National Trust: The Secret Diary of John Drawbridge, a Medieval Knight in Training
Philip Ardagh, Jamie Littler
Subjects
- History Time - blasts from the past
- History Time - blasts from the past
Average rating
The first book in a hilarious and exciting new series, from the winner of the Roald Dahl Funny Prize!
John Drawbridge has moved to Widemoat Castle to learn to become a knight. And there is a LOT to learn. . . How to charge with a lance on horseback without falling off. Why the spiral staircases always go up in a clockwise direction. How to defend the castle against invading parties. Why the plates served at banquets are made of stale bread (and why you shouldn’t eat them…). And much, MUCH more. So it’s no wonder that John decides to keep a diary (even if it is only an imaginary one…) of his time at the castle. Things REALLY liven up when the castle is attacked by an invading Welsh party – but can John foil their plot before it’s too late…?
Perfect for fans of Horrible Histories, filled with amazing facts and historical trivia, with an exciting story and brilliant illustrations, you won’t be able to put this SECRET DIARY down!
Read the other books in the series:
The Secret Diary of Jane Pinny, Victorian House Maid (and Accidental Detective)
The Secret Diary of Thomas Snoop, Tudor Boy Spy
The Secret Diary of Kitty Cask, Smuggler’s Daughter
Reviews
Fantastic
Principal Amazonia Bluebird 02.08.2023
I liked the main character because he always wants to be a real knight
Major Augustus O’Doughnut 23.08.2022
Cool story.
Doctor Tulip Tyrannosaurus 31.08.2021
This book is about a teenager called John Drawbridge who dreams about marrying the beautiful princess in the castle. He is in training to be a knight for his dad (the king). I like it because it's humorous and has lots of jokes. I would definitely recommend this book to children 7-9 years of age.
Earl Flash Costa-Rica 09.08.2021
I liked the book because it was adventurous and fascinating as I learned a lots of new facts. The person I liked the best was John because his was so brave and adventurous and I would recommend it to someone else because the interesting.
Officer Cupcake Shortbread 09.08.2021
I thought it was a bit young for me but I still really liked it. It was historical fiction and my favourite character was. Sir jack olde. I’d recommend it to people a bit younger than me.
Doctor Neptune Pipistrel 29.07.2021
The story was really good, there were lots of pictures to help you imagine the book. It had a happy ending.
Chief Rip Casserole 15.09.2020
It went up to 118 days, but missed some out. I liked it not too much.
Marshal Bruno Dangerous 04.09.2020
extremely boring
Lord Neptune Rollerskate 02.09.2020
Second time I’ve read it and I’ve read the hole collection of them
Coach Beryl Bungalow 24.08.2020
My favourite characted was John Drawbridge because he was quite like me.
General Ice-T Elephant 13.08.2020
John Drawbridge was the best character. I like it when he stopped the attackers from climbing up the toilet.
Inspector Merlin Luther 11.08.2020
It was a very adventurous and funny book and quite easy to read, my favorite character is Cadwallon (the welsh page) as he is slightly gothic like me! I also liked Lightning the horse and Rat the rat I would recommend this book to teachers as class reads who teach 7-10 year olds as it is factual but playful enough to enjoy - overall great read and would recommend
Countess Cupcake Windchime 25.07.2020
This was a really good book, the only thing that rated it down was that it was all written in Old English like thou and thee and speakerth. I liked that it was very informative but also having a good story line. My favourite character was Cadwallon because he liked to joke around a bit like me and he was welsh, like me to.
Anonymous 24.07.2020
It was a funny book and we learn a lot about medieval times. It was about a boy called John Drawbridge who moved to Widemoat Castle and he was training to be a knight. On his 60th day in the castle, the Welsh invaded and they had a big battle. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes history!
King Virgil Jellybaby 16.07.2020
I really enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to any history lovers! It is packed with info on medieval times, without being boring. The story and characters are great, and I had a lot of fun reading this.
Anonymous 13.08.2019
I thought that John was really good because he was a page, who is someone nearly becomes a squire, then a knight. It was a fiction book. I would recommend it to someone who likes stories about knights.
Professor Kangaroo Custard 12.08.2019
This book was good because it was about people training to be knights but Martin, John's friend, was telling his Welsh family when they could attack the castle.
Anonymous 15.08.2017
I like this book because it was interesting finding out about how to become a knight in medieval times. ;)
Anonymous 13.08.2017
It is a good read.
Anonymous 29.07.2017
