The best part of the book for me is Geraldine McCaughrean's writing. It's simple, direct and the stories jump off the page. She's one of the best storytellers around – if not ''the'' best. Personally, I think she probably is. This book could have been a mish-mash of folk tales and half-truths which confused the young reader but instead of that, it's a book which is quietly educational in a non-preachy way and one which is difficult to put down – whatever your age.
I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag. We also have a review of [[George and the Dragon and a World of Other Stories by Geraldine McCaughrean]].
For a ''factual'' history of England targeted at adults but entirely suitable for the older tween and teen reader we can recommend [[A Short History of England by Simon Jenkins]]. For more from Richard Brassey have a look at [[The Story of the Olympics by Richard Brassey|The Story of the Olympics]]. For a more straightforward history of Britain [[The Story of Britain by Patrick Dillon and P J Lynch]] comes highly recommended. Adults might appreciate [[A World By Itself: A History of the British Isles by Jonathan Clark]].