The Great Fire of London: Was it inevitable?

Collins Big Cat supports every primary child on their reading journey from phonics to fluency. Top authors and illustrators have created fiction and non-fiction books that children love to read. Book banded for guided and independent reading, there are reading notes in the back, comprehensive teaching and assessment support and ebooks available.


The Great Fire of London spread faster than anyone could stop it. What caused the fire? Why did it spread? Discover the facts and read eyewitness accounts to work out the answers to these questions.


Lime Plus/Band 11+ books provide challenging plots and vocabulary as well as opportunities to practise inference, prediction and reading stamina.


Pages 46 and 47 allow children to re-visit the content of the book, supporting comprehension skills, vocabulary development and recall.


Ideas for reading in the back of the book provide practical support and stimulating activities.


Liz Miles’ interest in London began with family day-trips to tourist hotspots like the British Museum and the Tower of London. Later, inspired by Charles Dickens’ classics and  Samuel Pepys’ diary, she began to research more about life in London’s past, and soon discovered countless mysteries and fascinating, unanswered questions.