Good morning all.  A challenge: My humanities (9th grade honors) teacher would like to assign a book which covers world history (no small task!)  He felt that Gombrich's A Little History of the World was too easy a read.  He is open to a thematic approach - Bryson's a Short History of Nearly Everything is more of a science approach.  Any ideas?  They have, in the past, read How the Irish Saved Civilization.  I think he wants to go more broad-