Book Band: Dark Red - Ideal for ages 10+ An exciting adventure set in revolutionary France which tells the true story of a swashbuckling hero Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, whose mother was an enslaved African woman and whose father was a French noble. Alex is happy living with his brothers and sister on his father's farm on Haiti but his father wants to go back to France and can't afford to take his mixed-race children with him. Soon, Alex must fight for his freedom... and that of France. From a slave on the streets of Port au Prince to a general in the French army, the dramatic true story of Thomas-Alexandre Dumas' life (the inspiration for his son's book The Three Musketeers) is brought to life by award-winning author, Catherine Johnson. Featuring exciting black-and-white illustrations by Rachel Sanson, this book is perfect for children who are developing as readers. The Bloomsbury Readers series is packed with book-banded stories to get children reading independently in Key Stage 2 by award-winning authors like double Carnegie Medal winner Geraldine McCaughrean and Waterstones Prize winner Patrice Lawrence. With engaging illustrations and online guided reading notes written by the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE), this series is ideal for home and school. For more information visit www.bloomsburyreaders.com. 'Any list that brings together such a quality line up of authors is going to be welcomed Bloomsbury Readers are aimed squarely at children in Key Stage 2 and designed to support them as they start reading independently and while they continue to gain confidence and understanding.' Books for Keeps

 

 

This book features in the following series: Bloomsbury, Bloomsbury Readers .

This book has been graded for interest at 10-11 years.

There are 96 pages in this book.

It is part of a reading scheme, meaning that it is a book aimed at children who are learning to read.

This book was published in 2020 by Bloomsbury Publishing PLC .

Catherine R. Johnson is Jamaican/Welsh and is the author of the recently published In Black and White. She lives in London. Rachel Sanson is an illustrator who was born deep in the north of England and is currently living in Manchester. She graduated from the University of Lincoln with a degree in illustration after three years in a little studio perched on the top of a hill. Rachel usually works digitally, incorporating bright colors, patterns, and textures into her work, and strives to come up with big, larger-than-life characters for children's picture book stories. Her biggest influences are all things Halloween and pirate-related, games, film, the woods she grew up next to, and, of course, illustrators from her childhood. Rachel can usually be found in a corner sketching and drinking tea but spends her free time chasing cats, listening to embarrassing music, and watching horror films until the early hours of the morning.