Author & Illustrators
Bringing the Fire of London topic – often studied in KS1 – to life for an older audience, The Great Phoenix of London is an exciting new historical fiction book suitable for 9-11 year olds. I really love the way that the author takes a historical event and turns it into such an entertaining story, all the while keeping the historical facts intact. I liked the added extracts from Samuel Pepys’ diary that were added to the beginning of each chapter, recalling the Great Fire of London and the atmosphere of the time.
The young characters in this story were fantastic. The way they took care of each other and the phoenix was endearing. The emotions of the event were accurately displayed through the characters and their actions as they tried to get to safety from the fire. The phoenix becomes a symbol for the rebuilding of London after the fire, as it also rises from the ashes.
A really enjoyable read, perfect for the classroom.
Exciting and original historical fiction charting the discoveries of a cabin boy aboard Charles Darwin’s Beagle in 1831. Syms Covington finds himself stranded on an island in the middle of the Galapagos, separated from the crew of the Beagle with whom he had been travelling as a cabin boy before a storm hit. To make things worse, there is a huge beast threatening his survival on the island. Not just any huge beast – but a dragon. A fire-breathing, very real dragon. Syms will need to use everything he can think of to survive, as well as a little help from an unlikely friend.
As well as curriculum links to evolution and the work of Darwin, the story also explores the ethics of dealing with creatures both familiar and unknown as humans go about exploring animal habitats.
review
Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:
Year group(s) the book is most suitable for:
Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?
Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?
Would you recommend the book for use in primary schools?
yes
Curriculum links (if relevant)
Curriculum links (if relevant)
Any other comments
Any other comments