Totally Chaotic History: Roman Britain Gets Rowdy!

by Greg Jenner, Rikin Parekh (Illustrator), Emma Southon

Think history is just a boring list of facts and dates? Think again! History is hectic, exciting and unpredictable – in fact, it’s absolute CHAOS! Join bestselling author Greg Jenner on a riotously fun journey through Roman Britain, from brilliant beginnings to epic ending. Accompanied by expert Roman historian Dr Emma Southon and with side-splitting illustrations from Rikin Parekh, this whirlwind tour will cover everything you need to know about Roman Britain and show you what it would REALLY have been like to live through hundreds of years of chaotic history. Hold on tight, because, with history, you’ll never believe what happens next!

Genres: History, Nonfiction

176 pages, Paperback

First published October 3, 2024

About the author

Greg Jenner (FRHistS) is a British public historian, broadcaster, and author noted for using comedy and pop culture in his writing and podcasting work. He holds an Honorary Doctorate and Fellowship from the University of York

As well as being the author of seven funny books, for adults and children, he is the creator and host of the chart-topping BBC comedy podcast 'YOU'RE DEAD TO ME', and spent 11 years working as the historical adviser on the multi-award-winning BBC comedy sketch show 'HORRIBLE HISTORIES' and its spin-off movie. He has also hosted numerous other radio, TV, and podcast series (see his website for more).

Greg began writing books for teens and adults, but has recently pivoted back to writing for children, most notably with his 'TOTALLY CHAOTIC HISTORY!' series which he co-writes with expert historians, and is illustrated by Rikin Parekh

GREG'S HISTORY BOOKS FOR ADULTS:
- Ask A Historian: 50 Surprising Answers To Things You Always Wanted To Know (2021)

- Dead Famous: An Unexpected History of Celebrity, From Bronze Age To Silver Screen (2020)

- A Million Years In A Day: A Curious History of Daily Life, From Stone Age To Phone Age (2015)

GREG'S CHILDREN'S BOOKS:
- You Are History: From the Alarm Clock to the Toilet, the Amazing History of the Things You Use Every Day', illustrated by Jenny Taylor

- Totally Chaotic History: Ancient Egypt Gets Unruly, co-written with Dr Campbell Price and illustrated by Rikin Parekh

- Totally Chaotic History: Roman Britain Gets Rowdy, co-written with Dr Emma Southon and illustrated by Rikin Parekh

- Totally Chaotic History: The Stone Age Runs Wild, co-written with Dr Brenna Hassett and illustrated by Rikin Parekh


Greg is an avid user of social media, and can be found on Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook and Threads - come have a chat!

Reviews

[Nicola Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Greg Jenner is a sure fire epic history writer and a man with the talent to bring history to everybody - especially younger audiences. He creates awesome podcasts and awesome books and I’ve been a loyal fan ever since Horrible Histories.

I loved this book as I knew I would and it brings the fun but also the historical knowledge bombs. I also loooved the addition of our resident expert, Emma Southon and their discussions and banter from within the book also made for an entertaining read.

The addition of the ‘Accuracy Alarm’ was great too and introduced the discussion that history isn’t a certainty and a ‘know all’. It can be an easy assumption, especially for younger audiences, to think history and historical accounts are 100% accurate and everything we know is true so it’s a great introduction that there are still things to be debated. Most of what we know are second hand accounts, written many years after they happened or by people who may have their own agendas and interpretations so to have this included in a fun and entertaining children’s history non fiction was great to see.

This is the first I’ve read and I definitely need to go back and read the one before this too and the (hopefully) many after it. I know I’ll love them as much as this one!

You always feel in good hands with Greg Jenner and can guarantee you’ll learn something and have fun with it along the way. So for that reason, it’s a solid recommend for all young readers, budding historical enthusiasts and hardcore history buffs.

Thank you to the authors and publisher for this book on NetGalley in return for my honest thoughts and review.

[Stace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roman Britain Gets Rowdy! is the second book in historian Greg Jenner’s children’s Totally Chaotic History series. If you are looking for a nonfiction book that will capture a child’s attention and have them learning in a fun and amusing manner, then this series is one to pick up, especially as book three is due out next year.

In this book the reader will learn all about the Roman’s and their involvement in British life, from Roman items arriving from Gaul (northern France) and becoming part of life in Britain to Caesar’s badly thought out invasion in 55 + 54BC in which he discovered that the Brit’s are made of stronger stuff than he realised. Ending in 409CE when the Roman’s upped and left the isles.

The book is not only full of factual information; it will also make children laugh out loud with Greg’s funny non-facts throughout (these are corrected by Roman historian Dr Emma Southon). The drawings will also give youngsters a good giggle.

I adored Roman Britain Gets Rowdy! just as much as I did the first book in the series Ancient Egypt Gets Unruly!. Both of these books have taught me more about the Egyptian and Roman eras than my history teacher ever did, or a least Greg makes it easier to understand and gets the information to stick in my brain.

Overall, this is an amazingly informative book that is not only for middle-graders’ it is also for anyone who wants to learn about the Romans or for those studying them and wants a book that makes the information relatable and easy to understand.

[Helene Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like Greg Jenner's previous children's book on Ancient Egypt, I loved this. It's funny, informative, and engaging, and I imagine kids love it because I do! It's brilliantly illustrated and I love the format of Jenner writing it, being interrupted by historian Emma Southon, and interspersed with a chaos meter and funny cartoons by Rikin Parekh.

I love that the book tackles myths, and then discusses what we actually do know - like with Boudica and the discoveries made at digs. It makes it clear that history isn't black and white, that there are lots of grey areas and areas of debate. If kids are reading these books, then they'll stoke their love of history, while giving them an early positive introduction to history more generally.

It's an incredibly engaging read, split across different formats like a historian duel, speeches, message chats, and how-to guides. This means that children can remain engaged throughout and jump in and out, not being expected to read beginning to end as many adults do.

I love all of Greg Jenner's work, for adults and children, but this Totally Chaotic History series can certainly rival Horrible Histories! Engaging, thought-provoking, and brilliant!

[histeriker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This history book for children is great! You don’t only learn about Roman Britain but also about the most important things concerning Roman history in the CE in general. The book is funny but also full of facts , the accuracy alarm is very useful in these cases. I also like that it doesn’t hide the problems of history writing, meaning us not knowing everything and just having some theories which can’t be proven (yet). It shows the young readers the complexity of history but it doesn’t overwhelm you at the same time.
It’s a book I highly recommend!

[Bryan Whitehead · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chaotic indeed, and not just the subject matter. The text flow here is full of static, including frequent interruptions not just for graphics and sidebars but also notes and exchanges between the author and the “expert interruptions.” But because those interruptions are written by Emma Southon – the reason I picked this up to begin with – I won’t complain about them. Overall this is a good if occasionally silly way to learn about the history of the Roman empire’s far northwest edge.

[Joanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in the series that I preview. The last one is about Ancient Egypt. This book contains a lot of fun facts about Roman Britain. The vocabulary used in the book is relatively easy to understand. It is packed with humorous jokes, so it will pique children's interest in the topic.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A surprisingly detailed history of the Roman Empire with a focus on Britain. I LOVED how the book constantly admits to unknowns and points out when the primary sources might be just a tiny bit biased. But also just chock full of information about the people, places and events of the time period, told in a fun and breezy way that will engage readers of all ages.

[A.M. Swink · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well-illustrated, thoughtful, and very fun brief history of Roman Britain from the Iron Age to its abandonment by the Roman Empire in 409 CE. The research is up-to-date, debates among historians are addressed, and it is all packaged in a fun, illustrated format. Very nice reference!

[tamaraonc]

forgot to mark this as read. oops!

[Noah Stanton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally chaotic I loved it and I want to read them all soooooo badly

[Mehsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much fun!

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love these books!

I love Greg Jenner’s books, which are a very accessible way to learn history. These new kids books are also great for adults - I’ve learnt so much! - and are brilliant fun to read. Highly recommended for all Roman and history fans. Can’t wait for the next one, all about the Stone Age!