Books in You Wouldn't Want to Be series

You are a crew member building a new skyscraper called the Empire State Building.This interactive series will enthrall young and reluctant readers (Ages 8-12) by making them part of the story, inviting them to become the main character. Each book uses humorous illustrations to depict the sometimes dark and horrific side of life during important eras in history. This book offers a humorous look of the life of a crew member building a new skyscraper called the Empire State Building while doing different jobs such a wrecker, catcher for a riveting gang, and sky boy.

In 17th-century England, a scientific revolution is under way.This interactive series will enthrall young and reluctant readers (Ages 8-12) by making them part of the story, inviting them to become the main character. Each book uses humorous illustrations to depict the sometimes dark and horrific side of life during important eras in history. Scholars are pushing back the boundaries of mathematics and unlocking the secrets of the universe. And the greatest of them all is Isaac Newton-a secretive, obsessive man with few friends, who is destined to change for ever the way we look at the world.

Do you think being a Roman gladiator seems glamorous? Think again! At gladiator school, you'll be taught to fight, kill, and die in a suitably sporting manner to entertain the Roman crowds. If you survive, you could become a hero - but don't count on it. This title in the popular You Wouldn't Want to Be series features full-colour illustrations which combine humour and accurate technical detail. Featuring brand new extra content including a timeline, fun facts a list of 'top' characters and a map.

What would happen if there were no bees in this world? It would be a disaster!This series takes readers (Ages 8-12) on a historical journey, examining how people coped in the past and how they developed ingenious ways to make life safer and less unpleasant. Each book features full-color cartoon-style illustrations and hilarious speech bubbles to heighten interest, making the series attractive even to reluctant readers.Without bees, we would, of course, have no honey. But we'd also lose a lot of other foods and useful products like cotton produced by plants that bees pollinate. Around half the fruit and vegetables in our supermarkets would disappear! Not only that, we would also lose the animals that eat these plants, and the animals that eat those animals! Some people are scared of bees, but there's rarely any need to be. Bees will sting in self-defence, but usually they don't disturb humans. Yet we need them. As far as important species are concerned, bees are at the top of the list - you really wouldn't want to live without them!

As a man brought up a British coal-mining village in the 1860s, you have to endure the dangers and difficulties of working underground in a Victorian mine. Learn how to get by with a succession of 'Handy hints' such as not forgetting to take a canary down the mine with you. Find out how pit ponies are used, how the coal is mined, and how to survive deep underground. You'll soon learn that you really wouldn't want to be a Victorian miner! This title in the popular You Wouldn't Want to Be series features full-colour illustrations which combine humour and accurate technical detail. Featuring brand new extra content including a timeline, fun facts a list of 'top' characters and a map.

Will you survive this arduous voyage in a fragile open boat?This interactive series will enthrall young and reluctant readers (Ages 8-12) by making them part of the story, inviting them to become the main character. Each book uses humorous illustrations to depict the sometimes dark and horrific side of life during important eras in history. It is the late 10th century, and you are one of a hardy band of young adventurers who plan to sail all the way from Scandinavia to Vinland in North America.

Without coding, all the computers in the world would just be useless boxes of plastic and metal. You could feed information into them, but they wouldn't know what to do with it.This series takes readers (Ages 8-12) on a historical journey, examining how people coped in the past and how they developed ingenious ways to make life safer and less unpleasant. Each book features full-color cartoon-style illustrations and hilarious speech bubbles to heighten interest, making the series attractive even to reluctant readers.Coding means creating a set of instructions (or algorithms) that tells a computer how to perform a task. Another word for coding is "programming." Learn about how much we rely on coding in our daily lives to control things such as smartphones and laptops, kitchen appliances, weather forecasts, traffic lights, heating systems, elevators, cars, and the greenhouses where our food is grown.