Margaret Anne dreams of leaving the orphanage behind, and she can hardly believe her luck when she is chosen to accompany wealth Mrs Carstairs aboard the great Titanic. But when the passengers are woken on a freezing night in April 1912, she finds herself caught up in an unimaginable nightmare…
A stirring, dramatic story of a slave who mails himself to freedom by a Jane Addams Peace Award-winning author and a Coretta Scott King Award-winning artist.
Henry Brown doesn’t know how old he is. Nobody keeps records of slaves’ birthdays. All the time he dreams about freedom, but that dream seems farther away than ever when he is torn from his family and put to work in a warehouse. Henry grows up and marries, but he is again devastated when his family is sold at the slave market. Then one day, as he lifts a crate at the warehouse, he knows exactly what he must do: He will mail himself to the North. After an arduous journey in the crate, Henry finally has a birthday — his first day of freedom.
Explore the lives of the Windrush generation in this full-colour anthology. With a foreword from Baroness Floella Benjamin, DBE.
This book presents 12 moving tales of sacrifice and bravery, inspired by first-hand accounts of the Windrush generation.
“Home ain’t jus’ where you live. Home is your heart an’ yer history.”
Each inspiring story helps to bring the real experience of Black British people into focus.
Produced in partnership with Black Cultural Archives to honour the Windrush generation.
Includes ten photo-packed fact sections.
The contributors: K. N. Chimbiri, Kevin George, Salena Godden, Judy Hepburn, Ashley Hickson-Lovence, Kirsty Latoya, Katy Massey, E. L. Norry, Quincy the Comedian, Jermain Jackman. With cover art by Joelle Avelino.
Black Cultural Archives is the only national heritage centre dedicated to collecting, preserving and celebrating the histories of Black people in Britain.
50p from every copy sold goes to BCA.
In this heart-stopping adventure, Benjamin Zephaniah shows us what it was like to be a child of the Windrush generation.
Leonard is shocked when he arrives with his mother in the port of Southampton. His father is a stranger to him, it’s cold and even the Jamaican food doesn’t taste the same as it did back home in Maroon Town. But his parents have brought him here to try to make a better life, so Leonard does his best not to complain, to make new friends, to do well at school – even when people hurt him with their words and with their fists.
How can a boy so far from home learn to enjoy his new life when so many things count against him?
An action-packed and pacey story about a boy’s experience of slavery in Britain.
Nathaniel doesn’t want to move to England with his master’s family, leaving behind his mother and sister on the Jamaican plantation. But then he remembers what his mother told him: once a slave sets foot on English soil, they’re free. Perhaps he can earn his fortune and buy his family’s freedom, too.
Leo the mouse isn’t like the other knights. While they like fighting, he’d rather read a book. Leo’s parents are keen to turn him into a proper knight, so they pack him off on a mission to tame a dragon. But Leo knows that books are mightier than swords, and he tames not just the dragon, but a troll and a griffin, too – by reading them stories. With its witty rhyming text and glorious, detailed illustrations, The Knight Who Wouldnt Fight is a joyful, magical picture book about the power of stories..
Discover all the foul facts about the Woeful Second World War with history’s most horrible headlines.
All the foul facts about the Woeful Second World War are ready to uncover, including:
why the blitzed Brits ate chicken-fruit, sinkers and nutty
what really happened in Dad’s Army
and how to make a rude noise with a gas mask.
* fully illustrated throughout and packed with horrible stories – with all the horribly hilarious bits included
* with a fresh take on the classic Horrible Histories style, perfect for fans old and new
* the perfect series for anyone looking for a fun and informative read
* Horrible Histories has been entertaining children and families for generations with books, TV, stage show, magazines, games and 2019’s brilliantly funny Horrible Histories: the Movie – Rotten Romans.
Get your history right here and collect the whole horrible lot.
Read all about it!
Voices: Son of the Circus – A Victorian Story explores the life of a young mixed-race boy, Ted, living with his mother and poorly older brother in Victorian Bradfield.
When a stranger, a man the boys don’t remember ever seeing before, appears in their kitchen, Ted is hit with a shocking revelation. This man is his father – the first black circus owner in Victorian Britain, Pablo Fanque.
Before Ted can recover from his shock, he is sent away with Pablo to learn the tricks of the circus trade. Pablo is determined for Ted to follow in his footsteps.
But can Ted adapt to this terrifying new life amongst strangers?
And will he ever see his beloved mother and brother again?
Fresh new voice, E. L. Norry, continues this exciting new series that explores authentic and moving accounts of the life of British immigrants throughout history. Norry shows us a fascinating and rarely seen world that’s sure to hook young readers.
A young soldier is fighting in the trenches of wartime France when he finds a hen, skinny, scruffy, and starving. He tucks her into his jacket and takes her with him. The other soldiers laugh when they see him looking after her and sharing his meagre rations of food, but when the hen thrives and begins to lay eggs for them, they realise that perhaps survival and hope are possible after all. A beautiful story of unexpected friendship in the midst of fighting and devastation.
The story of the war of 1914-1918 told through the experiences of twelve children and young people. From the efforts on the Home Front in both Britain and Germany, to the young soldiers in the trenches at the Western Front and from the horrors of Gallipoli to the naval battle of Jutland.
© BooksForTopics 2015-2024
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
