Avoid being a Tudor Colonist! ¦ Avoid being a Mammoth Hunter! ¦ Avoid sailing with Christopher Columbus! ¦ Avoid sailing on a 19th-century Whaling Ship!

Frenetic and fast-paced with their grotesque cartoon-style artwork; cast your personal prejudice aside. On sight of the covers of these books a group of eight-year-olds immediately seized upon them, declaring that they were definitely worth further exploration. Boys especially seemed to appreciate the tongue-in-cheek humour and revelled in the gory details of cannibalism on board the 19th-century Whaling Ship the Essex, that was the inspiration for Melville's Moby Dick. Sailing with Christopher Columbus includes more gruesome details of slimy bilge water and rat-infested holds, but there is plenty of sound information about life on board ship and the impact of Columbus's four voyages. There is more cannibalism to be found in Tudor Colonist, along with graphic depiction of the incredible hardships and misfortunes suffered by the early settlers in America. Mammoth Hunter provides another 'worst-case scenario', even hairier and scarier than the aforementioned titles. If you enjoy Tony Robinson's TV series 'Worst Jobs in History', then these will be right up your street.