King matt the first (Vintage Publishing)

`Children! I, Matt the First, appeal for your help in carrying out my reforms' Little Matt becomes King Matt when he is just a young boy. He can barely even read or write and he certainly doesn't know anything about governing a country.

What should he do? What would you do? Ignoring his grown-up ministers, he builds the finest zoo in the world and decrees that children should be given chocolate every day. But ruling turns out to be a much trickier business than Matt ever realised.

Can the happiness of a nation depend on one small boy? Well, let's find out... Includes exclusive material: In the Backstory you can discover the life story of the brave author and put your governing skills to the test.

Vintage Children's Classics is a twenty-first century classics list aimed at 8-12 year olds and the adults in their lives. Discover timeless favourites from The Jungle Book and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland to modern classics such as The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

"Unforgettable to the last full stop. One of the great classics" -- Michael Morpurgo, Children's Laureate "Janusz Korczak is an important writer... His message is still relevant today, that children matter; indeed that they should be a priority in our culture, because it's only with a child's imagination that grown-ups can begin to conceive a better world" -- Yann Martel, author of 'Life of Pi' "Absolutely wonderful.

A gripping and classic entertainment from start to shocking finish. Definitely a book for all ages" -- Matt Haig, author of 'The Last Family in England' "The spirit of Korczak, living on, could make a better world for all humans" * Publisher's Weekly * "Droll and melancholy, wry and touching, King Matt is a fable that offers a fierce, truthful picture of children struggling to make sense of grown-up nonsense...

This small masterpiece is a rare tribute to the psychological depth and marvellous workings of a child's heart and mind" -- Maurice Sendak, author of 'Where the Wild Things Are'