also very thorough and serves as a good jumping off point for your student. I use this in 6th grade for an accelerated reader, but this would work for 6th to 8th grade students. I supplement this with a History of art text, as there are not a great deal of illustrations.