The Mrs Pepperpot stories have that sense of magic which all the best children’s stories have

A nursery classic

Good Wives is a glorious weep-a-minute...a more complex narrative that follows each of the girls' journeys, real or metaphorical, away from the parental home

So what makes these different to any other set of classics? In a moment of inspiration Random House had the bright idea of actually asking Key stage 2 children what extra ingredients they could add to make children want to read. And does it work? Well, put it this way...my 13-year-old daughter announced that she had to read a book over the summer holiday and, without any prompting, spotted The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas...and proceeded to read it! Now, if you knew my 13-year-old daughter, you would realise that this is quite remarkable. She reads texts, blogs and tags by the thousand - but this is the first book she has read since going to high school, so all hail Vintage Classics!

A sensitive and beautifully observed story . . . our young readers appreciated both the humour and the pathos

Told in the zany, entirely convincing voice of Tracy Beaker herself . . . The strains of communal life with other children, rivalries and friendships and jokes, all spring to life, and Tracy's prose is decorated throughout with cheeky line drawings

These three stories are moving, powerful and enlightening.

Full of convincing local detail.

Dibben expertly captures the sights, sounds and smells of Sweden in the 1790s and all the horror, drama and everyday life of Ancient Rome, even down to the snacks people ate in the street . . . The History Keepers has reminded me why I first started reading teenage fiction again – when it’s done well, as this is, you get proper heroes and villains . . . This series will be devoured by those who are looking for something new post Harry P.

An exciting plot, evil baddies and lovable heroes all add to this exciting page-turner as the History Keepers race around Rome.