Hi Jo, I really want to start this approach in my school (we have huge classes, so carousel is impossible!) - I don't suppose you have any Year 3 samples of planning and children's work to look at? Daniel: This book is set in ancient Rome. It is narrated by a talking Raven called Corvus, who thinks he is very clever and funny. He is the pet of the main character Perilus, who is the son of the head of the Roman Imperial mint. Perilus’ family are very wealthy; he lives with his dad, mum and sister in a large villa and the family have two slaves. Perilus wants to be a charioteer, much to his father’s disgust because he wants him to head of the Imperial mint like him one day. Perilus is only 11 and likes to get up to mischief which is probably why he wants to be a charioteer, one of the most dangerous jobs in the Roman economy. I really loved this book a lot. My favourite bit is when the trumpets go BLA bla-BLAAAA!! Is it realistic

I enjoyed this book because it is very funny and is written from the perspective of the talking crow Smartimus Maximussus. The crow teaches you about the Romans’ family life, and even a little bit of Latin. Most importantly this book is very entertaining and could be an easy read for ages. I would recommend this book to anyone aged 7 to 11 and would rate it 8 out of 10. To begin with I thought the book was excellent and I couldn’t wait to read more of Jeremy Strong’s books. I really like the fact there is a funny side to the telling of the story as it is told through the eyes of a raven called Croakbag. Jeremy Strong used to be Headmaster to The Diary of Dennis the Menace author, Steven Butler! Steven thanks Jeremy for helping to turn him from a reluctant reader, to an avid reader and finally a writer.I really enjoyed this book because it is really funny and adventurous it makes you want read more and more. I thought that Tiddles the elephant was really cool and was extremely funny. The main character was Croakbag who told the story but was also in it. Croakbag was very clever and also told us a few things to impress your parents. I don't think this book set out to be realistic but it did make me want to read more about the Romans. I wouldn’t have chosen Jeremy Strong but this book has definitely made me think different about this author. I think this book is a really good read aimed at 6 - 10 year olds.

Chariot Champions is a quite short and funny book about a typical family in Ancient Rome. The story is narrated by a snarky and self-obsessed raven who describes the adventures of the family when the father is accused of fraud and arrested, as well as Hysteria and Scorcha (the ex-slave charioteer) and their love affair, as well as Perilus' dream to become a charioteer. Lots of the characters have amusing names - like Hysteria, who always cries, or Fibbus Biggus, the man who accuses the father of fraud. The anachronistic inventions of Maddusbananus the inventor are also funny.I really enjoyed it I thought it was very funny. I liked the crow he was very amusing when he said "give us a biscuit". The history was very good and very realistic it felt like it was wrote as the author was there. It made me want to learn more about chariots and Roman soldiers and has inspired me to look at more books written by this author. Although I liked the book, it didn't make me want to read more by the same author as the actual chariot race was a disappointment. I thought there would be more about chariot races. The race was fun and full of excitement but short! It had funny parts where they saw an elephant. Tai: This book is about someone fulfilling their dreams. This is a story is about a slave boy named Perilus who always wanted to be a charioteer. Who finally got his chance when Scorcha, the greatest charioteer in Rome, got put in jail on the big race day for stealing some goats. Perilus took his place and won the race, so Scorcha could get into the green team: Rome’s greatest chariot team. My favourite part of the story was the excitement of the chariot racing. I enjoyed all the characters in the story but one of my favourite one’s was Perilus because he is an intelligent ,interesting character and I also found the raven interesting because he was the narrator of the story. I would rate this book five stars. There was nothing I didn’t like or there was nothing I would improve about the story. The emperor had announced the biggest chariot racing competition in the whole world but Perilus’ mum and dad are in jail and he has to get them out.

This book is a great read and is really worth reading. My favourite character is the crow who is full of humour my favourite part is when Tiddles the elephant broke a prison wall. The part I liked the least was when the author was talking to a crow from the past. The book would have been better if the author had missed the crow out altogether.This book is extraordinary because it is funny and it makes you see what is happening in your mind. There is lots of fun and adventures to be had. I loved it. We then wanted to understand where the Romans came in the world’s history, so we made a human timeline outside to get our bearings of where the Romans were in history. This book was specifically related to history because of all the events which happened when the Romans arrived, happened in this book. For example, the book explained about chariot racing, how the machines we use now were made and how different our lives are from when the Romans lived. This book did make me want to learn more about this period of history because of the chariot racing. This sport interest me a lot and after you read the book I bet you will be interested too! The history is realistic but not all of it is because the Romans did chariot races but the boy wasn't real.