The Groovy Greeks: And, the Rotten Romans: Two Horrible Books in One

We love all the Terry Deary books. My sons read them all (my sons are now in 7th and 9th grades) as they do great summaries of key points and offering stunning and gross tidbits to really make it easy to remember those key elements. This is how to LEARN history as you really remember it this way.

The "Horrible Histories" books deliver up historical facts regarding American, European and World history in such an entertaining way for 7-12 year-olds, that the children may never notice how much they're learning. During a family vacation to the U.K. we first stumbled upon these books in the bookstore of one of the castles we toured and bought a couple volumes at our 9 & 12 year-olds' requests in order to keep them occupied in the back seat as we drove several hours to the next stop on our itinerary. Shrieks of laughter ensued from both children not long after we got underway, interspersed with, "Hey, listen to this..." The dreaded long drive passed without complaint from the denizens of the back seat, which was a welcome change, but by the time we arrived at our destination they'd each finished one book, were trading copies, and begging for more. We looked for more "Horrible Histories" as we continued our vacation, returning home to the U.S. with perhaps 8-10, which they re-read on the plane flight home. I bought several other volumes over the next couple years as gifts, which were eagerly received. My children have now outgrown them, but if you have children in this age group, they are sure to enjoy this book.

My kids love these books. This has led my son to read more about history from all ages.