This looks great. Do you have a list of the books you have used throughout the year for KS2 under the new system? Chariot Champions is a quite short and funny book about a typical family in Ancient Rome. The story is narrated by a snarky and self-obsessed raven who describes the adventures of the family when the father is accused of fraud and arrested, as well as Hysteria and Scorcha (the ex-slave charioteer) and their love affair, as well as Perilus' dream to become a charioteer. Lots of the characters have amusing names - like Hysteria, who always cries, or Fibbus Biggus, the man who accuses the father of fraud. The anachronistic inventions of Maddusbananus the inventor are also funny.

There are two mysteries to solve in this book. Who stole the money from the Imperial Mint? Who had tried to kidnap a chariot racer so he couldn’t win? All will be revealed after you read the book… The book is very similar to other Jeremy Strong books. It’s humorous. He uses lots of funny names for the characters like, Flippus Floppus and Hysteria, who is Perilus’ older sister. It is easy to understand. The author is very good at describing objects, such as Maddusbananas’ inventions. The book includes some Latin words so the reader is learning as well. The book gives lots of factual information, including what it would be like to be rich or poor in ancient Rome. For example the reader learns that it was possible for slaves to be freed and educated and what wealthy Roman ate; ostrich and stuffed dormice! I think the book is accurate because it matched lots of things I already knew about Ancient Rome. I really enjoyed it I thought it was very funny. I liked the crow he was very amusing when he said "give us a biscuit". The history was very good and very realistic it felt like it was wrote as the author was there. It made me want to learn more about chariots and Roman soldiers and has inspired me to look at more books written by this author. Jeremy Strong used to be Headmaster to The Diary of Dennis the Menace author, Steven Butler! Steven thanks Jeremy for helping to turn him from a reluctant reader, to an avid reader and finally a writer. Hello Yellow - 80 Books to Help Children Nurture Good Mental Health and Support With Anxiety and Wellbeing -We had heard the name Julius Caesar being mentioned a lot during the invasions so we wanted to find out more about him. We used the iPads to help with our research. My favourite part was when they were racing in the chariots because one of the got kidnapped by two other people. We don't look at every word. If you look at the plans, you'll see we started with 20+ words per chapter but this became around 10 as we started teaching with the new approach. We don't feel we've lost anything by reducing how many RICs we do. Children have been doing them for years and so now we only use them when there is meaty content to be discussed. This book is a great read and is really worth reading. My favourite character is the crow who is full of humour my favourite part is when Tiddles the elephant broke a prison wall. Extra activity provided. Your class will list adjectives that would describe Crabbus and his wife, Septicaemia.

John: I didn’t like the book because it was difficult to follow the story line and I found it rather dull. I was surprised not to enjoy it as I had read other books by Jeremy Strong before – like “The Hundred Mile and Hour Dog” which I really enjoyed. Tia: I really enjoyed this book. I think the book isn’t realistic but there was a lot of funny parts. I learnt a lot more Latin words from the book. I particularly liked Croakbag the raven. He, in my opinion, is the funniest character. Also, Croakbag is the person, that tells the story! Jeremy Strong is a brilliant author. I would like to read more of his books now! I loved his ideas and his books are amazing! If Jeremy wasn't a writer he would want to play the piano really, really well, or be a terrific artist. I enjoyed this book because I thought parts of it were funny. My favourite parts were where he enters a competition and wins and when his Mum and Dad make heart shaped pizza. I would like to read more books by this author because I thought it was a funny story.Armistice Day: A Collection of Remembrance - Spark Interest and Educate Children about Historical Moments

The history contained in the book was quite poor. It described a Roman family in modern times so it didn’t show what Roman times were like. The author tried to add humour but I didn’t find the jokes very funny. The book may suit younger readers more (age 6-7 maybe). Thank you for your comments, the Penguin version is a good starting point for the book. It's a shame that you didn't find the 24 other reading activities that I include in the resource as useful as the other reviewers have done. Hide repliesPractice - teachers use various methods to revise the words previously learned: matching words definitions, providing definitions, images, missing letters, sentences from books with the word missing. Daniel: This book is set in ancient Rome. It is narrated by a talking Raven called Corvus, who thinks he is very clever and funny. He is the pet of the main character Perilus, who is the son of the head of the Roman Imperial mint. Perilus’ family are very wealthy; he lives with his dad, mum and sister in a large villa and the family have two slaves. Perilus wants to be a charioteer, much to his father’s disgust because he wants him to head of the Imperial mint like him one day. Perilus is only 11 and likes to get up to mischief which is probably why he wants to be a charioteer, one of the most dangerous jobs in the Roman economy.

I really enjoyed this book because it is really funny and adventurous it makes you want read more and more. I thought that Tiddles the elephant was really cool and was extremely funny. The main character was Croakbag who told the story but was also in it. Croakbag was very clever and also told us a few things to impress your parents. I don't think this book set out to be realistic but it did make me want to read more about the Romans. I wouldn’t have chosen Jeremy Strong but this book has definitely made me think different about this author. I think this book is a really good read aimed at 6 - 10 year olds. Our class adventure song this half term is - I'll make a man out of you! from the Disney film Mulan. When I learned the name of the book I was instantly attracted to the book. I would recommend to ages 7 and up/ and for someone who likes adventures. LoveReading4Kids exists because books change lives, and buying books through LoveReading4Kids means you get to change the lives of future generations, with 25% of the cover price donated to schools in need. Join our community to get personalised book suggestions, extracts straight to your inbox, 10% off RRPs, and to change children’s lives. It is a story which is told through the eyes of a raven. He visits different places and meets different people like the emperor.I am interested in Roman times. I like learning about Gladiators and the towns Romans lived in but I think the book didn’t inspire me even more. To find out about history I prefer more factual books. I think this book is suitable for 5 to 12 year olds, as well as suitable for adults. It is amazing and fantastic; it’s the best! I think the whole country should read this book it’s so good!!! My favourite character in his book is Croakbag because is always very funny, he loves saying he is the ‘cleverest raven in the world’, he really likes biscuits and he teaches you Latin every now and then through the book. You will love him! The book starts with a boy named perilous. He wants to take part in the most epic chariot race in all of Rome. But first, Croakbag , the smartest Raven in Rome, has to solve a mystery about who stole all the money from the bank. The robbery was planned by a man named Krysis & three other children, who successfully stole the money . But Croakbag tactically stopped them.