Tudor and Stuart books for children
Children’s books about the Tudors and Stuarts, including Henry VI, Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I, Elizabeth I, James I, Charles I and Charles II. This list contains 50+ titles, to support history teaching and cross-curricular topics and individual reading. There’s a range of fiction, nonfiction, true stories, picture books and diaries suitable for school libraries and classroom libraries in KS1 and KS2. This list features books by Patrice Lawrence, Terry Deary, Gillian Clements, Michael Rosen, Lindsay Galvin, Philip Ardagh, Lucy Worsley, Michael Morpurgo, Ally Sherrick and Tony Bradman.
Tudor and Stuart books for children – our recommendations
Get Up, Elizabeth! by Shirin Yim Bridges. 
Pop-Up Shakespeare by The Reduced Shakespeare Company. 
The Tudor Trumpeter by Nadine Cowan. 
The Great Plague by Pamela Oldfield. 
Eyewitness Tudor by Dorling Kindersley. 
Diver’s Daughter by Patrice Lawrence. 
Ted and His Time Travelling Toilet: Tudor Tangle by Steven Vinacour. 
The Prince, the Cook and the Cunning King by Terry Deary. 
Tudor Tales: the Thief, the Fool and the Big Fat King by Terry Deary. The Great Phoenix of London by Lindsay Galvin
The Great Phoenix of London is a breathtaking historical adventure set in 1666 London. When eleven-year-old Gil is separated from his family during the Great Fire, he discovers that a mysterious stone is, in fact, an unhatched phoenix. Along with his friend Jennet, he must navigate the burning city while protecting the mythical bird. This captivating middle-grade novel blends history, mythology, and science and will appeal to inquisitive 9-12 year olds. For teachers, the Great Fire of London is sure to bring KS2 topic work to life. Highly recommended. Read our full review.
The Actor, the Rebel and the Wrinkled Queen by Terry Deary. 
The Maid, the Witch and the Cruel Queen by Terry Deary. 
The Secret Diary of Thomas Snoop, Tudor Boy Spy by Philip Ardagh. 
First Blood by Jan Burchett and Sara Vogler. 
The Time-Travelling Cat and the Tudor Treasure by Julia Jarman. 
My Friend Walter by Michael Morpurgo. Who Was Christopher Columbus by Baby Professor
Discover who Columbus was and why he sailed into the unknown. Find out where he travelled, who with, and explore the amazing worlds he discovered. This is a useful book that can also be linked to Tudor topics, the Age of Discovery and aspects of world geography.
The Boy and the Globe by Tony Bradman. 
Assassin by Grace Cavendish. 
Lady Mary by Lucy Worsley. 
Eliza Rose by Lucy Worsley. 
Treason by Berlie Doherty. 
The Secret Diary of Henry VIII by Terry Deary. The Queen’s Fool by Ally Sherrick
This atmospheric historical novel will give KS2 children a unique insight into how Cat experienced life at court. This book is ideal to read as a class text and perfect for hot seating and discussing empathy in upper KS2. It’s will also make a great addition to classroom collections of Tudor topic books.
Who Was Henry VIII? by Ellen Labrecque. 
Who Was Queen Elizabeth I? by June Eding. 
Tudors Facts & Jokes by John Townsend. 
The Tudors: Kings, Queens, Scribes and Ferrets! by Marcia Williams. 
The Troublesome Tudors and Sleazy Stuarts by Catrin Stevens. 
Christopher Columbus by Minna Lacey. 
The Gunpowder Plot by Rob Lloyd Jones. 
The Great Fire of London by Susanna Davidson. 
Terrible Tudors by Terry Deary and Neil Tonge. 
Terrifying Tudors by Terry Deary. 
Discover and Do: Tudors by Jane Lacey. 
Tudors by Tony D. Triggs. 
What’s So Special about Shakespeare? by Michael Rosen. 
The Boy, the Witch and the Queen of Scots by Barbara Henderson. 
The Tudors: A Very Peculiar History by Jim Pipe. 
Black Powder by Ally Sherrick. 
Great Events by Gillian Clements. 
Short Histories: Mr Fawkes, the King and the Gunpowder Plot by Tom and Tony Bradman. 
Truth or Busted: The Fact or Fiction Behind The Tudors by Kay Barnham. 
Colouring History: The Tudors by Natalie Grueninger and Kathryn Holeman. 
The World of the Tudors Jigsaw by Elizabeth Norton. Click the buttons below to purchase all of the books in this Tudors and Stuarts book list, as well as class sets of any of these books and many more, from Bookshop.org UK. Or buy the 20 most popular titles from this list from Amazon – ideal for gifts or your classroom library.
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Tudors and Stuarts resources for teachers
- The UK National Archives has a range of free-to-download materials, primary sources, tasks, videos and teachers’ notes about the Gunpowder Plot.
- English Heritage has created a mini-site offering teachers resources, practical ideas, excursion suggestions and activities to support teaching the Tudors and Stuarts.
- Historical Association has created a thorough range of lesson plans and articles covering the Tudors and Stuarts in KS1 and KS2.
- National Geographic Kids offers lively primary resources covering the Stuart period and aimed at KS1 and KS2.
- Historic Royal Palaces has produced a teaching guide and resource pack covering the Gunpowder Plot, including timelines, classroom activities and internet links.
- BBC Teach offers video and audio clips introducing the Tudor monarchs, Tudor music, Tudor drama and Tudor art. There’s also a video mini-site aimed at KS2 looking into aspects of Tudor life.
