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What It Was Like To Be... series: win all five books

20 November 2025 

Your chance to win a set of these fascinating non-fiction books by award-winning author David Long.

This is your chance to win all five books in the What It Was Like To Be… series, by award-winning author David Long. 

If you’ve ever been curious about what it was like to live in a particular historical period, these are the books for you! 

These super-readable books contain a range of features specifically designed to help dyslexic and reluctant readers.

Enter our competition and you could win:

To be in with a chance, simply answer the question below and leave your details before the closing date of 11pm on Thursday 18 December. Good luck!

  • What it was like to be a Viking

    by David Long, illustrated by Stefano Tambellini 

    2023 9 to 14 years 

    • Around the world
    • Chapter books
    • Historical
    • Non-fiction

    This informative non-fiction book explores different aspects of Viking life, including housing, religion, travel and trade. With short chapters, illustrations and diagrams, it is ideal for dyslexic and reluctant readers.

  • What it was like to be an Ancient Maya

    by David Long, illustrated by Stefano Tambellini 

    2024 9 to 14 years 

    • Around the world
    • Chapter books
    • Historical
    • Non-fiction
    • Dyslexia

    This fascinating and informative book in the What it was like to be… series introduces readers to the ancient Maya, a mysterious civilisation who dominated Central and South America for centuries, until their eventual demise in the sixteenth century.  

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Terms and conditions 

Terms and conditions

Terms and conditions

  1. Participants must be at least 18 years old to enter.
  2. To enter the competition, you must be a resident of England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
  3. The competition is not open to employees (or members of their immediate families) of BookTrust.
  4. Only one entry per person.
  5. Entries must be submitted by 11pm on Thursday 18 December 2025.
  6. There will be one winner selected at random (from all eligible entries).
  7. If a chosen winner does not respond to correspondence within one week, a new winner will be selected.
  8. Our decision will be final, and no correspondence will be entered into.
  9. The prize will not be transferable to another person.
  10. No part of the prize is exchangeable for cash or any other prize.
  11. The prize is run by BookTrust of No. 1 Aire Street, Leeds, LS1 4PR. However, the prize will be sent out by a third party and by entering you acknowledge that your details will be passed on to them, solely for the purposes of administering this competition.
  12. Prizes will be sent out to winners by post. However, BookTrust cannot be held responsible for any prizes lost, damaged or stolen after they have been sent.
  13. Where a third party is supplying a prize, BookTrust accepts no responsibility for inaccuracy of any prize description, and the third party is responsible for prize fulfilment.
  14. By entering you are agreeing to the terms and conditions in our privacy statement.
  15. BookTrust reserves the right to amend the competition end date at any time.
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