Willie, Willie, Harry, Stee by Charlie Higson

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Publication Date: 9 October 2025

💭 My thoughts...

3/5 stars

This was a fun, whistlestop tour through the history of Britain's monarchy; I'd never heard the rhyme the format was based on it, but it was nice to become familiar with it.

I particularly enjoyed the summary of what each monarch is remembered for at the start of each of their chapters, as well as the (at times comical) interpretation of how they died. It added levity right off the bat and made each chapter memorable. Despite having read several books of a similar nature in the past, I managed to learn a few new things from this one, which I really appreciated.

The writing felt a little clunky at times and I believe that, even though this was a whistlestop tour, some of the chapters could have been shorter and still shared the same information. To counterbalance some of this feeling, the illustrations felt well-timed throughout the book and enhanced the sense of fun.

📖 Synopsis...

Charlie Higson uses a rhyme that he was taught in school to give a whistlestop tour of England's monarchy, using illustrations and humour to help make things memorable.