The article examines the genre and narrative originality of the Horrible Histories book series; whose key author was educator Terry Deary. His creative work has been poorly studied in Russia and abroad, while in many countries the interest to historical literature for school students is growing. The material for this study comprises books from the series published between 1993 and 2004, as well as works by Russian and foreign critics. For the first time in Russian literary studies, an attempt is made to define the genre of illustrated texts on historical themes aimed at a school audience, which pay considerable attention to the “gory” pages of the past. As a result of the analysis, conducted using systemic, comparative, textual, and linguistic methods, the authors of the article conclude that Horrible Histories possesses features of children’s fictional-educational and instructional literature, and is also in many ways close to the comic book genre. A special place in the books is occupied by an omniscient narrator, who strives to be not a boring instructor but a friend to children and teenagers. In simple language, he recounts both well-known historical events and those not covered in school. The narrator allows himself to criticize teachers who “don’t know everything”, suggesting that the readers test their own mentors. Irony, wordplay, and breaking of stereotypes distinguish Horrible Histories from other educational books. This unconventional approach to presenting material attracts the young audience and motivates it to study history. Deary has found a new format in fiction that meets the youth expectations.