Horrible Histories: Horrible Christmas by Terry Deary

Review by Anna Griffin, aged nine

When you think of Christmas you see Father Christmas, twinkly lights, red and green decorations, Christmas dinner and beautifully wrapped presents in your mind, don't you?

Well I saw all of those things in my mind too, until I read this book and as it turns out, Christmas wasn’t always a time to look forward to!

‘Horrible Christmas’ takes you back in time, revealing the more gruesome side of Christmas Past.

Who would have thought that making mouth-watering Christmas pudding was a crime under the rule of Oliver Cromwell? That Frankincense was traditionally associated with the dead in Roman times? Or, that back in the Tudor times, there were 12 days of Christmas with feasting and celebrations running right through into January and culinary delights such as a stuffed Boar’s Head taking centre stage at the Christmas table!

There were some really weird things that happened back then. As this book is part of the Horrible Histories series by Terry Deary, there are plenty of funny facts as well as the gruesome. These include some terrible cracker jokes that will make you feel like you’re sitting at Christmas dinner with your family.

I really enjoyed reading this book.

It’s very interesting learning about how Christmas has changed and where some of our modern day traditions have come from. I love the fact that Terry Deary has turned something informative into something funny as well. I recommend this book for children aged 8 or over. This book would make the perfect Christmas present for children that love learning about history.

Happy Christmas everyone!