Books
Here at Twiglets, we love books that are set in the past. It really helps us to understand how our Braund ancestors might have lived. Not that we can trace the Braunds back to the time of the dinosaurs! Here is a list of books that you might enjoy. Maybe you can show the list to people if they ask what you'd like for a present. The ages are just a guide. We know that some of you might enjoy books aimed at someone younger or older.
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The books on the list cover hundreds of years of history and several parts of the world. If you read one of these books, we'd love to publish a review on these pages. Tell us why you enjoyed the book, or why you didn't but don't give away the ending for those who haven't read it yet. You can contact us and we will give you details of how to send in your review. You can also send suggestions of more books to add to our list. Just ask your parents or carers before you
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Books aimed at the under 5s
Pre-history
Cave Baby (Julia Donaldson)
Dinosaurs Love Underpants (Claire Freedman)
Dinosaurs in my School (Timothy Knapman and Sarah Warburton)
The Lost Dinosaur Bone (Mercer Mayer)
Harry and the Bucketful of Dinosaurs (Ian Whybrow)
Medieval
Knight School (Jane Clarke)
The Knight and the Dragon (Tomie dePaola)
Good Knight Sleep Tight (David Melling)
Mike the Knight (series) (Maggie Testa)
Take Care Good Knight (Shelley Moore Thomas)
1800s
Queen Victoria’s Knickers (Jackie French)
World War II
Peepo (Janet and Allan Ahlberg)
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Books aimed at 5–7 year olds
Egyptians
The Magic and the Mummy (Terry Deary)
There’s a Pharoah in our Bath (Jeremy Strong)
The Queen Cat (Ann Turnbull)
Miu and the Pharaoh (Sally Wallace-Jones)
Vikings
The Saga of Erik the Viking (Terry Jones)
Medieval
Castle Tales (Heather Amery)
Sword Quest (Andy Dixon)
1500s & 1600s
The Secret Diary of Thomas Snoop Tudor Boy Spy (Philip Ardagh)
The Baker’s Boy and the Great Fire of London (Tom and Tony Bradman)
Tudor Tales (series) (Terry Deary)
The Great Fire: a city in flames (Ann Turnbull)
The Gunpowder Plot: a Time for Treason (Ann Turnbull)
Plague: a Cross on the Door (Ann Turnbull)
1700s
Tricking the Tallyman (Jacqueline Davies) (1790 US census)
Emanuel and the Hanukkah Rescue (Heidi Smith Hyde and Jamel Akib)
1800s
Victorian Tales (series) (Terry Deary)
To the Big Top (Jill Esbaum) (America)
1900s
Potato: a Tale from the Great Depression (Kate Lied)
All the way to America: the Story of a big Italian Family and a Little Shovel (Dan Yaccarino) (Italy and America)
World War II
Crow Call (Lois Lowry)
Tail End Charlie (Mick Manning)
The Butterfly (Patricia Polacco)
I Will Come Back for You: a Family in Hiding During World War II (Marisabina Russo)
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Books aimed at 8–11 year olds
Ancient Greece
History Quest Minotaur's Maze (Timothy Knapman)
Egyptians
An Egyptian Adventure (Frances Durkin and Grace Cooke)
The Time Travelling Cat and the Egyptian Goddess (Julia Jarman)
History Quest Tomb of Terror (Timothy Knapman)
Romans
A Roman Adventure (Frances Durkin and Grace Cooke)
History Quest Race Through Rome (Timothy Knapman)
The Roman Mysteries (series) (Caroline Lawrence)
Roman Diary: the journal of Iliona a young slave (Richard Platt)
Romans on the Rampage (series) (Jeremy Strong)
Time Tunnel to Londinium (Olli Tooley)
Vikings
A Viking Adventure (Frances Durkin and Grace Cooke)
Dark Ages
Son of Charlemagne (Barbara Willard)
Medieval
The Door in the Wall (Marguerite de Angeli)
Catherine, called Birdie (Karen Cushman)
Longbow Girl (Linda Davies)
The Wool-pack (Cynthia Harnett)
History Quest Medieval Mayhem (Timothy Knapman)
Roger Knight (Jeanne Perrett)
The Lost king: Richard III and the Princes in the Tower (Alison Prince)
Incas
The Inca Adventure (Lisa Regan)
1500s & 1600s
The Burning (Nazam Anhar)
The Lady Grace Mysteries (series) (Grace Cavendish)
King of Shadows (Susan Cooper)
The Bassumtyte Treasure (Jane Louise Curry)
The Tudor Chronicles (series) (Terry Deary)
The Players’ Boy (Antonia Forest)
The Players and the Rebel (Antonia Forest)
Ghost knight (Cornelia Funke)
The Time Travelling Cat and the Tudor Treasures (Julia Jarman)
Diver’s Daughter (Patrice Lawrence)
Children of the New Forest (Frederick Marryat)
The Great Plague: a London Girl’s Diary 1665–1666 (Pamela Oldfield)
The Queen’s Token (Pamela Oldfield)
Elizabethan Mysteries (series) (John Pilkington)
Here Comes a Candle to Light you to Bed (Maggie Prince)
The Girl who Drew Butterflies (Joyce Sidman)
The Armourer’s House (Rosemary Sutcliff)
Cue for Treason (Geoffrey Trease)
Gunner’s Boy (Ann Turnbull)
A Traveller in Time (Alison Uttley)
The Grove of Green Holly (Barbara Willard)
1700s
The Desperate Journey (Kathleen Fidler) (Scotland and Canada)
Sovay (Celia Rees) (England and France)
The Marvels (Brian Selznick)
The Mantlemass Chronicles (series) (Barbara Willard)
1800s
Children of the Famine (series) (Marita Conlon-McKenna) (Ireland and America)
The Cheshire Cheese Cat: a Dickens of a tale (Carmen Agra Deedy, Randall Wright and Barry Moser)
Street Child (Berlie Doherty)
Sarah, Plain and Tall (Patricia MacLachlan) (America)
Addy 1864 (part of the American Girl Series by several authors) (Connie Porter)
The Bamboo Sword (Margi Preus) (Japan)
Chimney Child: a Victorian Story (Laurie Sheehan)
Little House on the Prairie (series) (Laura Ingalls Wilder) (America)
1900s
Lunch-box Dream (Tony Abbott) (America)
The Throwaway Children (Diney Costelloe) (England and Australia)
Play Ball Jackie (Stephen Krensky and Joe Morse)
Back Home (Michelle Magorian)
Esperanza Rising (Pam Munoz Ryan) (America)
The Girl in the Torch (Robert Sharenow) (America)
Bring out the Banners (Geoffrey Trease) (Suffragettes)
The Pigeon Summer Trilogy (series) (Ann Turnbull)
World War I
Private Peaceful (Michael Morpurgo)
War Horse (Michael Morpurgo)
World War II
Carrie’s War (Nina Bawden)
Goodnight Mr Tom (Michelle Magorian)
Private Peaceful (Michael Morpurgo)
War Horse (Michael Morpurgo)
The Silver Sword (Ian Serraillier)
Otto: the Autobiography of a Teddy Bear (Tomi Ungerer) (Germany and America)
Blitz Cat (Robert Westall)
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Books aimed at young people from the age of 12
Roman Britain
The Eagle of the Ninth (Rosemary Sutcliff)
Medieval
The Midwife’s Apprentice (Karen Cushman)
Tales of the white boar (series) (JP Reedman)
1500s & 1600s
Campion Towers (John and Patrica Beatty)
Will Sparrow’s Road (Karen Cushman)
Croatoan: Birth Place of America (Scott Dawson) (America)
Stars of Fortune (Cynthia Harnett)
Will at the Tower: Shakespeare’s secret seventeenth year (Pete Hartley)
Wicked Girls: a Novel of the Salem Witch Trials (Stephanie Hemphill)
The Remarkable Life and Times of Eliza Rose (Eliza Hooper)
At the House of the Magician (series) (Mary Hooper)
You Never knew her as I did (Mollie Hunter)
The Sealed Knot (Stuart Lowrie)
Jepp, who Defied the Stars (Katherine Marsh)
Raider’s Tide (Maggie Prince)
Witch Child (Celia Rees)
The Blackthorn Key (Kevin Sands)
Brother Dusty Feet (Rosemary Sutcliff)
The Hawk (Ronald Welch)
Mantlemas (series) (Barbara Willard)
1700s
The Diamond of Drury Lane (Julia Golding)
The Girl from Everywhere (Heidi Heilig)
Slave Trade
Chains (Laurie Halse Anderson) (America)
My Name is not Friday (Jon Walter) (America)
1800s
The Lady Helen Trilogy (series) (Alison Goodman)
Hero (Catherine R Johnson)
World War I
A Rose for the Anzac Boys (Jackie French) (New Zealand)
1900s
The Tightrope Walkers (David Almond) (north east England)
Strings Attached (Judy Blundell)
The Watsons go to Birmingham – 1963 (Christopher Paul Curtis) (American Civil Rights)
Bud, not Buddy (Christopher Paul Curtis) (America)
Egg and Spoon (Gregory Maguire) (Russia)
Never Fall Down (Patricia McCormick) (Cambodia)
Burn Baby Burn (Meg Medina) (America)
Roll of Thunder Hear my Cry (Mildred D Taylor) (America)
Brown Girl Dreaming (Jacqueline Woodson) (America)
World War II
Teresa a New Australian (Deborah Abela) (Australia)
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (John Boyne)
A Boy at War: a Novel of Pearl Harbor (Harry Mazer)
I am David (Anne Holm)
Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society (Adeline Yen Mah) (China)
The Wrong Boy (Suzie Zail)
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