Terry Deary Books

A popular British children’s author, Terry Deary has published over 320 fiction and non-fiction books in the last 40 years. He has also sold over 33 million copies that have been translated into 40 languages. One of the most recognised works of Deary is the bestselling children’s book series Horrible Histories, which has been widely adapted and re-imagined as a television series on BBC, stage shows, and has even inspired a film.

Deary however wears several other hats—apart from being a bestselling children’s author, he has also pursued a career in acting, film, and singing across films, books obviously, television and radio. Whilst Deary’s work spans across mediums and formats of storytelling; his most popular works are centred around content for children, with a special focus on history.

A strong advocate of education beyond schools, Deary is an outspoken critic of conventional school culture, which he believes was a Victorian idea to keep kids off the streets and the same ideologies reflect in his work. He has, for instance, famously called to "ban Horrible Histories from schools", because he believes "classrooms take all the fun out of his stories". This brings us back to the author’s ability to make educational books fun. A perfect example of which is the Horrible Histories books series. The books in the series pack all sorts of absurd, disgusting, horrendous, and fun events of history, most of which you may not have been taught in school but only through these peculiar books. Some of the highlighted periods in this series include Stone Age and World War 2 amongst others.

Much like Terry Deary, we at Books2Door are also strong advocates of children reading beyond the school curriculum and that is precisely why we have stocked up on Terry Deary’s books. All of which are fun and more reader-friendly versions of educational books.

An engaging story about the culture of Ancient Egypt; this is a tale of Neria, who works in the House of Death helping her father make mummies. Neria enjoys her work, but when the pharaoh dies, everyone is so busy that Neria is given the responsibility of mummifying the pharaoh's cat, to accompany him to the afterlife. The trouble is, Neria doesn't want to kill and gut the cat! Can she find a way to save it without being caught and punished? Terry Deary's Egyptian Tales thus explores the world of Ancient Egypt through the eyes of children. His stories feature real people and take place in some of the most iconic Egyptian times. The new editions of the book also feature notes for the reader to help extend learning and exploration of the historic Egyptian period. 

A fresh take on the classic Horrible Histories style—Vile Victorians by Terry Deary is a horribly hilarious read that exposes foul facts about the Vile Victorians. This one is a fun but informative read, designed to educate children whilst also keeping them glued to the reading habit.

The second book of a spellbinding new fiction series from Terry Deary; Wiggott's Wonderful Waxworld 2: Fire Flight welcomes young readers to the strange town of Wildpool. There's a new mayor in Wildpool (though not the one that everyone voted for!) and there's a danger the Ladies Who Crunch will be forced to move home and that Wiggott's Wonderful Waxworld - about to be reopened - will actually be demolished. Can Molly and Boy save the day? Will Wildpool ever be the same? This one by Deary is a leisure fiction read for your little ones aged 7+.