Novels with history links for KS2

When teaching a history topic, I like to introduce a story book that connects to the topic. This way, the history lessons help pupils to understand the book, and the book helps pupils to understand the history topic, so it’s a win win! Below are six recommended books with cross-curricular links to five different periods of history.

Stone Age

Two fantastic stories with links to the Stone Age are Stig of the Dump and Stone Age Boy.

Stig of the Dump

Stig of the Dump by Clive King is a wonderful book to read as part of a Stone Age topic. In this modern classic, a boy called Barney meets a Stone Age man in the dump and the two become fast friends, sharing many exciting adventures. Stone Age references include the use of flint tools and spears; making fires; animal skin clothing; hunting; and raising standing stones. As well as linking to the stone age, pupils will also learn about life in the 1960s as this was the time period when the book was written and set.

Suitable for Lower Key Stage 2, Years 3 and 4.

Stig of the Dump teaching resources

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Stone Age Boy

Stone Age Boy is a short picture book about a boy who travels in time to the Stone Age written and illustrated by Satoshi Kitamura. The benefit of this story is that it can be read in quite a short amount of time, but contains a plethora of information about the Stone Age period through its charming illustrations. This includes housing; making clothing; fires, food and cooking; hunting, gathering and fishing; entertainment; and cave painting.

Suitable for Lower Key Stage 2, Years 3 and 4.       

Stone Age Boy teaching resources

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Anglo-Saxons

Beowulf

Michael Morpurgo’s retelling of the epic poem Beowulf is an ideal book to read while studying the Anglo-Saxons as it is a tale that was written by an Anglo-Saxon poet. The exciting story set in Scandinavia is about the hero Beowulf, who vanquishes the monster Grendel.

Suitable for Lower Key Stage 2, Years 3 and 4.

Beowulf teaching resources

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Ancient Egypt

Flat Stanley: The Great Egyptian Grave Robbery

Flat Stanley: The Great Egyptian Grave Robbery is one of the Flat Stanley series of books by Sara Pennypacker and created by Jeff Brown. Stanley visits modern-day Egypt to help find ancient treasure buried deep inside a pyramid.

Suitable for Lower Key Stage 2, Years 3 and 4.

Flat Stanley: The Great Egyptian Grave Robbery teaching resources

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Ancient Greece

Percy Jackson And The Olympians: The Lightning Thief

Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson And The Olympians: The Lightning Thief is a great book to read while learning about Ancient Greece. In this fantasy novel, protagonist Percy discovers he is a demi-god and has an adventure where he meets ancient Greek god and monsters such as Zeus, the Minotaur, Medusa, the Chimera and more.

Suitable for Upper Key Stage 2, Years 5 and 6.

Percy Jackson And The Olympians: The Lightning Thief teaching resources

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Victorians

Street Child

No list of books about the Victorian era would be complete without mention of Berlie Doherty’s Street Child, the tale of orphan Jim and his struggle for survival on the streets of Victorian London. Through the eyes of Jim, we learn about the rich and poor, the workhouse, the (lack of) rights of children, the docks and Dr Barnardo.

Suitable for Upper Key Stage 2, Years 5 and 6. Street Child teaching resources

Street Child teaching resources

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World War II

Two novels set during the Second World War are Carrie’s War and The Silver Sword.

Carrie’s War

In this novel, Nina Bawden tells the tale of two young middle-class Londoners, Carrie and her younger brother Nick, who are evacuated to a Welsh mining village during the Second World War. The story, told as a flashback, is written by a former wartime evacuee who drew deeply on her own experiences to create a thought-provoking and unforgettable novel.

Carrie’s War teaching resources

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The Silver Sword

This fantastic tale of survival and struggle set in war-torn Poland, The Silver Sword by Ian Serraillier tells the story of a group of Polish children who must make the long and dangerous journey to Switzerland to find their parents. A brillant book to read whilst studying the Second World War.

The Silver Sword teaching resources

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