Age 9+

This book was written for children in 1926. Its Polish author was an educator who later ran an orphanage in the Warsaw ghetto. When his charges were sent to Treblinka in 1942, he refused to leave them and went with them to his death. His novel treats children’s attitudes with unusual seriousness, but without distorting the truth of their behaviour. It concerns a boy who becomes king at 12 and does his best to run the country, introducing a children’s parliament and child-friendly measures such as distributing free chocolate. King Matt’s rule is, however, not as much fun as youngsters might expect. The burdens of state are heavy, the world is full of self-interest, and taking responsibility for others is exhausting. Matt has first to avoid and then to orchestrate wars, and his every decision has problematic outcomes. Still, he has an adventurous life, travelling and making friends with an African king. With hindsight, Matt’s attitude to race is hugely incorrect, but in its time it was avant-garde, not least because of his affection for the king’s capable daughter. Challenging in its detailed exploration of cause and effect, and of strategy and diplomacy, this remarkable period curiosity still invites children to think for themselves.

(Vintage £6.99)

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