THE GREAT ESCAPE was the most daring and meticulously planned prisoner-of-war breakout of the Second World War. Yet not many Canadians―least of all children―know the heroic story of Wally Floody, a Canadian airman imprisoned in Stalag Luft III, who was a key figure in digging a set of sophisticated tunnels. Now acclaimed children’s writer Barbara Hehner has penned a gripping action- adventure that tells Floody’s incredible story, and how he eventually became the consultant for the movie The Great Escape. Packed with the kind of details kids love―like the fact that the prisoners built their own radios from empty cookie tins, or how the tunnels were shored up using 4,000 boards from the prisoners’ beds―The Tunnel King also provides an informative and dramatic Canadian context to the Second World War. Written in a lively style infused with Hehner’s obvious passion for her subject, this is a book that kids will devour.

Tunnel King

Children's Books

Hehner, Barbara

Biographies

HarperTrophy

This humorous diary gives children an insight into the life and times of Henry VIII as seen by his executioner, Chopper Smith. It includes factually correct anecdotes.

The Lost Diary of King Henry VIII’s Executioner (Lost Diaries S)

Barlow, Steve

HarperCollinsChildren’sBooks

Erik Bloodaxe was a vicious Viking but he loved poetry! This humorous diary gives children an insight into the life and times of the Vikings as seen by one of their warriors. Factually correct anecdotes are included.

The Lost Diary Of Erik Bloodaxe, Viking Warrior (Lost Diaries S)

Skidmore, Steve

Tutankhamun came to the throne of Egypt when he was nine years old and his mum, the dotty Nefertidy came too. Tutankhamun packs Nefertidy off on a cruise down the Nile and she keeps a diary which although once lost, is now found and provides an unique account of life and history in ancient Egypt.

The Lost Diary of Tutankhamun's Mummy

Dickinson, Clive

The eighth Lost Diary – factually accurate, fictionally funny! William Shakespeare himself needs no introduction, but not everyone knows the secrets of his success!
How could a man so busy with life in Elizabethan England have had time to write all those plays and poems? Enter stage right, Egbert Noah Bacon – one of his writing group who, quill in hand, gives us a new perspective on the Bard himself and of a fascinating period of English history:
Includes Spanish Armada, Gunpowder Plot, Queen Elizabeth First’s life… and death… and successor. The Plague, the invention of the lavatory and, of course, the building and burning of the Globe Theatre.

The Lost Diary of Shakespeare’s Ghostwriter (Lost Diaries S)

The ninth title in this successful series. A factually accurate but hilarious look at the life of Leonardo Da Vinci as he mixes with the colourful set in Renaissance Italy! From his passion for horses, to his painting of the Mona Lisa – all is revealed.
Leonardo da Vinci’s life from 1470 to 1519 as seen through the eyes of one, Luigi Cannelloni, Leonardo’s trusty assistant. From his Adoration of the Magi; his passion for the structure of horses; his painting of the Mona Lisa not to mention the highlife of Renaissance Italy – all is revealed in an hilarious way. As with the other Lost Diaries, this is factually accurate but the fictional voice brings in the humour

The Lost Diary of Leonardo’s Paint Mixer (Lost Diaries S)

Parsons, Alex

Published to accompany Wall-to-Wall’s thrilling, live-action TV series Ancient Egyptians, this entertaining book vividly brings to life the stories of five fascinating people who lived in Egypt over 2,000 years ago, as recorded on original papyrus documents or etched in stone.The individuals whose lives are so vividly recounted include the royal sculptor Thutmose, who even today is remembered as creator of one of the best known pieces of ancient Egyptian art – the plaster bust of Nefertiti, the heretic pharaoh Akhenaton’s beautiful queen. Then there is Wenamun, the priest who set out on an heroic adventure down the Nile in search of materials to build a sacred barge to the god Amun. His life is graphically described in the autobiography inscribed on his tomb which outlines his thrilling voyage and the trading links and lands through which he travelled.The tale of the young weaver Nakht tells of a short and tragic life. By the time he died aged fifteen, Nakht had suffered both hunger and hard labour. He even had traces of a red powder deep in his lungs – granite – a sure sign of a cruel punishment meted out to him for some minor misdemeanor. Yet there were those that loved him, for his remains show that he had been carefully washed, his face shaved and his nails trimmed before being placed in his final resting place, a wooden coffin that would have cost more than a month’s wages.Other tales include those of Weni the palace official, who uncovered a plot to kill the king, and Pharaoh Nectanebo II, last of the Egyptian pharaohs, who sought to protect his realm through magical ritual.

Mummies, Temples and Tombs (Ancient Egyptians, Book 4)

An information book about the celebrated historical and fictional characters Cleopatra, Boudica, King Arthur, Robin Hood, the Pied Piper, Pocahontas, Blackbeard, Dracula and Tarzan. The book investigates which of them really existed, and which are based on legend.
• Purple/ Band 8 books offer developing readers literary language, with some challenging vocabulary.
• Text type - An information book.
• An index and a glossary are included on pages 22 and 23 to aid comprehension.
• Curriculum links - History: Why do we remember great people? How do we know about great events?
• This book has been levelled for Reading Recovery.

Were They Real?: Purple/ Band 8 (Collins Big Cat)

Anderson, Scoular

Collins Educational

The Masai have a reputation for courage, independence and a way of life that fits with the grasslands of the East African plains. Find out all about the people, their history and how they live, in this stunning non-fiction book by top BBC wildlife filmmakers and photographers Jonathan and Angela Scott.
• Emerald/Band 15 books provide a widening range of genres including science fiction and biography, prompting more ways to respond to texts.
• Text type - A non-chronological report.
• There is a useful glossary and index on pages 44 and 45 and a diary of the day in the life f a Masai child on pages 46 and 47.
• Curriculum links - Geography: knowledge and understanding of places; Citizenship: developing good relationships and respecting the differences between people.

The Masai: Tribe Of Warriors: Emerald/Band 15 (Collins Big Cat)

SCOTT, Jonathan

Scott, Angela

'Collins Big Cat' is a guided reading series for ages 4-7, featuring both fiction and non-fiction titles which encourage children to develop their reading skills.

Michael Rosen: All About Me: Band 16/Sapphire (Collins Big Cat)

ROSEN, Michaël

Collins Cobuild

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