Charles Darwin

Find out why Darwin's On the Origin of Species changed both science and society and explore his life story, from his early investigations of the natural world and his voyage on the HMS Beagle, to the publication of his great work.

Darwin astounded the world with his theory of evolution but some people were angry that his ideas challenged traditional ideas and those set out by the church. Through his story readers learn about the society and culture of Victorian Britain. Looking at Darwin's discoveries and the events of his life, we learn about the changing ideas in British society between 1745-1901, and the impact that his ideas had on the church and state. Readers will learn to draw conclusions from the evidence provided - a great basis for class discussions.

The History VIP series of biographies look at the lives of famous Britons, telling their life stories and how they have shaped the course of history. Focusing on key subjects in the history curriculum for Key Stages 2 and 3 they explore the impact of exceptional figures in history and the society and culture in Britain at the time that they lived.

Other titles in the series include: Boudicca; Emmeline Pankhurst; King John; Mary Anning

Kay Barnham was born in Barrow-in-Furness, grew up in Carlisle, went to college in Brighton, and lived in Hove for a while, before sailing for Kinsale, Co Cork, popping back to Hove and then moving to the New Forest with her husband and daughter. And never at any point has she lived more than ten miles from the sea. She began working in children's publishing in 1992. She was an editor first of all, working on illustrated non-fiction and learning fun facts like how long it would take to walk to the moon - nine yearsA - and how to spell palaeontology. Next, she commissioned fiction titles, editing picture books, storybooks and novels. And then she got the chance to write her own books, which she thinks is quite the best job ever. Except possibly being a chocolatier. She writes non-fiction as Kay Barnham. Her specialist subjects include ice-skating, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, lightning, fairies, Roald Dahl, Sir Isaac Newton, Christmas, dolphins, Florence Nightingale and very bad cracker jokes. And chocolate.She also writes fiction as Kay Woodward, including the Skate School series for Usborne and the novels Jane Airhead and Wuthering Hearts for Andersen Press. Altogether, she's written about a hundred books. Her favourite colour is navy blue. Her favourite chocolate is 85% cocoa solids.