Format: Graphic novel

This a a clever tie-in to the current interest in traitors, following on from the TV programme of the same name. It is fairly typical Horrible Histories fare, with their trademark humour and puns.

It tells us of fifty-two assumed traitors, from 2700 BC (the Awful Ancients) to 1945 (the Woeful Second World War) and gives us two to three pages of information about each turncoat, dispelling certain myths along the way. There are twenty-six time periods covered, including Rotten Romans, Slimy Stewarts and Vile Victorians, as well as regional headings such as Wales, USA and The British Empire.

Readers will definitely learn some new facts, no matter what they already know about the time periods, although the number of pages allocated to the double-crossers means that their deeds are relatively précised with the included trademark illustrations. There is a brief ‘Did You Know?’ section at the end of each tale of treachery that gives interesting facts, and children are encouraged to think about the despicable deeds and consider whether there might be extenuating circumstances.

It’s the sort of book that I can see children dipping in and out of, rather than reading it all at once. It covers so much of history that it may be of limited use within the school curriculum, apart from a Crime and Punishment topic. It would be good fun for debate and discussion in Key Stage 2.