Bright Star books

Spark young imaginations with a brilliant three-book collection that brings history to life through the objects that witnessed it.

Looking for a Christmas gift that does more than flash, beep or demand a fresh set of batteries? We’ve teamed up with The Bright Star Bazaar to give one lucky reader the chance to win its fabulous three-book gift collection, worth £34.99.

Created for children aged five to 10 years, The Bright Star Bazaar offers a wonderfully different way into history. Instead of biographies and timelines, extraordinary stories are told through the objects that were there, turning the past into an adventure.

And what charming storytellers they are. The books give these remarkable historical objects their own personalities and voices, making them feel like characters children can get to know and root for. There’s something particularly magical about seeing history through the eyes of an object that was actually there, whether it’s Houdini’s trusty handcuffs, Agatha Christie’s faithful typewriter or Newton’s famous apple.

The collection includes The Magical Manacles, which explores the astonishing life of Harry Houdini through the handcuffs that traveled the world with him; The Tiny Typewriter, narrated by Agatha Christie’s faithful typewriter; and The Golden Apple, told by the little apple forever associated with Sir Isaac Newton’s discovery of gravity.

Written by technology entrepreneur and father Aldo de Pape, the series blends history, biography and adventure with captivating illustrations by award-winning illustrator Bianca Tulea. Short, character-led stories are designed to encourage children to read, imagine and discover, without making it feel like a history lesson.

The books offer a particularly timely alternative to screen time, too. The series launches during 2026’s National Year of Reading, as families and educators look for new ways to encourage children to read for pleasure and develop a lifelong curiosity about the world around them.

And the idea behind it is simple: give children a story they genuinely want to pick up, fill it with characters they’ll remember, and imagination can do the rest.

For more information, visit brightstarbazaar.com or follow @BrightStarBazaarCo on Instagram.

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