The Horrible Histories series was a slight obsession of mine when I was younger - I thought I'd read them all, but looking at the catalogue on here, I'm not sure anymore! I stopped reading them when I was about 14, however this was not before also devouring the Murderous Maths offshoots (which make maths a bit more bearable)!

Why have I chosen to review this particular book? Well, quite simply, it was my favourite one. The illustrations through out are mesmerising, the language is sophisticated enough for a child to read without feeling patronised but silly enough for those of all ages to get involved in! The content of the books never goes too deeply into history; don't think you're getting anything above the learning level of the age group it's aimed at (between 10 and 13 years old) but it does focus on the fun bits of the past! One thing I would say is that although the books do have a light hearted tone, they deal with serious and potentially 'scary' (for a younger reader) subjects such as torture, war and old religious practices. It is all, however, done in a very considerate way and so should not be a problem for most. It is also what makes, in my opinion, these books the perfect starting place for parents who want their children to take an active interest in the history of our world.

The whole point of these books is to show children what life was like in the past, and that bad things have happened in the past, people were not always nice and they sometimes did or believed rather stupid things. The light hearted tone however keeps the serious subject matter interesting and provides widespread appeal for young and old alike.