Lawrence, Iszi – The Bell Bookshop

The Domesday Cows

Emma — Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A hilarious tale of hijinks, cows and a well-meaning sister with a comical culture clash between Anglo-Saxons and Normans. From the rising star of children’s historical fiction, Iszi Lawrence, this is the perfect adventure for fans of Emma Carroll and Jacqueline Wilson.

It’s 1086 CE in Anglo-Saxon England and young Nora has learned that her older sister is being forced to marry a Norman. How can she prevent this from happening? By hiding her father’s cattle to make their family appear poor, of course!

But when the Norman arrives, Nora’s sister immediately takes a fancy to him. Will Nora be able to get the cattle back before all is lost? Join Nora on this exciting adventure filled with sneaking around and secret plans to find out if she gets caught…

The cursed tomb

Emma — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

A thrilling adventure of curses, myths and legends set in ancient Egypt, perfect for fans of Emma Carroll and Horrible Histories.

It’s 1249 BCE in ancient Egypt and eleven-year-old Henut is sceptical of just about everything, even the gods. But a mysterious break-in, an unsettling dream and a strangely familiar shadowy figure lead her into a dangerous quest she could never have imagined. Will she really venture into a tomb in the Valley of Kings? She might not have a choice?

Packed with real historical details of the rule of Pharaoh Rameses II, mummification, hieroglyphs, historical figures and the pyramids of Giza, this page-turning thriller about the myths and magic of ancient Egypt will have readers gripped.

City of spies

Emma — Thu, 04 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

—————A thrilling spy adventure set in New York during the American revolution. From the rising star of children’s historical fiction, Iszi Lawrence, this is the perfect high-action adventure for fans of Horrible Histories, Emma Carroll and Hamilton. —————It’s 1780 and the struggle for American independence is raging. In New York, twelve-year-old Aiden Blaise is sure that the British will win soon. How can a few rebel colonies hold out against the might of the British crown? And anyway he’s more concerned with somehow managing to rise above his lot in life and make his fortune. But New York is a powder keg of soldiers and spies, and soon Aiden will be drawn into the fight for freedom in a way he could never have predicted…Packed with historical detail and tales of the Culper Spy Ring, Benedict Arnold, James Rivington and George Washington, this page-turning thriller about the American War of Independence will have young readers gripped.

Scientists and stripy socks

Emma — Thu, 13 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000

A page-turning, laugh-out-loud historical adventure by comedian and podcaster Iszi Lawrence, perfect for fans of Horrible Histories.Time flies when you’re having fun. But what does it do when you’re not?Sunil and his extraordinary Auntie Alex are back for another hilarious adventure as they whizz through time. But Auntie Alex’s time machine has started behaving strangely and using it has become even more unpredictable and dangerous than ever. From the dark and gloomy heights of the Tower of London to the tropical Galápagos islands, will Sunil and Alex be able to get home? And can they avoid the sinister Mr Shaykes and his pet kiwi?! _______________The Time Machine Next Door is an exciting new series of quirky historical chapter books for readers aged 7-9. Written by comedian, podcaster and children’s author Iszi Lawrence, these books bring lesser-known parts of history to life with hilarious plots, real-life characters, fascinating facts and fantastic illustrations._______________

The Time Machine Next Door: Explorers and Milkshakes

Emma — Thu, 13 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000

A page-turning, laugh-out-loud historical adventure by comedian and podcaster Iszi Lawrence, perfect for fans of Horrible Histories.Time flies when you’re having fun. But what does it do when you’re not? Sunil is bored. Very bored. Whilst home alone, he accidentally breaks his grandfather’s most prized possession and must scramble for a way to fix it. Alex, his eccentric next-door neighbour, has an unusual solution to his problem – a time machine! Soon, Sunil is visiting the freezing, icy depths of Antarctica as a stowaway on a stranded ship and the heart of London to meet famous astronauts – all while trying to stay away from a mysterious man with a particularly suspicious pet kiwi?_______________ The Time Machine Next Door is an exciting new series of quirky historical chapter books for readers aged 7-9. Written by comedian, podcaster and children’s author Iszi Lawrence, these books bring lesser-known parts of history to life with hilarious plots, real-life characters, fascinating facts and fantastic illustrations._______________

Blackbeard’s treasure

Emma — Thu, 05 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000

A riveting pirate tale set in the eighteenth century during the golden age of piracy in the Caribbean, perfect for fans of Emma Carroll and Jacqueline Wilson.It’s 1718: pirate ships sail the oceans and brutal slave masters control the plantations. Eleven-year-old Abigail Buckler lives with her father in the Caribbean. Her clothes are made of finest muslin so she can’t play in them, not that there’s anyone to play with anyway. She isn’t even allowed to go out alone. But when pirates attack Abigail’s life will change forever. Suddenly her old certainties about right and wrong, good and bad start to unravel. Maybe Abigail doesn’t have to be so ladylike after all?Packed with historical detail about the Atlantic slave trade, the ravages of empire and human cost of providing luxuries like sugar, cotton and tobacco to Europe, Blackbeard’s Treasure is a page-turning, swashbuckling adventure which takes a look at the real pirates of the Caribbean.

Billie Swift Takes Flight

Emma — Thu, 02 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0000

The story of WWII starring the brilliant pilots you’ve never heard of… the women of the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) who battled against the odds to get the air force’s planes to the front lines. This coming-of-age tale is perfect for fans of Emma Carroll, Michael Morpurgo and Hilary McKay.October, 1942. When twelve-year-old Billie is out exploring with her pet chicken, she sees a plane crash into a field and is left wondering if the pilot even survived. Determined to find out more, Billie finds a way into the ATA – a group of amazing pilots who defy the odds to get planes from the factories to the front lines – and her life changes for ever. Some of the pilots are men who are too old, or too injured for the air force. But many more are women. Intrepid, inspiring women who show Billie what she might grow up to become.With missions including ferrying turkeys over from Ireland and flying unfamiliar, broken planes, Billie is desperate to help. But piloting fighter planes could turn out to be more than she bargained for…

Unstoppable Letty Pegg

Emma — Thu, 06 Feb 2020 00:00:00 +0000

_______________A brilliant debut historical adventure from writer and comedian Iszi Lawrence, perfect for fans of Emma Carroll, The Princess and the Suffragette, and Opal Plumstead. _______________The story of the suffragettes with the Jiu Jitsu and roller-skating left in… this impeccably researched debut novel from Iszi Lawrence shows the fight for women’s suffrage as it really was. Lettice Pegg’s father is a working-class policeman and her mother is a middle-class suffragette. Stuck between them (and her terrifying grandma) as they argue, Lettice mostly cares about trying to fit in at school and convincing her parents to let her have roller skates and go to the music hall. But, when Lettice sees her mother brutally thrown to the ground by a policeman while on a protest march, her life changes forever. Not all of the women on the march are vulnerable to attack. Some of them have a secret weapon: Jiu Jitsu.As the suffragettes welcome Lettice to the fight back, things at home go from bad to worse. Can Lettice bring her family back together and keep her new friends?_______________‘Thoroughly recommended’ – Books for Keeps‘A superb read’ -The Reading Realm