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David Antram Books

You’re a farmer’s son living in England in the early 7th century. Your people are descendants of invaders from Northern Europe: the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes, who arrived about 200 years earlier, seized land from the native Britons and made themselves at home here. You will experience first-hand the culture and history of the Anglo-Saxon peoples, including how they survived, ate and dressed, the stories they told, and how they responded to the coming of Christianity. Life is tough, and you’ll soon discover that you really wouldn’t want to be an Anglo-Saxon peasant!

The ever-popular ‘You Wouldn’t Want to Be’ series transports readers to some of the grisliest times and places in history, perfect for reluctant readers! The humorous, first-person narrative approach places children directly in the shoes of some of history’s most unfortunate people ever to have lived, great for engaging students with the history curriculum and encouraging further non-fiction reading.

Cruel school and wicked punishments await in this hilarious look at Victorian school days!

Growing up in Britain in the 1880s wasn’t easy. The going was tough and the punishments were even tougher. Follow the experiences of Victorian schoolchildren and discover their top tips on how to survive at school. This perfect curriculum companion uses humorous cartoon-style illustrations to bring Victorian characters to life, while informative captions, timelines and maps explain processes or chronological events. Suddenly modern-day school doesn’t seem quite so bad, as readers learn that they really wouldn’t want to be a Victorian schoolchild!

The ever-popular You Wouldn’t Want to Be series transports readers to the grisliest times and places in history, perfect for reluctant readers. The first-person narrative approach puts children in the shoes of some of the most unfortunate people ever to have lived.

A fantastic book about the fire of London in a unique and engaging format.

From the introduction, the reader is placed in the role of Samuel Pepys and guided through the London streets as he knew them – with all the hustle, bustle, smells, smoke and gory details! Within the opening pages, the fire of London is firmly placed within the historical and political context of the time – the aftermath of the Civil War, the recent plague outbreak and superstitions rife and then takes you through the events of the fire and its speedy spread across London.

Each double page narrates a part of the story of the fire, including what you (as Pepys) are doing at this time. It them poses an interesting question and answers it in several ways – for example, the question ‘How can the fire be stopped?’ leads to a discussion around the fire brigade, fire breaks, water pumps and asking the mayor for help. Each page also has a ‘Handy Hint’ box containing fun facts or advice for Pepys!

This book is a perfect accompaniment to the popular KS1 history topic but could also be used as a valuable resource in Lower KS2 for a group or whole class reading text or as a reading-for-pleasure choice to consolidate knowledge.

This text is an accessible, heavily illustrated and humorous take on life in the Middle Ages and I love the whole Danger Zone series. It will appeal to fans of Horrible Histories and to young readers who will learn without realising that they are learning. An excellent introduction to the topic, enabling children to imagine themselves in a medieval castle.

This humorous non-fiction book is part of the very popular ‘You Wouldn’t Want to Be’ series. The entertaining text gives an insight into what life would have been like as a coal miner in Victorian times. Learn about pit ponies, mining methods, canaries and some top survival tips for coping with the harsh conditions and dangers of work underground.

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Stone Girl Bone Girl

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