Blood-curdling Box of Books (Horrible Histories Collections) [Oct 06, 2016] Deary, Terry and Brown, Martin Paperback – March 15, 2017

What a fantastic series! My 8 and 10 yo have been obsessively reading and rereading these and staying up late sneaking history books under their pillows at night. I never would have thought that possible. Kids with a firm grasp of this series will have a better intuitive understanding of western civilization than most adults.

Irreverently British, this humorous look at history entertains and educates. If you're easily offended or don't understand Monty Python, then avoid. If you do like Monty Python, this is geared more appropriately towards children. It does have a Mad magazine type of irreverence, which may not be for everyone. Not exactly politically correct, but they mock what they find stupid, crossing cultural boundaries, often mocking Brits and Europeans but also other cultures. And it doesn't dwell on the positive aspects of history. But it just may get your kids actually interested in history. My ten year old son says: "Very, very, very good." Get your kids away from the screens and buy them a boxed set of paperbacks. We did and aren't sorry! (Incidentally, did you know you can unplug your Wi-Fi and the world still turns? Try it. Clear your mind. Pull the power cord on your modem. Open a book. When you want the Wi-Fi back, plug the modem back in and it'll reboot in under 5 minutes.)

Makes history bearable for my son. Very informative and entertaining. He actually enjoys the witty humor and will sit and read these. For any kid who doesn’t want to read history try these books.

My son is the typical tween who hates history, and because he hates it, won't retain anything. In determination to show him that history can be interesting, I ordered these books. He loved them! I even caught him reading them for fun. We read some of them together, and they had us both cracking up or saying "Ewww!" just about the whole time. The test your teacher sections were my son's favorite part. I loved the dry sarcasm they use. They can be a little gory for young or sensitive readers, but given the title, I would guess most parents would avoid them if that was the case. I resent that these weren't around when I was a kid!!

My daughters (10 and 12) love Horrible Histories and have learned tons watching the show and reading these books. I can confidently say nobody beats their knowledge of History in their schools. The humor in this series is not for everyone though; we have no problem with it but we have always loved the British dry, irreverent kind of humor. If you are in doubt, I suggest you watch a Horrible Histories episode and decide.

I bought this for my middle school children who are currently learning about world history, and was pleasantly surprised by how much these books held their interest and made them want to know more about the events that are briefly discussed within them. The histories are funny and worked well to make them want to continue reading. They got a kick out of the illustrations and this offered the opportunity for us to discuss things in a more serious way afterward.There are plenty of different subjects covered in this boxed set and lots of interesting tidbits about various cultures and different periods of the world. I definitely recommend this series to other parents and to teachers, although some of the tongue in cheek humour may press the limits a little at times. Great starter set for kids.

My 10 year old daughter who loves history DEVOURED these books. A 17 year old family friend who was homeschooled recommended them. So glad to find them on Amazon. Worth the price to keep her reading all spring and summer. My 9 year old son does not like history at all and I think he has picked up these books from time to time. I hope he will read them when he gets older.

It’s a fantastic set of books- my daughter loves them all and has learned so much. It’s startling what she knows from these books. And the graphics are humor- make her laugh but not at all the point of the books. They make all periods of history relatable to modern children. FANTASTIC.