Other cities have burned, but not as frequently or disastrously as London. To understand the impact and impetus fires have had on history, London is a good example. Its early growth as a trading centre led to warehouses packed with combustible merchandise. If trade followed the flag, then fire followed trade.

There had, of course, been other fires, Four Hundred and fifty years before, the city had almost burned to the ground. Yet the signs from the heavens in 1666 were ominous: comets, pyramids of flame, monsters born in city slums. Then, in the early hours on 2 September, a small fire broke out on the ground floor of a baker's house in Pudding Lane. In five days that small fire would devastate the third largest city in the Western world. Adrian Tinniswood's magnificent new account of the Great Fire of London explores the history of a cataclysm and its consequences. It pieces together the untold human story of the Fire and its aftermath - the panic, the search for scapegoats, and the rebirth of a city. Above all, it provides an unsurpassable recreation of what happened to schoolchildren and servants, courtiers and clergyman when the streets of London ran with fire.

Toby has forgotten a delivery for Mr Pepys, but as he sets out across London he sees the sky is full of flames! Hopscotch Histories are brand new stories in historical settings, told in under 400 words, perfect for children who are building up their reading confidence. Carefully controlled text interacts with stunning artwork to help develop visual literacy.