Described as narrative non-fiction, the Who was...? series has just added Elizabeth I (by Charlotte Moore) and Napoleon (by Adrian Hadland) to the collection, which includes earlier titles on Queen Victoria, Shakespeare, Madame Tussaud and Samuel Johnson. The books, price pound;4.99 each, are aimed at pupils in key stages 2 and 3. Two Year 6 readers reported that these books were well written, exciting and refreshingly different; both stated that they enjoyed reading about real people from the past in a way that brought their lives and possible thoughts and feelings to life for them.

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