Charles Dickens

by Jim Eldridge

Published 3 September 2012
Build your child's reading confidence at home with books at the right level

Charles Dickens was a famous writer who lived in the 19th century. Discover what life was like for Charles, from spending his childhood working in a factory to finding a job as a law clerk and starting his writing career in this biography by Jim Eldridge.

  • Lime/Band 11 books have longer sentence structures and a greater use of literary language
  • Text type: A biography
  • Pages 30 and 31 present a timeline of Charles Dickens' life, allowing children to recap the events from the book.
  • Curriculum links: Literacy: Information texts.
  • This book has been quizzed for Accelerated Reader.

Blitz Kids

by Jim Eldridge

Published 10 January 2022

Collins Big Cat supports every primary child on their reading journey from phonics to fluency. Top authors and illustrators have created fiction and non-fiction books that children love to read. Levelled for guided and independent reading, each book includes ideas to support reading. Teaching and assessment support and eBooks are also available.

Britain, 1940. The Blitz. For 12-year-old Ellie and her brothers, it's not just about surviving the bombing, it's trying to solve the mystery of the enemy within. Who's attacking local people, and why?

Diamond/Band 17 books offer more complex, underlying themes to give opportunities for children to understand causes and points of view.

Text type: A story with a historical setting

Ideas for reading in the back of the book provide practical support and stimulating activities.

Jim Elridge was born in Camden Town in central London in 1944 during the Second World War. When he was a baby his pram was snatched from his elder sister's hands by a blast from an exploding V2 rocket, and he ended up unharmed (and still asleep) on a pile of rubble. He grew up in this area amid scenes of bomb-damage and devastation, and his memories and the tales of what his parents and elder sister went through during the Blitz have inspired this book, Blitz Kids.