It's 1666 and London is in flames.

This is a story of our narrator Vlad Flea, his friend Boxton the rat and their adventure escaping the Great Fire of London. Their journey shows what life was like in Stuart Britain and what was used to control the inferno. Vlad and Boxton watch as Londoners rescue their belongings in carts and boats and take them to the safety of the fields surrounding the city.
Vlad and the Great Fire of London is a beautifully hand-illustrated story that shows historical artifacts in context. It shows how the fire might have started with open fires and homes filled with natural (and flammable) materials.

Will they escape and where will the end up?

Do you want to know what life was like 360 years ago?
Research shows that stories are many times more memorable than cold facts, which is why we created the Flea in History series, so children learn history through stories.

Each book is meticulously researched and show how people lived in the Stuart period. In Vlad and the Great Fire of London the story features artifacts from museums such as the London Museum and uses information from diaries (by Samuel Pepys and John Evelyn) and records from the National Archives.

Look inside the life of Londoners hundreds of years ago, before electricity and technology changed everything.

Vlad and the Great Fire of London is a story that can be read repeatedly revealing layers of information and providing a resource for learning about history and how we interpret it. As with all Vlad Flea books it is a perfect springboard for extending the topic in literacy, art and beliefs as well as history. Learning materials for parents and teachers can be found on the Reading Riddle website.

The book finishes with a fact file that includes information about the setting, historical objects, and research behind the story.