The Toby Tucker books
Who’s Toby Tucker
Nobody knows. Even Toby Tucker doesn’t know. But every time he manages to piece together the name of an ancestor on his family tree he actually becomes that person
You don’t have to read the Toby Tucker books in order, but it’s better if you do. Why? If you read them, you’ll find out!
The order is:
Keeping Sneaky Secrets
Seti, like most Egyptian boys, must follow in his father’s footsteps and become a farmer. His cousin, Neb, must become a mummy maker, like his father. But Neb wants to be a farmer, and Seti dreams of making mummies. Perhaps they could teach each other? The only trouble is, their fathers quarrelled years and years ago, and Seti and Neb are absolutely forbidden – at the risk of the beating to end all beatings - to even speak to each other. Time for some secrets!
ISBN: 978-1-4052-1840-5
Dodging the Donkey Doo
Niko’s father hires out donkeys to travellers, or to carry goods. Niko is hired out with them. He gets fed up with all that walking and longs for something better. But their farm is failing and Dad decides the only thing to do is expand the donkey business. Niko is given a very special job for a special person. If he succeeds, the future will be extremely rosy for the family. But if he fails...
He starts off well, but success or failure seem to depend on a little golden-haired girl called Chrysanthe. She seems all right...ISBN: 978-1-4052-2547-2
Sludging through a Sewer
Titus is a slave and he longs to be free. But how can he ever buy his freedom when he owns nothing but a lock of his mother’s hair? A rich lady, a drain and talk of rats all give him an idea, and Titus sets about trying to find little treasures – in Rome’s great sewer. But when his master’s son, Marcus, interferes, Titus is in danger of losing much more than a few trinkets.
Packed with historical detail and yucky facts, this story about Roman sewers is educational but irreverent.
The Independent Ten Best Children's Books for 5-10 year olds.
ISBN: 978-1-4052-1838-2
Mucking about with Monkeys
John Bunn works in the royal menagerie at the Tower of London, looking after King Henry VIII’s wild beasts. He hates his cruel boss, Scrope, but he has to work to earn money to feed his dad, who seems unable to get a job. John Bunn is doomed to a life of shovelling up animal dung. How can he ever escape from the vile Scrope and better himself? Can two little monkeys really help?
ISBN: 978-1-4052-1839-9
Picking People’s Pockets
Alfie Trott wants to be an even better pickpocket than his Pa. But when he makes a dreadful mistake and picks the wrong pocket, he’s forced to leave home and stay with his horrible aunt, Poison Ivy. She’s too much for him, so he goes on the run in Victorian London. How long can he last on his own? And can he stay out of prison?
ISBN: 978-1-4052-1837-5
Hogging all the Pig Swill
It’s wartime and Fred Barrow wants to ‘do his bit’ to help the war effort. But he’s only a kid – what can he do? Eventually, he finds the perfect solution, and not even irritated neighbours or being evacuated will stop him. But little does Fred know that he will end up doing his bit in a way he never dreamed of.
ISBN: 978-1-4052-2548-9