Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Home > Books

Topic: History

Non-fiction

History comes alive in this incredible children’s illustrated book about castles. Slicing through different areas of a medieval fortress, extraordinary views reveal the people busy inside, and preparing for battle as an enemy army approaches.

Packed with facts, you’ll find out what it takes to build a massive 14th-century castle, dress a knight in armour, or prepare a feast fit for a king or queen. From the drawbridge to the dungeon, Cross-sections Castle swarms with the people who keep the castle ticking over – the workers, craftsmen, and servants. And, as you pore over every page, look out for the villainous spy. Is he in the well… the keep… the moat? No? Keep looking, he’s there somewhere!

Back in print after 20 years, you can cheer on jousters, be entertained by a troubadour, and witness the gory details of a traitor’s demise. This unique illustrated book for kids is not just the story of a castle – it brings medieval history to life.

Non-fiction

Why Do We Remember?: The Battle of Hastings looks at the gripping events that led up to the famous battle of Hastings in 1066 and the following Norman conquest of Anglo-Saxon Britain.

This simple, friendly children’s first history series, aimed at readers aged 5 and up, takes a close look at some key events and personalities through history and reveals how and why they are still important to us today. A perfect support to learning about history at Key Stage 1, each book uses a rich variety of historical sources, from diaries to paintings, to bring events to life, while simple historical vocabulary is introduced and explained. Each book also features a simple timeline and explores how we find about the past. All text has been carefully checked by a historian.

Chapter book

I bet no other school gives you the chance to chase super villains through hidden tunnels!’ That’s what Milly Dillane has to say about life at Blaggard’s, A.K.A Gangster School. Milly and her new friend Charlie have just started at Blaggard’s. But what’s it like to be in a school that teaches lying, kidnapping and stealing instead of Maths and English? Their parents and teachers are master criminals and want them to follow in their footsteps…but are Milly and Charlie just too…dependable? In this funny and exciting adventure, smart Milly and super-hacker Charlie face some of the worst villains around, including the cold-hearted Pecunia Badpenny and her sidekick: Wolf the evil electronic dog. Can Milly and Charlie beat Badpenny and her demonic plans? And are they criminal enough to keep their place in a school they’ve come to love? Kate Wiseman’s brilliant Blaggard’s is like Hogwarts for criminal kids!

Chapter book

A rip-roaring historical adventure set at the time of the Guy Fawkes’ Gunpowder Plot – winner of the Historical Association Young Quills Award! England, 1605: 12-year-old Tom must save his father from hanging.

He falls in with a mysterious stranger – the Falcon – who promises to help him in exchange for his service.

But on the long journey to London, Tom discovers the Falcon’s true mission – and a plot to blow up Parliament with barrels of black powder.

Tom faces a terrible decision: secure his father’s release, or stop the assassination of the king …

A rip-roaring, action-packed life-and-death quest, packed with history and adventure

Set at the time of the Gunpowder Plot and featuring Guy Fawkes – perfect for Bonfire Night and beyond

Ideal for readers aged nine and up

Chapter book

Nobody wants Tulip in their gang.

She skives off school, cheeks the teachers and makes herself unpopular with her classmates by telling awful lies.

None of this matters to Natalie who finds Tulip exciting.

At first she doesn’t care that other people are upset and unnerved by Tulip’s bizarre games, but as the games become increasingly sinister and dangerous, Natalie realises that Tulip is going too far.

Much too far.

Racing, in fact, to the novel’s shocking ending.

Non-fiction

In 1666, London’s citizens woke to see the skyline above their city’s cramped wooden houses ablaze. The Great Fire of London is a hauntingly beautiful visual re-telling of one of the most well-known disasters in the city’s history. To commemorate the 350th anniversary of the fire, powerful and sumptuous drawings from the new east London illustrator, James Weston Lewis, bring the events of November 1666 to life in this stunning gift book.

Lewis’s drawings take readers on a journey, from the single smouldering coal that falls out of the baker’s oven to the swirling clouds of ash that engulf the city and then in to the very heart of the fire itself. As the pages turn, you can witness London burning to the ground and then rebuilding again.

Children will love examining the rich detail of each spread, from the detailed city map to the drawings of London before, during and after the fire took hold. This book takes the dramatic historical information surrounding the Great Fire of London and transforms it into a breathtaking story that will transfix readers of all ages.

Chapter book

Fascinating historical fiction. Five strangers meet in the crowds to watch Dick Turpin hang. Each has a fascinating story to tell about the famous highwayman…but which are true and which are lies? Follow Terry Deary into the enthralling history of one man and his legend. Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant and dyslexic readers aged 8+

Picturebook

It’s 1666 and Vlad the flea and his friend Boxton the rat, love eating and biting their way around London. But one night in Pudding Lane they are caught up in a fire that threatens to destroy them, along with most of the City of London. Vlad and the Great Fire of London is a picture book that supports the Key Stage 1 history curriculum. Through Vlad’s story and full colour illustrations it shows how the fire is believed to have started, how it spread and what Londoners did to fight it and escape it. This illustrated story of the Great Fire of 1666 includes a fact file about the fire.

Chapter book

Heart-achingly funny, touching and brilliantly clever, Millions is a fantastic adventure about two boys, one miracle and a million choices.

Brothers Damian and Anthony didn’t mean to get caught up in a botched train robbery. But what would you do if a massive bag of cash dropped from the sky and you had only a few days to spend it before it became worthless? Buy a million pizzas? End world poverty? Not such an easy decision, is it? The boys soon find out that being rich is a mug’s game. Not only is the clock ticking, the bank robbers want their money back . . .

This edition of Frank Cottrell-Boyce’s Carnegie Medal-winning Millions features fantastic cover artwork from the brilliant Steven Lenton.

Millions is a major film directed by Oscar-winner Danny Boyle.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Your Review

Stone Girl Bone Girl

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