Secrets of a Sun King: ‘THE QUEEN OF HISTORICAL FICTION’ Guardian: 1

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I felt drawn into her world at once, and her characters are likeable, even though one of them is a bit on the Mr Exposition side. Somehow that all does work perfectly, due to artful weaving by Emma Carroll, who rightfully owns the title "Queen of Historical Fiction".

The book covers themes of family, friendship class and prejudice would could link well not only with history lessons but also with PSHE.I met her a few months before this book was published and she told me a little about her process for writing this book and how deadlines were helpful for her, which was really inspiring for me.

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There is also a thread about families and secrets that weaves through the story which adds to the mystery.

Children will adore both the characters and the plot of this terrific novel, which is superbly written and quick-paced. Usually with most history books, I stop halfway through but with this book Secrets of a Sun King it had history mixed with a suspenseful plot! With the help of some new friends, Lilian uncovers the secrets of the jar and its connection to Tutankhamun, the famous boy king of Egypt who died while still very young, and his incredible friendships with his two best friends.This book always had something going on and moved at a very good pace – something was always happening but the author never quickly skipped over something to move on to something else. The time period that it was set in (1912) was very interesting and showed what it was like in 1912 in both England and Egypt.