Historical Fiction

My Historical Fiction children’s books

I have written many children’s books set in key KS2 & 3 history periods. Find out more about my historical books for children by clicking on the covers below, try a chapter at Free Reads, watch videos of me reading here or visit my bookshop or signed and dedicated copies can be personalised to order from my local independent children’s bookshop “The Thoughtful Spot” here. Thank you.

Iron Age Celts – Read Defenders : Pitch Invasion
Roman Britain – Read Defenders : Dark Arena
Vikings and Anglo Saxons – Read Defenders : Killing Ground
Medieval England – Read Secret FC
First World War – Read Flyboy & Over the Line & Armistice Runner
Second World War – Read Spitfire , D-Day Dog , After the War, Arctic Star and Resist and NEW May 2024 Angel of Grasmere

I have certificates I can sign for you to present to pupils reading all my History books.

More here or tell me here the names of your pupils for me to add onto signed certificates.

Remembrance Day 2024

More information here.

May 2024 – new Historical Fiction

I have a new children’s historical fiction out in May set in the English Lakes in the Second World War.

More about researching and writing Angel of Grasmere here

Pre 1066 – Defenders series

Three fast-paced thrillers written to help engage children with exciting historical details from the Iron Age, Roman, Anglo Saxon and Viking periods.

Spine-tingling, spooky football adventures – the past is closer than Nadiya and Seth think … Links to KS2 history themes:

1 : Killing Ground Vikings and Anglo Saxons
2 : Dark Arena Roman Britain
3 : Pitch Invasion Iron Age Celts

Buy the books here

Medieval England -Secret FC

Lily, Maddie and Zach discover and reenact the early game of football from medieval England. But is that enough to convince their new headmaster to lift his ban on football?

More here

Buy here

First World War – Armistice Runner

My award-winning children’s book about a thirteen-year-old cross country/fell runner called Lily and her great great grandfather, a champion fell runner before he became a trench runner during the last weeks of the First World War.

More here.

First World War – Over the Line

A powerful historical novel about one footballer’s experience in the First World War.

More here.

Visit Reading War for teacher’s resources and posters here.

Buy the book … here

“A gripping story which which draws on both the horrors of WW1 and the power of football.” Mumsnet

“Over the Line deserves to sit alongside War Horse and Private Peaceful on any school bookshelf.” Helena Pielichaty

First World War – Wings:Flyboy

Jatinder wakes up in a seriously surprising situation – flying his own hero, Hardit Singh Malik’s WWI fighter plane into enemy airspace.

I am proud to be the RAF Museum’s children’s writer in residence.

More here

“Tom is the RAF Museum’s Writer in Residence. His close relationship with the museums and his obsessive eye for detail mean that I was not at all surprised that his Wings books are both highly authentic and hugely exciting. These are Biggles books for the 21st century.” Phil Clayton, Education Office at RAF Museum

Buy the book ... here

First World War – The Last Try

ISBN 978902039251

Commemorates the life of Jack Harrison, the Hull FC hero killed in the First World War. Illustrated by James Innerdale.
Published by Kingston Press.

Buy direct from Hull Libraries
Tel 01482 210000
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Second World War – Angel of Grasmere

July 1940 – Tarn struggles to come to terms with the loss of her beloved brother in the chaos of the British retreat at Dunkirk and she and her friends scour the hills around their Westmorland home, watching for any signs of the long-dreaded Nazi invasion.

But as the war drags on, with little good news from the front, the locals become aware of someone carrying out anonymous acts of kindness. With no one claiming credit, the village come to think of this unidentified stranger as a kind of guardian angel, but when his identity is finally revealed can Tarn come to terms with the truth…?

More here

Second World War – RESIST

As the brutal Second World War stretches on with no end in sight, life for ordinary Dutch people in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands is fraught with peril and hardship. But what can a teenage girl do and how much risk is she willing to take?

More here

Second World War – D-Day Dog

Jack can’t wait for the school trip to the D-Day landing beaches. It’s his chance to learn more about the war heroes he has always admired – brave men like his dad, who is a reserve soldier. But when his dad is called up to action and things at home spiral out of control, everything Jack believes about war is thrown into question. Finding comfort only in the presence of his loyal dog, Finn, Jack is drawn to the heart-wrenching true story of one particular D-Day paratrooper. On 6 June 1944, Emile Corteil parachuted into France with his dog, Glen – and Jack is determined to discover their fate …

More here

Second World War – Arctic Star

Winter 1943. Teenagers Francis, Joseph and Stephen are Royal Navy recruits on their first mission at sea during the Second World War. Their ship is part of an Arctic convoy sailing to Russia to deliver supplies to the Soviets. The convoys have to navigate treacherous waters, sailing through a narrow channel between the Arctic ice pack and German bases on the Norwegian coast. Faced with terrifying enemy attacks from both air and sea, as well as life-threatening cold, gales and pack ice, will all three boys make it home again?

More about Arctic Star here.

Second World War – Wings:Spitfire

Greg starts making an airfix model and the next thing he knows, he’s in the cockpit of a Spitfire, being forced out of the sky by a German pilot!

More here

“A succinct but well-written and engaging story, reminiscent of The Great Escape.” The Bookbag

“Exciting and naturally there is a Spitfire to build” Bookwitch

Buy here

Tom_talking_to_School_children

Second World War – After the War

After the War is about the three hundred child concentration camp survivors who came to the Lake District nearly 75 years ago (who were known as the Windermere Boys).

10% of author royalties will be donated to the Lake District Holocaust Project.

More about After the War here.

And if you like these you might also like …

Rugby Academy

Rugby Academy, was inspired by children of serving RAF personnel, and I used their input to get life as a Service child right. In the first book of this series, Combat Zone, football-mad Woody finds himself stuck in a rugby-obsessed British boarding school, as his dad is being deployed overseas.

Read my blog here about working with Albrighton Primary School to write Combat Zone.

More here

“A realistic story for the tween boy which looks at changing from football to rugby and what it’s like to have a parent fighting in a war zone.” Book Bag

Buy the series … here

Wings : Typhoon

Maddie and Jess have an out-of-body adventure when they find themselves strapped into the cockpit of a Typhoon fighter plane amidst present-day conflicts in the Middle East.

More here

“It’s a great read aimed at 8 to 10 year olds and is a stereotype-breaking brew of the supernatural, football, fighter jets and the relationship between two sisters.” That Boy Can Teach Blog

Buy the book … here

Buy Books

Signed and dedicated copies of all my books are available personalised to order from my local independent children’s bookshop “The Thoughtful Spot” here.