The Illinois Chronicles

STARRED REVIEW - “In honor of the Illinois bicentennial, this creative history launches the Chronicles series. Beautifully designed, the pages resemble spreads from a fictional Illinois newspaper and feature “articles” on events ranging from Illinois’ 1818 admittance to the Union to current plans for the state’s 2018 bicentennial celebration. Without trying to be a comprehensive history, the book highlights major events, such as Chicago’s World’s Fairs and the Cubs’ 2016 World Series win, and noteworthy local figures, including Jane Addams, Frank Lloyd Wright, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, and Barack Obama…An elaborately detailed, impeccably organized time line follows the main text; printed on sturdy paper, this accordion-folded addition stretches eight pages, with the time line appearing on one side and an assortment of state facts, places to visit, and famous Illinoisans on the reverse. Significant curricular support is available for educators wishing to add this excellent resource to their classrooms.” * Booklist *

Mark Skipworth is a UK-based author and journalist. He is the recipient of a number of media awards for his investigations as a journalist and news executive at The Sunday Times in London. In recent years he has turned his passion for history and skill at presenting complex narratives to children’s nonfiction. Mark has chaired numerous events at literary festivals around the world, and has written several other nonfiction works, including The Illinois Chronicles. Christopher Lloyd graduated with a double-first class degree in history from Cambridge University. Christopher became Technology Editor with The Sunday Times newspaper in London and is now a bestselling author of more than fifteen books on world history including What on Earth Happened? (Bloomsbury), the series of What on Earth Timeline Wallbooks, Absolutely Everything! and more. He is in great demand as a lecturer and public speaker throughout the world, including at TEDx talks, conferences, educational seminars, museums, festivals and schools.