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Format: Chapter book

Chapter book

Mesopotamia, 2500 years ago

Everyone in the tribe must work; all the men go hunting for bulls and mountain lions – apart from Sin-leqi, that is. Sin-leqi stays home and reads tablets in the great temples. The tablets tell tales of the legendary Gilgamesh, tales that are so fantastical that lazy Sin-leqi doesn’t have to work, as long as he keeps telling them. But when the story comes to end, Sin-leqi is in trouble…

A brand new and exciting tale, based on real historical and archaeological evidence, this story is full of Terry Deary’s imaginative style and dry wit.

Chapter book

In this heart-stopping adventure based on real historical events, Kereen Getten takes readers on a journey of sisterhood, struggle and survival from Jamaica to Britain. ‘She was rarely afraid, and even if she was … she still stood her ground, because Ruth never faltered in what she believed in.’

Ruth and Anna are inseparable.

Ruth has always known her half-sister isn’t like her – her almost-white skin means she is allowed certain things that Ruth can only dream of.

Anna wishes she could be braver, like her sister, Ruth. But she has had to live with the fact that the smallest mistake would land not only her in danger, but Ruth and their mother, too.

When Ruth and Anna are shipped off to Master John’s home in London for their safety, it isn’t the haven they imagined. Their differences force them apart – Anna is allowed to stay upstairs while Ruth is banished to the servants’ quarters and is forced to work.

With whispers of freedom on the city’s streets, will Anna find the courage to stand up for Ruth before it’s too late?

Chapter bookNon-fiction

My Story: Mary Prince – the thrilling story of the former slave and abolitionist.

Born in enslavement in Bermuda, Mary Prince travelled to England, escaped slavery and became a prominent abolitionist whose life story was the first of a Black woman’s to be published in Britain.

Explore Mary’s incredible life with My Story.

Perfect for any child wanting to learn more about history’s untold stories

Great background reading for Key Stage 2 & 3

My Story: exciting stories with reliable and accurate historical detail

Experience history first-hand with My Story.

Chapter book

Prepare to be swept up, up and away on this high-flying adventure from the queen of historical fiction, Emma Carroll!

Orphan Magpie can’t believe her eyes when she sees a boy swept off his feet by a kite … or something that twists and dances in the wind.

Like her, the boy – Pierre – dreams of flying over the rooftops of Paris. His family, the Montgolfiers, are desperate to be first to discover the secret of flight.

The world looks so different up high and suddenly Magpie knows what she wants – to be the first to fly in a balloon above the King and Queen of France …

From the bestselling historical fiction author of books including Secrets of a Sun King, When We Were Warriors and Letters from the Lighthouse

Discovery meets imagination in this rich and inspirational tale based on the true story of the first hot air balloon flight over Paris in the eighteenth century

An enchanting story of history, adventure, science and facing your fears.

Chapter bookNon-fiction

One windy day, a magazine blew down the road. I reached out and caught it. A pretty picture of a woman was on the front cover of the magazine. She wore a short pink dress that stuck out around her in a circle. She looked very happy.

At the age of three, Michaela DePrince found a photo of a ballerina that changed her life. She was living in an orphanage in Sierra Leone at the time, but was soon adopted by a family and brought to America. Michaela never forgot the photo of the dancer she once saw, and decided to make her dream of becoming a ballerina come true. She has been dancing ever since, and after a spell as a principal dancer in New York, now dances for the Dutch National Ballet in Amsterdam.

Beautifully and gently illustrated by Ella Okstad, Ballerina Dreams is the younger-reader edition of Michaela DePrince’s highly moving memoir, Hope in a Ballet Shoe.

Chapter book

A riveting pirate tale set in the eighteenth century during the golden age of piracy in the Caribbean, perfect for fans of Emma Carroll and Jacqueline Wilson.

It’s 1718: pirate ships sail the oceans and brutal slave masters control the plantations.

Eleven-year-old Abigail Buckler lives with her father in the Caribbean. Her clothes are made of finest muslin so she can’t play in them, not that there’s anyone to play with anyway. She isn’t even allowed to go out alone. But when pirates attack Abigail’s life will change forever. Suddenly her old certainties about right and wrong, good and bad start to unravel.

Maybe Abigail doesn’t have to be so ladylike after all…

Packed with historical detail about the Atlantic slave trade, the ravages of empire and human cost of providing luxuries like sugar, cotton and tobacco to Europe, Blackbeard’s Treasure is a page-turning, swashbuckling adventure which takes a look at the real pirates of the Caribbean.

Chapter book

Orphan Ettie Shaw is penniless and homeless on the streets of London when she is spotted by her older brother Joe.

Joe has fallen in with a notorious pickpocket gang run by a man called Fagin, and Ettie has to disguise herself as a boy so she can come back with him to Fagin’s lair.

At first Ettie is able to help out with mending and other domestic jobs, but when one of the other boys falls ill, Fagin demands that Ettie go out pickpocketing with Joe and everything goes horribly wrong …

Fagin’s infamous gang comes to life once more in this exciting Oliver Twist-inspired adventure from bestselling author Karen McCombie.

Chapter book

One dark night, the music and singing wake a monster from a swamp … Warrior after warrior comes to slay the monster, but no one can outwit Grendel. Only the great hero Beowulf stands a chance – but even he is not prepared for the horror that lies in wait. A stunning prose retelling of a Beowulf tale from an author-illustrator dream-team. Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant or dyslexic readers aged 8+

Chapter book

It’s tough being a peasant in Saxon Britain. The taxes are too high, there are bandits everywhere, and rabbit porridge for dinner every night. Even worse, now the local thane, Lord Ethelbert, is plotting to take King Offa’s throne, and the villagers are caught in the crossfire.

Can clever young Marian keep the peace? More importantly, can she keep her head?

Join master storyteller Terry Deary for a trip back in time to Saxon times and an exciting adventure.

Chapter book

Whitby, Northern England, 867. Edwin and Luke are young boys training to be monks. It’s a quiet life, until one day the Vikings invade. The boys are terrified of the fearsome Danes, whose gods are even more terrifying warriors than they are. What will happen if the boys are caught?

Terry Deary’s Viking Tales explore the world and mythology of the Vikings through the eyes of children who could have lived at the time. These stories feature real people from history and take place in some of the most recognisable Viking settings. This new edition features notes for the reader to help extend learning and exploration of the historical period.

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