• Age: 8 to 12
• Grade: 3 to 7
• Reading age: 8 to 12

This fun, quirky, and engaging fully illustrated history anthology features twenty-five amazing and terrifying rulers for middle grade readers to discover.
We've heard of Alexander the Great. We've heard of Ivan the Terrible. But what was so Great about Alexander? What was so Terrible about Ivan? Spanning centuries of history in a culturally diverse framework-from ancient India to nineteenth-century Hawaii, and with a balanced focus on notorious women rulers as well as male, The Great and the Terrible takes a humorous look at some of the most glorious and notorious figures in history through the lens of the nicknames they're remembered by.

While some of the characters mentioned here are more prominent in world history (Cyrus the Great introduced the world's first human rights charter), others are well known only within their own cultures. The Great and the Terrible gives middle-grade readers an opportunity to dip into the breadth of world history, sampling its cultural diversity and its stranger-than-fiction historical exploits, with a mix of the sensational and the serious. It helps to correct the imbalance in many history books that currently only focus on Western Civilization, shining the spotlight on achievements (and foibles) in many different cultures.

Joanne O'Sullivan's profile page

Udayana Lugo was born in Russia, but grew up in Mexico City, Mexico, where she studied product design. She later completed her masters in Italy before life took her back to Mexico, then to the United Kingdom. It was there that she decided to become an illustrator, although she can’t remember a time when she wasn’t drawing. Udayana uses a variety of traditional media in her art, and her sketchbooks smell of hairspray, which she uses to fix her drawings. She currently lives with her husband and two kids in Vancouver, Canada, where she carries a sketchbook with her constantly to draw whatever captures her attention.

Udayana Lugo's profile page

"This amusing, colorful anthology provides an overview of some of history's most beloved and most notorious rulers.... A strong addition to middle school libraries and nonfiction collections for youth."—School Library Journal

"Young people intrigued by the lives of historical figures will devour this."—Booklist

"Broad of scope and chock full of juicy role models and anti-models."—Kirkus Reviews