The Assassins of Rome, by Caroline Lawrence
Reviewed by Jon C.
The Assassins of Rome tells the journey of Jonathan Ben Mordecai on a quest find his long lost mother. The book follows two intertwining stories, one of Jonathan and one of a trained assassin. It starts on Jonathan birthday just after the most famous eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 71 CE. His friends Flavia, Nubia and Lupus were giving presents to him. One of the presents is from a man named Felix who Jonathan had helped. It is lemon blossom perfume, which makes Jonathan sad and he doesn't know why. His father says it was because Jonathan's mother, who died when Jonathan was a baby, always wore lemon blossom perfume. Then there is a knock on the door. It is soldiers saying that they had information on a man who is tall, about thirty, with a beard and long frizzy hair. His name is Simeon Ben Jonah and he is thought to be a deadly assassin.
Jonathan had always wondered why his mother died. He knew she was caught in the siege of Jerusalem during the destruction of the Second Temple, but
Jonathan didn't know why she didn't come with the family out of Jerusalem. He always had a feeling that it was his fault. Soon after, Jonathan heard his father talking with a man. Jonathan's father was saying how he should've insisted that his wife come with them out of Jerusalem. Then the other man said, "It wasn't your fault. She had already made up her mind to stay, because of Jonathan." Jonathan looked closer and saw that the man was Simeon, the assassin. Jonathan screamed and head-butted Simeon in the chest. Jonathan's father Mordecai yelled, "Stop, Jonathan, he's your uncle." Simeon then explained how he is not an assassin and how he has an important message for Emperor Titus, even though he hated Titus for destroying Jerusalem.
That night Jonathan talks to Simeon. Jonathan asks about his mother and tells Simeon that he had a dream that she was alive and weaving in a cave. Simeon then told Jonathan what he was actually doing while sending a message to Emperor Titus. The next morning, lying on Jonathan's bed was Jonathan's wax tablet. In
Hebrew, the tablet read, "Gone to Rome, please..." and the rest was unreadable. In order to find out what happens next you'll have to read the book. The book kept you reading and never gave too much away, but gave enough away that you didn’t get bored and stopped reading. It described everything in great detail and painted a picture in your mind. I give this book a 4/5 for those reasons. I really enjoyed the book and would recommend it.
The Assassins of Rome, by Caroline Lawrence
Reviewed by Maya L. The Assassins of Rome, by Caroline Lawrence, is about Flavia Gemina and her three friends, Nubia, Lupus, and Jonathan. Flavia Gemina is a sea captain’s daughter; Nubia is a girl from Africa who was Flavia’s slave until Flavia freed her; Lupus is a mute boy; and Jonathan is a Jewish-Christian boy. This book takes place in Rome and Ostia, during September, C.E. 79. The foursome are celebrating Jonathan’s birthday when officials warn them about assassins, and Jonathan’s Uncle Simeon, who is believed to be an assassin, arrives. Later, a wax tablet saying, “Gone to Rome”, is found, and Jonathan disappears along with Simeon. The next thing we know, Jonathan is on a mission in Rome to find a family member who was thought to be dead, Flavia and Nubia have gone after him, and Lupus and Aristo, the four friends' tutor, have gone, too. I would give this book a four-star rating, because a lot was going on, and the story itself was interesting, even though it had a slow beginning.
The Assassins of Rome, by Caroline LawrenceReview Reviewed by Zachary M. The story, The Assassins of Rome, is about the main character, Jonathan, going to Rome with his uncle to see if his mother is alive. But his uncle was part of an assassin group that wants to kill the emperor, and they end up in jail. Meanwhile, Jonathan’s friends, Flavia and Nubia, are in Rome looking for him. Jonathan’s sister, Miriam, and another one of his friends, Lupus, are taking care of the households of Jonathan’s friends, and also taking care of Jonathan’s father, Mordechai. This story takes place in ancient times, and all of the facts are based on ancient artifacts from Rome that is still here from that time. Jonathan is a smart, Jewish teenager. Flavia is an intelligent, curious, teenage girl. Nubia used to be a slave girl to Flavia, but they’re friends now. Lupus is a fast, toungeless, eight-year old. Miriam is a beautiful, Jewish, caring, girl. Mordechai is a Jewish doctor, father of Jonathan and Miriam. Aristo is a Greek tutor, and is in love with Miriam. When Jonathan’s uncle got to Rome, Mordechai was accused of holding an assassin in his house, so he was sent to jail. I would give this book a four star rating, because it is a very good book, but it didn’t pull me into it until the middle.
The Assassins of Rome, by Caroline LawrenceReviewed by Helen R The Assassins of Rome is the fourth book in a series about four young friends and their adventures in ancient Roman times. Jonathan, the main character, is a Jew whose family follows Jesus. Lupus is a boy who unfortunately had his tongue cut out. Flavia is Jonathan’s next door neighbor and friend. And last, but not least, of the four main characters, is Nubia. She is Flavia’s former slave girl who was let free, and is now her friend. In this book, Jonathan travels to Rome with his uncle Simeon, who is thought by most to be a vicious assassin. They go in an attempt to find his long-lost mother, whom Jonathan had never met, but still felt a strong connection to. Meanwhile, his friends back in Ostia believe that he is in danger because they believe that Simeon, the assassin, had kidnapped him and was going to kill him. The friends eventually travel to Rome in hopes to save Jonathan before it is too late. The story takes place in Rome about ten years after the destruction of the second Beit Ha-mikdash in 70 CE. In this time, people used a wax tablet to write, by scratching their message out in the wax. To travel comfortably people would hire a litter, which is a box with couches in it carried by four men. Overall, the times were nothing like they are today. They were much more harsh and primitive. People suffered through long wagon or litter rides, through hot weather, for distances that would now only take a fraction of the time to go by car. Communication was limited, except for letters and talking face to face. Now, the whole situation in the book could be avoided, because people are almost always in touch due to new technology. I would give The Assassins of Rome a three out of five-star rating. It had an interesting plot, but I found that it was not written very well. I didn’t like that it was so predictable, although I did like the action and the description. I would recommend this book to a friend, because it is interesting and informative.
The Assassins of Rome, by Caroline Lawrence Mysterious, misleading, and wonderful, Roman Mysteries is a series of 18 books. The fourth book, The Assassins of Rome, is about four children's different adventures leading them all to the same place, the Golden House of the Emperor Nero. They go there looking for Jonathan, their friend who mysteriously vanished. They don’t know why but suspect abduction or a quest to find his mother. The four main characters are Flavia, the twelve-year-old brilliant and kind-hearted daughter of sea captain Marcus Geminus; Jonathan, the twelve-year-old pessimistic escapee from Jerusalem; Nubia, the ten-year-old gentle and loyal slave; and Lupus, the ten-year-old brave and clever mute. The setting is in Ostia near Rome, in A.D. 79. Along the way the children encounter family, friends and danger every step they take. At the end of the road they face assassins and find a heart wrenching discovery while doing so. This book deserves a four out of five star rating because of the wonderful characters, plot and surprising ending. By Allison G.
The Assassins of Rome By: Caroline Lawrence
In AD79, Ostia was the place where Jonathan and his friends were living. His friends were Nubia, Flavia and Lupus. Simeon and Miriam were Jonathan’s uncle and sister. Mordecai and Susannah were his dad and mom. Jonathan was celebrating his birthday with Nubia, Flavia, and Lupus. Jonathan was explaining to them how everything bad happens on his birthday. As they were about to eat dinner, Jonathan’s Uncle Simeon arrived and told the story of Jonathan’s mom in Jerusalem. The next day Jonathan and his uncle were missing. Miriam and Jonathan’s friends found a wax tablet with a note from Jonathan written on it. Most of the message was melted so they could only read part of it. The message said, “Gone to Rome…Please…”. Flavia, Nubia, Miriam, and Lupus went to Rome to search for Jonathan. While they were in Rome, Jonathan and Uncle Simeon searched for Susannah. Jonathan and Uncle Simeon got caught by the guards because they were trespassing. Jonathan became a slave in the Golden House, and Uncle Simeon got taken away. Flavia, Nubia, Lupus, and Miriam went to the Golden House to find Jonathan. While they were there, they found the Assassins of Rome. The friends need to kill the assassins before any more madness happens. I would give this book 4 ½ stars because it was a little slow in the beginning. As I kept reading, the plot got better and a lot more interesting. In the end, I did not want to put the book down. I just wanted to keep reading.
By: Max F.
The Assassins of Rome, By Caroline Lawrence
I hope after you read this review you will also read this book. This is an action and mystery book that will make you read the next chapter. The main characters are a boy named Jonathan, a girl named Flavia, who helps Jonathan, Nubia a slave, Lupus a boy with no tongue, Mordecai, Jonathan’s father, Susannah, Jonathan’s mother, Titus, the emperor or Rome, and Simeon, Jonathan’s uncle. This story takes place a few months after a volcanic eruption destroyed the city of Pompeii in 79 C.E. It takes place in ancient Rome and a small city called Ostia. It all started out when Jonathan said, “Every time I have a birthday something bad always happens.” Later that day the mayor said to Mordecai, “An assassin is coming here. Do you have any enemies?” and Mordecai said “No.” Then Jonathan finds his father talking with somebody who said, “Jonathan is why your wife didn’t come with you.” Jonathan realizes that it is the assassin because he matches the description of him. After Jonathan attacks the assassin, his father says it is his Uncle Simeon. Later in the story Jonathan goes to Rome with his uncle to find Jonathan’s mother. Once Flavia, Nubia and Flavia’s mentor find out where they are going, they also head to Rome. In a rental apartment, Simeon tells Jonathan that he will pretend to be a musician so they can talk to the emperor. In the emperor’s Golden House a person talks to Simeon in Hebrew he responds in Hebrew and gets caught. Jonathan becomes a slave for being a Jew and Simeon is sent to have his eye gouged out. Flavia, Nubia, Lupus and Aristo get into the Golden House and start looking for Jonathan. Meanwhile, Jonathan finds a girl who shows him where his mother is. I give this story four stars because it has a lot of action and mystery and its chapters are short. The book is short too, with only 150 pages.
By Amos E.
Assassins of Rome, by Caroline Lawrence This book is about Jonathan and his friends celebrating Jonathan’s birthday when a visitor arrives to see Jonathan’s father. The visitor is Jonathan’s Uncle Simeon, who people believe is an assassin. The next day Uncle Simeon disappears with Jonathan. Jonathan is Jewish. His personality is always expecting the worst. He was a few months old when he, his sister, and his father fled Jerusalem. Within months, Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans. His mother did not want to escape according to Jonathan’s father. His father thinks it’s Jonathan’s fault his mother died because she sacrificed her life for him. Lupus is one of Jonathan’s friends. He is mute, so he writes on a wax tablet to tell people what he wants to say. He has a temper if people upset him and he will run off and disappear for days. Nubia and Flavia are also Jonathan’s friends. Nubia was a slave for sale in Ostia. Luckily, Flavia bought her. Flavia and Nubia are like sisters. Nubia’s personality is gentle, kind, loyal, and brave. Flavia is very smart and kind-hearted. She hates not knowing things and she is interested in mysteries. They are all best friends. They live in A.D. 79, in Ostia, Rome. The three friends try to find out where Jonathan and his uncle are going. The journey takes them to the Golden House of Emperor Nero, where a deadly assassin is at work, and they are face to face with the terrible destruction of Jerusalem. Meanwhile, Jonathan is trying to find out if his mother is really alive. My book rating is four out of five stars because it was a very good book but the mystery could have been more interesting. Alex W.
The Assassins of Rome, Caroline Lawrence Reviewed by Josh B. In the book, The Assassins of Rome, Jonathan and his Uncle Simeon escape to Rome to find Jonathan’s mother who had been captured. Flavia and Nubia go into Rome in a truck full of oranges to help Jonathan find his mother. Meanwhile, Aristo and Lupus are on their way to Rome and bring the things that Mordechai needs in jail. What Jonathan doesn’t know is that he is traveling in Rome with an assassin, who was assigned to murder his mother along with two other men. This was a very thrilling book. I would rate it 5 stars. I would recommend this book for kids in middle school to read because of the language used, and the complexity of the story. This book really kept my stuck in its ideas and really made me want to know what would happen when I turned the page.
The Beggar of Volubilis, by Caroline Lawrence
Reviewed by Aaron H.
Camels, hot deserts, skeletal bodies, slave traders, beggars, leopards, and pantomime dancers are just a few obstacles that Flavia and her three friends encountered along their adventurous journey from Ostia to Volubilis in 81 AD. The four young friends, all from very diverse backgrounds, set out to find an emerald, Nero’s Eye, and Flavia’s missing Uncle Gaius. What was supposed to be an uneventful mission turned into utter confusion and chaos when their boat sailed off without them, which caused them to run out of money and lose their possessions. Emperor Titus entrusted these four youngsters to return the emerald to Rome so that he could rule the Roman Empire. Will the children find the emerald? Middle school children who are interested in Roman times and following children on dangerous and mysterious adventures would enjoy reading this book. The bond between the children shows the importance of friendship, loyalty and devotion to family throughout the many challenges along the way. However, it would be best to begin with volume 1 in the series, since starting with volume 14 does not allow you to fully grasp the characters’ identities and relationships. It became quite confusing in the beginning when the author started saying all of the many characters' names. Overall, I liked the book and I would give it 3 stars out of 5 because the plot became boring at times and the book dragged on through many chapters. However, I liked the book because of the theme that existed throughout the text. The theme of family devotion was evident from the start of the book when Flavia set out to find her uncle, and how the children never left each other during the many months of traveling to Volubilis.
The Charioteer of Delphi,by Caroline Lawrence
The Charioteer of Delphi is a mystery about horse racing. The four children in the Roman Mysteries series, Flavia, Nubia, Jonathan, and Lupus, receive news that a prize racehorse named Sagitta has gone missing, and there is a reward of one hundred thousand sesterci for finding the horse. Unlike most of the Roman Mysteries, the mystery is solved quickly. Sagitta is discovered tied to a temple after a beggar tells them where to find him. But when the races begin, something strange ensues. That same beggar gives the four children a curse tablet that he found, and at the races, the doom specified by the curse tablet settles over the ones that it named. Who would do such a thing? And why? The children are determined to find out…
I liked this book because it has an even more complex plot than most of the Roman Mysteries. It has a many-part story, instead of the usual one or, occasionally, two. It is a very fast read as it is very engaging, though at times it is confusing. It also has the benefit of opening up to a surprising and (almost as surprisingly) interesting topic: horse racing as a competitive sport in Rome. I would rate it 4.5 stars, because it was a very good book, though many elements of the perfect book, such as the chase or the battle, were missing. (To find a book that has almost all of the elements of a perfect book and yet is still not entirely wonderful, look to The Horse and his Boy, fiction by C.S. Lewis.)
By Avi Z.
The Charioteer of Delphi, by Caroline Lawrence
This story takes place during the time of the Roman Empire. Flavia, Lupus, Jonathan and Nubia are in Rome celebrating the festival of Jupiter at the town house of Senator Cornix. Flavia Gemina is the daughter of Marcus Flavius Geminus a Roman sea captain. She embarks on thrilling adventures with her three friends, Jonathan, Nubia and Lupus. She is 12 years old and was born in Ostia, the port of Rome. Her family is only her and her dad. Jonathan ben Mordecai is Flavia's next door neighbor. His hobbies are keeping Flavia out of trouble, hunting, making things and collecting jokes. He is twelve years old and was born in Jerusalem. His family consists of Mordecai ben Ezra (father) and Miriam bat Mordecai (sister). Nubia was born in a desert country called Nubia, south of Egypt. When she was still young, slave-traders came in the night and took her in chains. She is twelve years old and thinks her family is dead. Lupus’s name means 'wolf'. He is a bit wild, like a wolf. For a long time he lived alone in the graveyard outside Ostia, begging or stealing what he needed. He is ten years old. He was born on Symi, a Greek island, and doesn’t like talking about his family. He is mute, which means he cannot speak. He is sneaky, crafty, brave and clever. He is good at spying on people and eavesdropping on them. He is learning how to read and write and it's very useful to him. Now he takes his wax tablet with him everywhere so he can communicate with his friends.
Once the gang arrives in Rome they hear that a famous racehorse has gone missing a few days before very important events at the Circus Maximus. Not only does this horse go missing but other horses also go missing and during the races it seems the Greens are cursed and many of them are very hurt, some even killed. The Greens are one of the four horse racing factions of ancient Rome: White, Blue, Red and Green. They compete for lots of money and fame. With a new companion, Scopos, the group must figure out who stole the horse before the races start, and who is causing the curse.
I think this is a decent book; I give it 3 stars because it wasn’t that interesting for me. I would recommend it to people who like horse racing.
By Ofek.P
The Charioteer of Delphi, by Caroline Lawrence
The Charioteer of Delphi will take you on another adventure in ancient Roman times. This book is one out of the many in the series. In this book, Flavia, a regular Roman girl of 12 years old; Lupus, a tongueless boy who used to be a beggar who is now 9 years old; Jonathan, a Jew who turned Christian and is 12 years old; Nubia, a slave girl freed by Flavia; and their new friend Scopos, who can’t socialize with people but is very good with animals, especially horses, are off on another mystery. They are off to Rome to try to earn a huge reward by finding a famous missing racehorse. However, Flavia’s father has no idea about this latest mystery. Flavia and her gang, including her bodyguard, travel to Rome to stay with her uncle while her father sets sail on a trade mission. Flavia and her friends celebrate the Roman Festival of Jupiter while visiting her uncle. When they get to Rome, their bodyguard Aristo gets Scopos a job at the Green’s stable house. There are four different colors or factions of stables all competing against each other in the horse races. While Scopos is taking care of the horses, the rest of the gang is out to find the missing race horse. Out of nowhere, a beggar with a crippled leg asks them for a very small amount of money in exchange for information about the whereabouts of the horse. When they finally find the famous racehorse, its legs are burnt. Despite the horse’s injuries, they still get their giant reward. A couple of days later they find a curse tablet saying that certain charioteers from the Greens faction are going to lose the horse races. The friends notice that the first curse is coming true. Are the rest of the curses true? Is it sabotage? Why would a beggar only ask for a small amount of money and not claim the riches of the missing racehorse for himself? You’ll have to read the story to find out the trouble and danger these friends get into this time!
Ethan E.
Cleopatra VII, Daughter of the Nile, by Kristiana Gregory
Cleopatra is an adventurous, smart and brave 12-year-old girl. She has her older sisters, Tryphaena and Berenice, and her younger siblings that all live with her in Alexandria, Egypt. She knows her father (Ptolemy XII) went into hiding because the villagers are mad at him. She also knows that with her father gone, when her sister Tryphaena takes over the throne things will go bad. Her friends Olympus and Theophilus tell her that her father plans on going to Rome to get some Roman soldiers so they can overthrow the angry villagers. Cleopatra sneaks aboard his ship with her slave/best friend Neva and her guard Puzo. While in Rome, she meets Pompey the Great, his wife Julia, Marc Antony and many other Romans. But there still aren’t enough soldiers that are trained to leave Rome and go back to Alexandria. The longer they stay, the more homesick Cleopatra becomes…….. I rate this book a 4 ½. It is an excellent book that is good for boys and girls because it isn’t about girly stuff even though it’s about a girl. I really liked the book, and I think that others would too!
By Emily G.
Cleopatra VII, Daughter of the Nile, by Kristiana Gregory In the great land of Egypt there lives a girl who must save her country. Her story takes place in 57 B.C., during the rule of King Ptolemy the First. As you can tell from the title, Cleopatra is the main character. The book is her diary telling of her life at age 12 through 14. She spends almost all of her time with Neva her maid and best friend. She visits her friend Olympus for advice. He is learning to become a physician. Also she visits Theophilus who is training to be a rabbi. The story takes place in Alexandria, Egypt. As the story progresses, Cleopatra goes to Rome with her father. Cleopatra also spends much of her time in the great library of Alexandria. The story is about how Egypt is falling apart and king Ptolemy needs Rome’s help. So Ptolemy and Cleopatra go to Rome to get help from Caesar. Back in Egypt, Cleopatra’s oldest sister Tryphaena becomes queen and Egypt does not like her. Cleopatra believes that she should be queen because she can speak to all of Egypt in their language and knows the way to treat people fairly. In Rome she meets many people such as Pompey, Caesar, Cicero, and Marc Antony, and becomes friends with Pompey’s wife Julia. I give this book 5 stars because it showed the history perfectly. It made me feel like I was in the streets of Rome next to Cleopatra’s carriage. It starts off in a very intriguing way and continues that way throughout the whole book. It made history come alive. By Solomon F.
Detectives in Togas, by Henry Winterfeld Reviewed by Sophia S
Detectives in Togas is a book full of excitement and adventure that takes place in ancient Rome. It is about a school of seven boys, Caius, Mucius, Antonius, Publius, Julius, Flavius and,Rufus who are just ordinary boys attending school. Like other bairns who go to school, the boys sometimes argue and play tricks on each other. When Rufus inscribes an unkind name on a wax tablet, it turns into vandalism of a house dedicated to the emperor. Rufus is sent to jail before being proven guilty, and the boys know someone is up to no good. The friends go on an adventure to clear Rufus’s name and save him! I would give this book a 4 star rating because it was a great book packed with mystery and adventure.
Detectives in Togas, by Henry Winterfeld Reviewed by Madison B.
A boy named Rufus went to school with a boy named Caius. Caius, whose father was a senator, insulted Rufus’s father, who was a general, which led to a fight. Rufus got so mad that on a writing tablet he wrote, “CAIUS IS A DUMBBELL". The next day, people found “CAIUS IS A DUMBBELL" in red paint on the wall of the Temple of Minerva, and everyone in the town assumed that Rufus wrote it. Rufus said to his friends that he did not do it, even though the writing was his handwriting, but Rufus was arrested. The book is about how Rufus’s school friends, Antonius, Mucius, Flavius, Julius, and Publius, figure out who really wrote on the temple wall. After they risked their lives to prove Rufus was innocent, Rufus’s friends found the real suspect. The whole story takes place in Ancient Rome, near the Temple of Minerva, a goddess that the Romans worshiped. The main characters of the book are Rufus’s friends. Antonius was the first one who discovered who the real criminal was. Mucius fell into the Baths of Diana and realized that Rufus fell into the baths and was trapped there the night that someone wrote on the temple wall. That is how Mucius knew that Rufus couldn't have written on the temple wall. I give this book a five star rating because it was very interesting and it is so exciting on every page that you can’t stop reading.
Detectives in Togas, by Henry WinterfieldReviewed by Lily G.
Mucius, Caius, Rufus, Antonius, Flavius, and Publius all attend the Xanthos School, which is a high class school in Rome. They have a very strict teacher named Xantippus, who demands hardworking pupils. One day, Rufus and Caius got in a fight while in class. Rufus was so annoyed that he decided to write the words, “Caius is a dumbbell,” on a writing tablet and hang it on the wall. Xantippus wasn’t pleased with this behavior, so he sent both Rufus and Caius home. The next morning, Xantippus wasn’t in the classroom when the boys arrived, which was very unlike him. Finally, they found him tied up in his closet, suffocating. This wasn’t the only weird thing that happened. That very morning someone had written the words, “Caius is a dumbbell,” on the holy temple of Minerva. It was the exact same handwriting as the tablet Rufus had written on. This is crime that could send someone to jail forever! Would a good boy like Rufus really do this, or was there another culprit?
Mucius is the smartest of the bunch. He always finds the solution to problems and stays calm in tough situations. Caius likes to brag about whatever there is to brag about, but deep down he has a good heart. Rufus is a good boy and he usually obeys the rules, unless something is really important to him. Antonius has a great memory, which comes in very handy while solving the mystery. Flavius, Julius, and Publius are very good at finding clues, and add a lot of humor to the story. Xantippus is very strict, but he is a great teacher and he teaches his students many valuable life lessons. This book takes place in ancient Rome many centuries ago. Some of our daily necessities such as electricity, paper, and pens weren’t invented yet.
I would rate this book five out of five stars because there was never a boring moment while reading, and you were always finding more and more clues to solve the mystery. It created a lot of suspense between chapters.
Detectives in Togas, by Henry Winterfeld
In Detectives in Togas there are seven important characters: Caius the son of the Emperor, Rufus, Antonius, Mucius the son of Marius Domitus who others call “His Excellency”, Flavius, Julius, and Publius. All of these boys are at The Xanthos School and their teacher’s name is Xantippus. This book takes place in Ancient Rome when there were slaves, people wore togas and wrote on writing tablets, there were Forums, a soothsayer, there were writings on scrolls, the teacher had his house attached to the school, there was an Emperor, and only boys went to school. School was from a little before sunrise till a little after sunset.
This story starts out with all the boys in the classroom. They are supposed to be writing Greek words. Instead Rufus writes “Caius is a Dumbbell” which gets the story started and Rufus expelled. The next day all the boys came to class except for Rufus and Caius. They were surprised that their teacher wasn’t there. They waited awhile then checked in his bedroom. After hearing a groan from the wardrobe they opened it and found their teacher gagged with a broken leg in his burglarized home. Afterwards the kids went to tell Rufus Xantippus was not really going to expel him. On their way there they saw on the Temple of Minerva the words painted in red, “Caius is a Dumbbell.” When the boys got to Rufus they told him about the temple and Rufus swore he had not written the words. But the Emperor had guards arrest Rufus. The boys figured whoever burglarized their teacher’s home must have forged Rufus’s handwriting on the wall. With the help of their teacher the kids used clues to figure out who really wrote on the temple and burglarized their teacher’s home.
I rate the book a 5 because there is a lot of mystery and my favorite genre for anything is mystery. I would recommend Detectives in Togas to anyone who likes mysteries or reading books about ancient foreign places.
By Gabrielle H.
Detectives in Togas, By Henry Winterfeld
The main characters in this book are boys named Rufus and Caius. Without them there wouldn’t be a story. In school they started to fight. Rufus called Caius a bad name and then they didn’t get their work done. As you could have guessed, that got them into trouble. Some other main characters are their classmates: Mucius was the clever one, Antonius was a good detective and Flavius, Julius and Publius were just good helpers. Their teacher Xantippus owned the Xanthos School. The last important characters were Lukos and Tellus, the evil ones. This book takes place in ancient Rome while Rufus’s father, Marcus Praetonius, who was a very famous general at that time, fought many wars. One of the wars was fought between Praetonius and the Gauls. In the end, Praetonius won although Livia, his wife, was not as excited as she should have been, because all she could think about was her son behind bars. Rufus was in jail because he was accused of writing on the Temple of Minerva, “Caius is a Dumbbell”, in big letters in red paint. Of course, Rufus would never dare do such a thing but someone broke into the Xanthos school, took the wax tablet that Rufus wrote on and tied up the teacher. Whoever did that definitely wrote on the temple. I would rate this book a five because not only was it interesting but I just couldn’t put it down. Every time I started a chapter I would want to finish the whole thing that night. I loved this book and I would totally recommend it to anyone who likes to learn and read about ancient times.
By Mia S.
Detectives in Togas, by Henry Winterfeld Detectives in Togas is a mystery adventure book about the pupils of
the Xanthos school in Rome, and their quest to save their friend Rufus,
who has been arrested for desecrating the temple of Minerva. The six boys,
Julius, Publius, Flavius, Antonius, Mucius, and Caius are quick to discover
that Rufus is innocent but they have a hard time proving it after the prefect
of the city announces that the handwriting on the temple is indeed Rufus’.
Every page in this book brings another clue, and the six classmates
continue to inch closer and closer to finding the culprit and solving the
mystery. In the end the boys discover something bigger than just the
culprit. The shocking ending to this book will blow your mind. Read the
book to find out! I rate Detectives in Togas 2 out of 5 because it is a very
unique book but it is very slow and not very descriptive. By Noah M.
Detectives in Togas, by Henry Winterfeld
Detectives in Togas is about six boys in Rome who are trying to save their friend. He was blamed for writing on the temple wall, “Cauis is a Dumbell”. Not only did that happen, he also was sent to jail, where he could have been tortured and abused. This thrilling story takes you on the hunt for a desecrator, a tormenter, and a thief. For that man not only wrote on the wall, he robbed their teacher, stole his math papers, and tied him up! Caius, Antonius, Mucius, Flavius, Julius, and Publius go through dangerous, yet humorous scenes to solve the crime. They stumble upon many characters like Livia, who is Rufus’s mother; Senator Vinicius, Caius’s father; Lukos, the soothsayer; Tellus, the wealthy man; and Xantippus, the boys’ teacher. Every step they take, they discover another piece to the puzzle, each more complicated and bizarre. But sooner or later they will catch this evil man, and boy will he be up for it! I really like the book because it is very interesting and really took me into the position of the characters. I also really liked the exciting scenes. By Tamar C.
The Dolphins of Laurentum by Caroline Lawrence Reviewed by Avi L.
Can you imagine what it would be like to live in Ancient Rome? In The Dolphins of Laurentum, you can learn a little bit about what it was like. The time is 79 AD (CE), the place is ancient Rome. Flavia’s father is in trouble. His ship was wrecked and he is about to lose his house if he does not pay one hundred thousand sestercii. When the bankers come to collect the debt during dinner, a guest tells the families that there is a sunken ship which is rumored to have treasure aboard. Flavia and her friends decide to find the treasure in order to help save her family’s home and possessions. They have an exciting experience finding the shipwreck. Lupus, who is eight years old, dives for the treasure; Jonathan, who is twelve years old, helps design ideas and build devices to get Lupus down to the shipwreck faster and also to get him above the surface of the water faster. Nubia and Flavia help by studying the movements of dangerous sea creatures and predicting where the treasure will be.
This book is special because it gives a great learning opportunity while being fun and interesting in its own way. I would give this book 3 1/2 stars because I liked the fact that it taught me how people lived back then in a clever way but it was not very well written. I was disappointed because it could have been more descriptive and it was not very deep.
The Dolphins of Laurentum, By Caroline Lawrence The Dolphins of Laurentum is the 5th book in the Roman Mysteries series. It is about four friends who try to find hidden treasure in order to salvage a house and kill an evil slave dealer. This book starts out when Flavia, a young girl living in Ostia, the port of Rome, sees her father walk up to the door, looking like a slave. She hadn’t seen her father, Marcus Flavius Geminus, in months and thought he was dead. Marcus told his neighbors and family that he had been shipwrecked and luckily was saved. He also told them that he had lost everything and that he was sick. Later, a man named Pliny came in and said that he was the nephew of the family’s dead friend. At dinner, Marcus’ family learns that he will have to give up their house unless he can come up with a ridiculous amount of money in the next week. Pliny allows them to stay with him until they get the money. Flavia and her dad go to Pliny’s, as do Flavia’s friend Nubia, her neighbor Jonathan, his sister Miriam and friend Lupus, and their tutor. Lupus is mute, and was a slave before he became friends with the three other pupils, and he wants to get revenge on the person who killed his father and cut out his tongue by hiring an assassin. Pliny tells the four friends about treasure that is hidden in a boat at the bottom of the sea. If they can get it, a near impossible task, it will be enough money to get the house back and kill the slave dealer by hiring an assassin. Lupus was a great diver, and thought he could get the treasure. When he told everyone how good he was, they decided to let him try to dive for the treasure. The first time he tried to dive, he got to the highest part of the boat that held the treasure. Over the next day, he practiced holding his breath and he improved his time from 100 seconds to 180. The next day, he tried for the treasure again. Little did he know, the evil slave dealer was trying to get the same treasure he was, and it was a race… Read the book to find out who got the treasure and what happened. I rate this book 3.5 out of 5 because it was boring at the beginning but got better by the end. Lev C.
The Dolphins of Laurentum, By Caroline Lawrence
This historical fiction book reveals the life of four young friends and their families in the port city of Ostia during the Roman Empire, in the year A.D. 79. The plot begins when Flavia’s father returns from sea injured from a shipwreck. This causes financial problems, including the risk of losing their home. A welcomed stranger, Pliny, arrives. He offers his recently inherited villa in Laurentum as a place for them to live.
One of the friends, Nubia, recognizes her brother in the slave market and needs money to buy and eventually free him. Flavia’s Uncle Gaius wants to marry Jonathan’s sister, Miriam. However, she doesn’t feel able to after his farm was destroyed in the eruption of Vesuvius. Lupus is informed that his worst enemy, Venalicius, bribed his way out of prison. Lupus wants to hire an assassin to kill him but can’t meet the price.
Pliny tells his guests a story about a shipwreck with a cargo filled with gold lost on the sea floor. He says that nobody has ever been able to reach it and those who have tried have not come back up to the surface. The story’s treasure peaks their interest as a way to solve all their financial problems. Lupus becomes the key. He announces that he was born on the island of Symi in Greece. There he followed his father’s path as a sponge diver. This gives them hope that Lupus can dive for the treasure. The story continues with the friends’ efforts to get the treasure. There is also a jail cell mystery involving Lupus’s life and what has led up to his dive for the gold.
I rate this book a 4.5 out of 5. It was a little tricky to follow the story line because of the number of characters and their Roman and Greek names. However, once I caught on to the characters, the mystery and the treasure hunt captured my attention and made me want to read more. What makes this book special is that the plot is very different from other books I have read. There wasn’t just a problem, solution and then resolution. The plot tied in all those features together really well.
Julia N.
The Eagle of the Ninth, by Rosemary Sutcliff Reviewed by Tevah N Have you ever risked your life to find a bird? Well Marcus Flavius Aquila and Esca did. Some time around 117 A.D., the Ninth Legion went missing somewhere near where York England now stands and its up to Marcus and Esca to find the Ninth Legion's eagle. The eagle is bronze statue that is like the flag for the Ninth Legion when they marched into battle. After being severely injured during battle, Marcus goes to live with his uncle, since his father being part of the Ninth Legion went missing. He hears word of the northern painted people having possession of the eagle. With the eagle the Ninth Legion can be reassembled, but without it the legion will be lost forever. Marcus meets Esca as a slave and sets him free to go on the journey together. The north was not very friendly to Romans, and travelers were faced with death every step of the way. Will Marcus and Esca find the eagle and restart the Ninth Legion, or will they die on the way? Read the book to find out. I would rate this book four out of five stars, because although it was fantastic writing the beginning dragged on for a bit longer than it needed to. The language is also slightly hard to comprehend at first but the story is amazing. So if you like action packed, historical fiction you should really read this book.
The Eagle of the Ninth, by Rosemary Sutcliff
The Eagle of the Ninth takes place in A.D. 134 during the Roman Empire. At that time, the Romans controlled Britain. The story takes place in Isca Domnoniorum, which is where the Roman Legions are. Marcus Flavius Aquila, young Cohort Centurion of the Second Legion, is the main character. He’s fighting in a battle when he injures his leg severely and goes to live with his uncle, Aquila. His uncle has three slaves named Stephanos, Sassticca, and Marcipor. Marcus is lonely in Calleva (where his uncle lives) even when the slaves look in on him. One day, Marcus and Aquila go to the Saturnalia games to watch people fight. One of the fighters was losing until Marcus flashed the mercy sign for him. The next day, Marcus bought the gladiator, who had lost the fight, as his slave. His name is Esca and he serves as a good slave and friend to Marcus. There have been wolves roaming Calleva and the Roman elite make a hunt. Esca goes, and brings back a wolf cub as a pet. Marcus names him Cub. One day, when Marcus was playing with Cub in the forest when a thirteen or fourteen year old girl appears. Her name is Cottia and she quickly becomes friends with Marcus and Cub. Eight months later (Cub is fully grown now) Marcus and Esca set Cub free to the wild. They decided that if Cub came back to Marcus, he could stay, but he could also choose to stay in the wild. Cub returned and everyone was happy. When Marcus and Esca returned, they saw a guest. The guest was a Centurion of the Sixth Legion and he wanted people to go looking for the Ninth Legion’s eagle. The Ninth Legion had left fifteen years back, and had never returned. They had also lost their eagle, and every legion needs its eagle as a symbol. The head of the Ninth Legion was Marcus’s father, so Marcus asked if he could go with Esca to try to find the eagle (a near impossible task) and, after nearly he begged, his uncle and the Centurion agree! Marcus freed Esca from slavery and they’re on their way. Read the book to see what surprises Marcus and Esca run into… I rate this book three out of five because the beginning was kind of boring and slow moving, but it got better as it went.
By Lev C.
On Etruscan Time by Tracy Barrett
On Etruscan Time, Tracy Barrett
Reviewed by Ilan G.
11/7/14
Why did Hector have to go to Italy with his mom Betsy? Really Hector didn’t know. He thought that he could have stayed back in Tennessee with his friends or something. When he arrived in Italy there was a woman at the airport named Susanna. They were going to stay with her. Susanna was an archeologist. The main reason Hector’s mom Betsy came to Italy was for archaeology and for some reason Hector had to come.
When he got to Susanna’s house there was a man named Ettore who was Susanna’s friend. He was also an archeologist. He had some good news and he said that he found human bones at the archeological dig. The next day they went to the archeological dig where archeologists were digging in big trenches in the ground. Everybody was looking for Etruscan artifacts. The Etruscans were people who lived in the place where Hector was Florence, Italy more than 2,000 years ago. Also They had a language, that Betsy Hectors mom, knew. Ettore asked Hector if he wanted to dig. But he had to dig out of the trenches because he wasn’t advanced. So after Ettore showed him how to dig in the correct way he got started. Ettore said if he found something he should call him.
When Hector got started it took a while to find something because there were a lot of rocks. Soon Hector thought he found something. He called Ettore and he said that it was just a rock and it wasn’t Etruscan. But since Hector thought it was something he kept it, because if he turned out to be a famous archeologist. The rock would be his first find because it didn’t look like a plain rock.
After Hector was digging he found a big boulder in the shade and he sat there. When he fell asleep he had a dream where there was a boy from the Etruscan time whose name was Arath. He said that he needed Hector’s help. Who was this boy? Would his dream be true?
I think if you like mysteries and historical Fiction this novel would be good to read. I thinks it’s cool that the book is in two time periods the Etruscan Times and Modern Era.
by Ben R.
The main character in this book is a boy named Hector. He travels back in time and finds himself among the Etruscans in Italy around 500 BCE. He finds new friends and learns how people lived in ancient times. Hector becomes friends with a boy named Arath whose father is a priest. Arath’s uncle is jealous of his brother and tries to harm his nephew. Hector is drawn into Arath’s problems and tries to protect him.
The author also tells us how modern archeologists work. Hector’s mom Susanna is an archeologist who took Hector to Italy with her when she was working on a dig one summer. Hector discovers some very important artifacts at the end of the book, but if you want to know what he finds, you will have to read the book. I would give this book a rating of four out of a five points for a good read.
Frontier Wolf, by Rosemary Sutcliff
Alexios Flavius Aguilla is sent to lead the Frontier Wolves. They are a group of undisciplined Roman soldiers who need training. Previously, Alexios had abandoned his fort in a German province and half his men were killed. His uncle Marius got him the job with the Frontier Wolves even though his leadership skills are questionable. The book takes place in Britain, A.D. 343. The Frontier Wolves defend their fort named Castellum. Alexios trains the men for a year without incident. He befriends Cunorix who is becoming the chieftain of a neighboring tribe. Cunorix has a brother named Connla who is wild and dangerous. Praepositus comes to visit to see how Alexios is doing. While he is there, Connla plays a joke and steals his horse. This is the beginning of many problems. Frontier peace was broken, soldiers were killed along with horses, including Praepositus’s favorite horse. Connla was captured. To save him from a long torturous death, Alexios kills Connla himself. A battle ensues between the Frontier Wolves, Cunorix’s clan the Votadinis, and the painted people. Alexios decides to abandon his fort again to get to a safer place with his men. Many men are killed along the way, but they make it there. A battle arises between Alexios and Cunorix, who is trying to avenge his brother’s death. I rate this book a 3 out of 5. It is a little hard to understand because of the strange names and places. It was a little slow moving, but the end was suspenseful when you wanted to know who would win the battle.
By Bryce T.
The Fugitive From Corinth, by Caroline Lawrence Reviewed by Matan D. This unique story takes place in ancient Roman times, in 80 CE. The book is about Dion wanting to kill his older brother Aristo because Aristo had all the fame and everybody loved him and not Dion. One night, Dion goes into Aristo’s room in an inn, not knowing that Aristo’s employer, Pater, and Aristo, switched rooms for that one night. Dion severely beats up Pater by accident when he was trying to kill Aristo. Aristo comes into the room and sees someone leap out the window, but Helen, the inn-keeper, thinks Aristo is the attacker, so she has her slaves tie him up. When Helen came, so did Aristo’s pupil Flavia, Pater’s daughter, along with her friends, Jonathan, Nubia, Lupus and others. Helen assigns two of her slaves to bring Aristo to the judges but one of them lets go of him to help an old man who has fallen. Aristo knocks down the other slave and flees to Athens from Corinth. Flavia and her group follow him, trying to capture him. The search group didn’t know that there were two people that looked alike and had blood on their white tunics. The second person, of course, was Dion. In Athens, they find a tree with a rope that held Aristo’s hands behind his back and then they find a beggar boy named Nikos. He gives them information about Aristo’s brother and family, as well as the problems that their family is having. Then the friends find out that Nikos the beggar boy is actually a girl named Megara who liked Dion. I think the rating for this book should be a four out of five because it can really interest you. I also think that it is kind of bad because I thought that the book sometimes randomly jumped to different events.
The Fugitive from Corinth, by Caroline Lawrence If you like a good mystery, a good crime story, and historical fiction, this book is right for you. The twisting and turning plot is imaginative and so descriptive that you feel as if you are one of the characters. The setting is in Corinth, Greece. This is also where the fatal crime occurs: the stabbing of Flavia Gemina's father. Being one book of a series in which all of the characters are the same, the main characters are in every book. They are Flavia Gemina, 12, the brilliant detective; Jonathan, 12, the sad and pessimistic young Jewish boy; Nubia, 12, the gentle and kind ex-slave; and Lupus, 10, the bright and wild mute. Together, Nubia, Lupus, Jonathan and Flavia, along with help from some very important people, have adventures that make this time of May, A.D. 80, one they will never forget. The actions they take to figure out who stabbed Marcus lead them to a discovery of a lifetime. This book deserves four-and-a-half out of five stars because of the compelling plot and imaginative thinking. By Allison G.
Galen- My Life In Imperial Rome, by Marissa Moss
Galen- My Life in Imperial Rome is a very interesting book written from the point of view of a twelve-year-old slave in Ancient Rome. The story is about Galen, his brother Polynices, and his father, who are slaves in the household of Emperor Augustus. The book does a very good job explaining what their lives were like. Galen and his family were not always slaves. One day they were on a boat which was captured by pirates and that is how they became slaves. One thing Galen really wished for was to be free again someday. Galen’s father was an artist who decorated the house of Emperor Augustus. Galen helped him, and Galen’s brother Polynices had to serve Augustus’s nasty grandson Agrippa Posthumus. Galen also has a best friend whose name is Micio. He met Micio one day when he went to the park looking for a ball game. Micio is a slave but he is also a charioteer, so he will be able to earn enough money to buy his freedom soon. On a holiday when slaves were given the day off, Galen was invited by Micio to attend a party where Galen pretended to be Micio’s slave. At that party, Galen overheard a conversation which made him very curious and worried. The book tells how Galen figures out what the conversation was about and how he tries to protect people he cares about. I would rate this book four stars out of five because it gave a lot of details about how Romans and Greeks lived and it showed how a twelve-year-old boy might have felt being a slave in Ancient Rome.
By Charles S.
The Gladiators From Capua, by Caroline Lawrence
The Gladiators From Capua starts when Jonathan is pronounced dead. He apparently died in the fire in Ancient Rome, when Vespasian was ruler. Although when Lupus, a former slave, comes with some very important news, everyone starts to speculate about the details of Jonathan’s death. Lupus came at the exactly wrong time: Jonathan’s funeral.
This book takes place in 80 AD in Ostia, Italy, the port city of Rome, and in Rome itself, at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem. The four friends in the story are around twelve years old. The important characters include Lupus, a former slave, who had his tongue cut out, so all of his important messages were written on a wax tablet; Jonathan ben Mordecai, a Jewish boy, who died in the fire of Rome, but had also been a significant part of his friends’ investigation group; Flavia who was Jonathan’s best friend and also in their investigation group. In this story, she pretended to be a slave, even though she was really rich. Her uncle was a senator. His house was where the group stayed during Titus’ 100 days of games, in honor of the new Coliseum. Also in the group was Nubia, named after her homeland, in Africa. She had to make a terrible choice between her brother and Jonathan.
I would rate the novel, TheGladiators From Capua, four out of five stars. It was amazing. This book is a real page turner because it always kept me on the edge of my seat. It was filled with action and suspense because the characters were on an exciting quest to find out about Jonathan’s death. They were investigating it, because they were questioning if he was actually dead. The gladiators were professional fighters, who would battle against each other in gladiator fights. One of the biggest gladiator schools in ancient Italy was in Capua. Nubia’s brother was attending that school. This school of gladiators was where many of the gladiators who fought in the Coliseum were trained. Anyone who likes to read books about ancient history with lots of mystery would enjoy reading this book.
By Mattan M.
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The Ides of April, by Mary Ray
Reviewed by Alyssa C.
"The slaves are innocent, we have to find the real murderer" -Hylas
Hylas a Greek slave, is 17 years old. He works for Caius Pomponius in Rome in 42 CE. When his master is killed, all the slaves are taken to jail including Hylas's mother Nissa. Luckily Hylas was not caught. With the help of Varro and Matidia, his neighbors he is able to recruit Camillius Rufus who is related to his master. Hylas needs Camilius to help prove the slaves' innocence. Will Hylas and Camillius be able to prove the slaves' innocence? Will they save the slaves before the festival of the Ides?Find out in The Ides of April, by Mary Ray.
I rate this book 4 1/2 stars because I really enjoyed it, the plot was exquisite and I loved the idea of an historical murder mystery. My only complaints were there were some confusing parts where I could not understand who was talking. Even with quotation marks it was difficult. Also the ending was not the best the author could have amped it up a bit like making it happier and more descriptive. Otherwise I loved the book. It was an amazing read.
I recommend this book to kids ages 11+ for the fact that, it has some big words and confusing concepts, like when the main characters needed assistance, you never knew what they meant. Anyone who enjoys mysteries and likes to be on the edge of their seat should definitely read this book.
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The Ides of April, by Mary Ray (Historical Fiction--Rome and Mystery)
This story is about a slave who everyone thinks murders his master in Rome at 62 A.D. This meant the other slaves in the house have to die due to laws in the Roman Empire at the time. With the help of Varro, a secret Christian, another slave named Hylas manages to escape from being executed. He does not expect it to be hard to sneak away from all the guards in the area looking for him, but it is. He needs more help to hide and figure out that it was not a slave who murdered his master but someone very close to his master, maybe even a family member. Hylas is finally helped by a man named Camillus, a young tribune who later finds himself on a dangerous path to find the real murderer. I would rate this book five out of five stars because it is filled with action, mystery and it feels as if you are one of the characters in the story. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes Roman mysteries, action, and history.
David G
Imperial Purple, by Gillian Bradshaw
Reviewed by Ruthie D. Purple: the color of royalty, and when misused, the color of treason. Demetrias is a state slave in the fourth century Roman Empire. She lives in Tyre, a port-city in Lebanon, and works as a silk weaver. She has a husband, Symeon, who is also a state slave, and he works as a purple- fisher. She has a 6 year-old son, Melitos, or Meli for short. She is quite content with her life, and enjoys her work immensely. She is ordered by the prefect to make a purple cloak two inches too short to be for the emperor. Making the cloak would be dangerous, it would be treason,and if anyone figured out what she was doing, she would be killed. The prefect thought that she would not figure out that it was treason, or who the cloak was for. But she knows. The prefect finds out that she knows, and thinks it would not be safe for her to stay in Tyre, as she might give them away, and takes her to Constantinople, to be the slave of Chrysaphios, the emperor's chamberlain. The journey is long and strenuous, but isn't half as strenuous as the life ahead of her. Imperial Purple is a very well-written book, and it has an extremely intriguing plot. It shows the story from various perspectives, never completely in one point of view. If I were to rate this book, I would give it 5 stars, as its plot and wording move the book right along and it is a great read. It includes characters and plot lines from history, as well as bringing the life of a state-slave in Ancient Rome to life. I really enjoyed reading this book, and I would recommend it to anyone. Gillian Bradshaw always writes extremely good books, and I can tell you for certain that Imperial Purple is not an exception.
The Last Girls of Pompeii, by Kathryn Lasky Reviewed by Michal L.
The Last Girls of Pompeii is about a girl named Julia and her slave Sura. The story takes place in 79 C.E., around the time of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in the city of Pompeii. As part of the Roman Empire, Pompeii was a merchant city located in what would be modern-day Italy, on the Mediterranean coast. Pompeii was governed by two senior magistrates who were elected by the townspeople. Julia is the youngest daughter of one of the magistrates and has a withered arm. Sura was captured and taken from her home at age four. Sura has a brother named Bryzos who was taken to be a gladiator. Even though Sura is Julia’s slave, Julia treats Sura like her best friend.
Julia is tired of hearing all of the wedding talk that is happening because both of her sisters are getting married in one summer. Meanwhile, Sura overhears Julia’s parents talking about selling her and sending Julia to the temple of Bona Dea, where people with disabilities are sent if their parents do not think that they will be married. Sura does not know whether she should tell Julia or not. Sura asks Julia's cousin Marcus what to do. Marcus comes up with a plan, but in the middle of Cornelia’s wedding, Mount Vesuvius erupts and changes both Julia’s and Sura’s lives forever. I would give this book four and a half stars because there were some confusing parts, but all in all it was a compelling story about love, hatred, and unexpected miracles.
The Last Girls of Pompeii, by Kathryn Lasky Reviewed by Emma DorschThe Last Girls of Pompeii is about two young girls living in Pompeii a few days prior to, and during, the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Julia is the daughter of an important man in politics and has a lame arm. The other girl, Sura, is her maidservant and best friend. But when the eruption strikes during Julia’s older sister Cornelia’s wedding, Julia and Sura are forced to make a choice that will change their lives forever. Julia is a wealthy girl who was born with a lame arm and is unmarriageable because of her deformity. The one place for her to go? Be given to the Temple of Bona Dea. Sura is a dark haired, green eyed, 16-year-old who was kidnapped at age four and sold to be a maidservant to Julia. Her brother Bryzos, also kidnapped, is a gladiator. Julia does not consider Sura her servant. She considers her a sister. In 79 A.D., when the book takes place, Pompeii was a city within the Roman Empire, with customs and gods of its own. In 2005, Lasky visited Pompeii, and she added information to the book that she learned and saw there. For instance, one of the bodies covered in ash was a dog on a chain, like what Sura and Julia saw while trying to escape. And the character Aunt Lidia was actually inspired by a woman that was found in the gladiator housing, covered in jewels. Also, from writings that were found, there was a Murmillo Gladiator who fought with a small sword. There were apparently grapes covered in ash, too, so the theories of a vineyard being on Mount Vesuvius are true. I give this book five stars. It’s got action, romance, and drama. A great read!
The Last Girls of Pompeii, by Kathryn Lasky
Twelve-year-old Julia is the daughter of Flavius Cornelius Petreius and Herminia. Sixteen-year-old Sura has been with Julia since she was born. Julia’s family is wealthy; Sura is Julia’s slave. Sura is beautiful; Julia has a withered arm. They live in Pompeii in 79 AD, one-hundred years after the beginning of the Roman Empire. Sura and Julia are extremely close and are perfectly happy with their lives, until they find out they are to be separated after Julia’s sister’s wedding. Sura is to be sold to a disgusting man for wine and Julia is going to become a priestess because her parents believe no one would ever want to marry her. The girls aren’t happy about this and they try to find a way around it without letting Julia’s parents know what they know. While all this is happening, the earth has been shaking and the water is getting polluted for no known reason. Some people believe it is nothing but in the end it could lead to the destruction of their beloved home, Pompeii. I would give this book four stars out of five because it was pretty good, but I think it had its downs. It seemed a little short so it didn’t have room for a lot of details, but other than that I thought it was good.
By Nita R.
The Last Girls of Pompeii, by Kathryn Lasky
The Last Girls of Pompeii is about Julia and her slave Sura. Sura is an orphan. She and her brother Bryzos were captured and put on a slave ship. Sura was sold into slavery, and her brother was taken away to be a gladiator in Pompeii. Julia isn’t hard on Sura at all; they are practically sisters. Sura knew Julia since she was a baby. Julia is the daughter of a wealthy shipbuilder. She has a nice life in Pompeii with two sisters, Cornelia and Flavia. Of course, she also has Sura her slave, whom she can always count on. This story takes place in A.D. 79, in Pompeii, a city in Italy. Now Pompeii is a ruined and partially buried Roman town. But in ancient times, the people of Pompeii believed in all sorts of customs and religious ideas. Julia and her family make sure they follow all the rules. One different thing about Julia is that she has the Curse of Venus, a withered arm. Just when things are looking up, Julia discovers that her parents are sending her to the Temple of Damia, and Sura is being sold to a nasty shopkeeper. Julia and Sura experience two different life stories at the same time, but these girls will realize that both of their lives will change…..very soon. I give this book 4 stars. It is very entertaining and teaches us about Roman history. Also it teaches us about life in Pompeii, and that natural disasters change a lot in life.
By Tamar C.
The Last Girls of Pompeii, by Kathryn Lasky
Julia and Sura live different lives yet also the same. Julia is the daughter of a wealthy family. She has a withered arm which people call the Venus curse, and Julia considers herself ugly. Sura is Julia's slave. She is very gentle and very beautiful and understands Julia. They both want to be free--Julia of the curse and Sura of being a slave. This summer is different though. Julia has to listen to her sisters, Flavia and Cornelia, plan their weddings and she is really getting tired of listening to wedding talk. Then Sura overhears Herminia, Julia’s mom, and Cornelius, Julia’s dad, talking about her and Julia, and she starts to worry. What will happen to her? What will happen to Julia? But when Mount Vesuvius erupts plans change, and it changes Julia and Sura's lives forever. This story takes place in Pompeii, and the time period is A.D. 79. I rate this book a four because it was a little confusing and was a little hard follow. Other than that, I really enjoyed this book. By Emily G.
The Last Girls of Pompeii, by Kathryn Lasky The Last Girls of Pompeii is a story about a slave named Sura and her mistress, Julia. When Sura was a baby she and her brother, Bryzos, were taken away from their village. Sura was taken to be a slave but her brother was taken to become a gladiator. Sura has cared for Julia since she was born even though when Julia was born Sura was only four years old. Julia had a withered arm, also known as the Curse of Venus. Julia’s older sister was getting married and Julia wasn’t so happy about all of the wedding talk. Cornelia was getting married on the twenty-fourth of August that was the same day as Mundus Patet, the day the doors to the underworld were thought to open. Julia’s mother, Herminia, went to all the seers to ask if this was OK. All of them said yes except one of them. So they planned to have the wedding that day. Then Sura found out that the family was going to sell her to a storekeeper. Sura didn’t know what to do so she went and told her brother about it. Her brother said that since he had been winning a lot of fights he had earned money. If he won one more fight he would have enough money to buy her freedom. But Sura found out that her brother would be fighting the best gladiator next and he would have a really hard time winning. Meanwhile everyone is getting ready for Cornelia’s wedding. Julia then decides that she wants to marry Marcus, her cousin. Marcus is already getting married but to someone he doesn’t want to get married to. So Julia and Marcus decide to run away together. They just have to wait for the right moment. Then during the wedding the floor starts shaking and everything changes.
I would give this book four out of five stars because I think it teaches you a lot about ancient history while reading a really great story.
Talia R
The Last Girls of Pompeii, by Kathryn Lasky, Reviewed by Gabriella Maze
Even though Julia has enough trouble with her left arm and her sisters and Cornelia’s wedding and her family, she thinks something is wrong. Sura overhears the parents talking about something terrible. They want to sell her to another person who is rude and mean. Then, they want to send Julia away to live and work in a temple far away from home. Her parents don’t want anyone to see her arm.
When the disaster of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius strikes, the two girls and their aunt are forced to flee for their lives that are changed forever.
I rate this book four and a half stars because it was a little confusing at a couple of parts, but otherwise, it was a wonderful book.
I loved this book because it is a compelling story about love, hatred, and freedom, all in the mysterious place of Pompeii.
Locadio’s Apprentice, by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
In the ancient city of Pompeii, around d the year 79 AD, lived a boy by the name of Enecus Cano who dreamed of becoming an apprentice physician. His distant dream was realized when Locadio Priscus, a well known physician, decided to accept Enecus as an apprentice. Enecus quickly discovered that being a physician was nothing like he imagined. It was difficult and disappointing because he worked long hours and for many patients there was little to be done to save them. For most of his first year of apprenticeship, Enecus struggled to prove himself to Locadio. He finally proved his talent when he was given the chance to run the infirmary. He showed Locadio that he was capable of being in charge and also that he had learned much in his first year of training. Months went by and everything was going smoothly when the dormant Mount Vesuvius, which lies on the outskirts of the great city, began to release smoke. Many Pompeian’s fled the city in fear, including Enecus’ sister and mother. After almost a week of smoke leaking from the volcano, Locadio and Enecus started to leave the town but Enecus’ stubborn father refused to leave. Enecus ensured that his best friend Salvius would take his father out of the city the next day. After two days of travel, Locadio fell ill and with the possible eruption right behind them they needed to keep moving. Will Enecus survive? Will the city be destroyed? Read the book to find out! I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars because it was very descriptive and I loved the ending.
By Noah M.
Masada: The Last Fortress, by Gloria D. Miklowitz (Historical Fiction--Israel and Rome)
Masada: The Last Fortress, by Gloria D. Miklowitz, shows how the Romans take a Jewish fortress. The setting of the book is in the Judean desert on the mountain Masada. The mountain was King Herod’s abandoned fortress that the Jews found years later. This novel takes place in 72 C.E. when the Romans destroyed the Second Temple. Simon and Flavius are the most important characters in the book. Simon is the rabbi’s son and has an important role in the fight. He learns how to heal people and becomes the doctor’s assistant. He is also one of the narrators. Flavius Silva is the leader of the Romans and is the one who makes all the decisions for them. He is also the other narrator. Aram is the brother of Simon and he and his wife are ordered to leave Masada and get help for the Jews, but they get caught. Meanwhile the Jews attack the Romans by surprise and burn down one of their camps. I give this story a 4 out of 5. I liked it but there could have been more action. Some parts were cool but some were boring. My favorite part was when the Jews attacked the Romans. Overall, this was a great novel to read.
By Sam E.
Masada the Last Fortress, by Gloria D. Miklowitz (Historical Fiction--Rome and Israel)
Masada is about how long The Jewish people were able to hold off the Romans from taking over the fortress of Masada and what strategies they used. The book also includes how the Jewish people were defeated. One other thing the book includes is the main characters' lifestyle on the rock. One of the main characters is Simon ben Eleazar who is seventeen years old; Simon’s father is the man in charge of protecting Masada; John who is second in command and is also seventeen, is Simon’s best friend; Aram ben Eleazar is Simon’s brother and is fifteen; Debora is in love with Simon and John but doesn’t know whom to marry. The time period is 72 C.E. when Rome was trying to take over Israel. Masada was the last fortress the Romans needed in order to have taken over all of Israel. The story takes place on the rock called Masada, located just west of the Dead Sea. I would rate the book Masada a four out of five stars because I enjoy history novels with a lot of action in them. This book was action packed.
By David G
My Story- Pompeii, A Roman Girl's Diary, by Sue Reid Reviewed by Maya R
Ground shaking is not an ordinary event and volcano eruptions- even stranger. Claudia is a 12 year old girl who doesn’t want to be the perfect Roman girl her parents wish she would become. She is secretly friends with a British slave boy, and she does NOT like sitting at home weaving like her mother. Meanwhile, Mount Vesuvius is stirring and Claudia seems to be the only person in all of Pompeii, besides her new friend Aengus, to notice. Clearly, Claudia has a lot on her mind, but she can not express her feelings to anyone because she has a lot of secrets to keep, so she finds papyrus and makes a continuous diary that she keeps throughout her journey. If you’re yearning to know more about Claudia’s adventures then you have to read her diary, which will soon becomes the book, My Story- A Roman Girl’s Diary. I would rate this book with four stars because it had a very interesting and suspensefull plot, but it moved slowly at times and didn’t give a lot of details.
Mystery Of The Roman Ransom, by Henry Winterfeld Reviewed by Bailey M Are you interested in action, because I am, and this book suited me. This book is about a group of friends that get themselves into some big trouble. They are all in the same class and work with their teacher and a supposedly mute and deaf slave to help solve a mystery. They find out that one of their fathers is supposed to be killed and they need to find a way to stop it. They must work together to uncover the murder plot and warn the people involved. The story takes place in the time of the Roman Empire in the city of Rome. This book is very special because it has a few genres in it. It has some action when the characters fight, and there is mystery when they try to find out whose father is going to be killed. There are also some funny parts. It has a lot of suspenseful scenes, like when the boys go to the catacombs, and that suspense kept me reading. Also, all the characters were interesting and did different things to help find who was supposed to be murdered and save him. I give this book a 3-and-a-half rating out of five because there were many good parts but also some bad. I liked the parts with action but there were many times where the characters wouldn’t do much and it made me bored. I also felt like some pages were just wasted because in those pages they wouldn’t really do anything and it would just add unneeded parts for no reason. Overall though, I thought this book was very good and interesting. It kept me reading to find out what happened and it will for you too
Mystery of the Roman Ransom, by Henry Winterfeld Reviewed by Ethan W.
☆☆☆☆
This book is about seven children, their teacher and a slave who all try to save Senator Vinicius, the father of Caius, one of the students. There was an ex-gladiator out to get Vinicius because someone would give him 1,000 gold pieces as a reward. And then out of nowhere, Rameses, a lion, attacked the ex-gladiator. This book takes place in Rome, during the height of the Roman Empire. The main characters are Caius, Mucious, Publius Julius, Flavius, Rufus, Antonius, and Xanthos. On their adventure they buy a slave named Udo and at first he pretends that he is deaf and dumb, but soon the students realize that he is not, but that he is rather smart. Udo tells them his story and it sends them on a great mission to save Caius’s dad. I gave this book four stars because it had a lot of adventure and I love adventure.
The Pirates of Pompeii, by Caroline Lawrence Reviewed by Eli K
Ever wondered what happened to the lost city of Pompeii? Are you interested in mysteries involving lots of action? Or are you just looking for a good book to sit down and read? If so, then The Pirates of Pompeii, by Caroline Lawrence, is the book just for you. The book is about a girl named Flavia, her slave, Nubia, and her friends, Jonathan and Lupus. The book takes place in the city of Pompeii, in the year 79 CE, right after a volcanic eruption.
A few days after the eruption, Flavia, her slave, her friends, and a handful of other families took shelter at a refugee camp because their homes were destroyed. One day, Flavia and Nubia were looking for a plant. They needed the plant to help Jonathan because he inhaled too much ash and went into a coma. After they found the plant, they also found a little girl named Julia. She was waiting for her brother, Rufus, who was kidnapped by pirates. When the girls returned to the refugee camp they told their friends the news. It was strange because the group had heard from other people who had claimed that their children were also missing. After that, the friends began to investigate. They traveled to many places and went on a great adventure in search of the so called "Pirates of Pompeii".
This book is great because it has an interesting plot but it's also very action packed. I give this book four and a half stars because of its true historic information and its storyline.
Pirates of Pompeii, by Caroline Lawrence Reviewed by Rebecca R Nubia is the slave to Flavia. They are searching for a flower to give to their friend Jonathan to help wake him from a coma. On the search, they find a girl named Julia, who says that scary men wearing masks kidnapped her brother. After the girls help cure Jonathan, Nubia meets a runaway slave named Kuanto, who is from the same part of Africa that she is. He asks her to run away with him and another runaway slave. Nubia is not sure that she wants to; she has known Flavia almost all of her life and she is her friend; plus, the penalty for runaway slaves is to be crucified. The four friends eventually learn that children have been disappearing everywhere. Flavia thinks that a group of people have been kidnapping the children. They hear a fisherman down at the dock mutter that Felix just got luckier, right after they found out that a new child was missing. Flavia suspected that her uncle's patron, Publius Pollius Felix, was the head of the kidnappers. When they are invited to his house, they meet his spoiled daughter Pulchra, his wife Polla, and his two younger daughters. As soon as Pulchra meets Jonathan, she has a crush on him. However, the friends are disgusted at how badly Pulchra treats her slave Leda, but as time goes on, Flavia starts treating Nubia almost as badly in order to fit in. The next morning, Flavia finds out that Nubia has run away after being beaten by Pulchra, who also stole her puppy and broke her flute. Flavia begs Felix to help find her but he says no. So she, Jonathan and Lupus go looking for Nubia themselves, with Pulchra and Leda following them. Unfortunately, they are all kidnapped and trapped in a cave with many other children. Meanwhile, Nubia had decided to run away with the other slaves. They were all promised that there was a ship that would take them to Alexandria, but the crew and Kuanto showed themselves to be the same group as the kidnappers. They called themselves the Pirates of Pompeii. Kuanto said that Nubia was with him, so she was untied. When she saw Flavia she pretended not to recognize her. That night, Nubia was drinking wine with the pirates and was able to drug them with a powder Jonathan had given her. In the morning, the pirates were sorting out the people according to who they should sell as slaves or the people whose families would pay for their children. When Kuanto realized that they had captured Pulchra, the daughter of their boss, they were terrified. Then when the pirates started having hallucinations from the drinks, the children managed to take over the ship. Later, though, they saw that a ship was being driven by the slave dealer who was coming straight for them. To find out the rest you’ll have to read the book for yourself. I would rate this book 4 out of 5 stars. I thought it was very good and it had a lot of adventure, but I don’t think that children would be able to be doing this.
My Story: Roman Invasion, by Jim Eldridge
Reviewed by Jacob Sp.
Do you like books with a great story and lots of action? Then My Story: Roman Invasion is the book for you. Set in CE 84, the book is narrated by Bran, an 11-year-old British warrior. Captured by the Romans along with his three cousins, mother and sister, he is sent along with the Romans as hostage. Also, they are keeping Bran’s mother and sister hostage, so if he escapes, they get killed. Along the way he meets Pantheus, a Greek inventor, and Talos, his nephew who is unable to speak. They hold secrets that keep the story going. And there is also Simeon, who wants to kill Bran to avenge his brother. Simeon will stop at nothing, not even his own death, to kill Bran.
Overall, the book has a great story and lots of action. It starts out slow but picks up speed. The old language is a bit confusing, but the historical content is presented in a fun way. Bran is a very shallow character because he only thinks of escape, not thinking of his mother and sister. However, Pantheus and Talos challenge him to grow. The book is too short in my opinion. The plot does not have enough time to build up to a climax. But the end wraps everything up and answers crucial questions about the Roman Empire. Because I do not like that kind of history, I give it a 3 out of 5 stars. I hope you find this book interesting!
Roman Invasion, by Jim Eldridge Reviewed by Jacob F The Roman Empire is the strongest in the known world in 84 C.E. Now it is conquering Britain... This book takes place in Britain in the late 1st century. Bran, a young prince of the British tribe, the Carvetti, is being held hostage by the Romans. The Romans make him go with a legion of soldiers to build a road across Britain to ensure that the soldiers do not get attacked by the barbarians. If they do get attacked, Bran will be killed, and if he runs away, both his mom and sister will be killed because they are also Roman prisoners. At first Bran does not accept food, shelter, etc. because the people that he is traveling with are Romans. Later on he graciously accepts it. Bran makes two friends named Pentheous and Telos on his journey and the Romans get attacked many times. For all of these times Pentheous and Telos save him by making excuses about why he should live. Once Romans get attacked by the cannibal Caledonians. There were 20,000 Caledonians and 2,000 Romans. Bran thinks that no matter how well trained the Romans were, they would all be killed. First the Romans with bows and slingshots shoot rocks and arrows at the Caledonians and the effect is devastating. Then the Caledonians charge directly into the Roman 'circle' and 4,000 of them are killed. The circle is a circle of soldiers with the outside a wall of shields with spears pointing out. In the end, the Caledonians retreat. There are 10,000 Caledonian casualties and only a few hundred Roman. In all, the journey is more then 30 days long and because Bran is a good prisoner, the Romans eventually release him and his family. This book is special because the history is told in a very appealing way. Because of this, I would rate this book 3.75 stars out of 5 stars; it is not a very entertaining topic, yet the author makes it interesting. It is not an entertaining topic because the whole story is about the Romans making a road across Britain. The way the author makes it interesting is that he makes there be cool battles and interesting characters.
Roman Invasion, Jim Eldridge
Reviewed by Isabella J.
Would you like to follow Bran, Pentheus, Talos, and the Romans on a journey to build a new road in ancient Britain? If so, then the novel Roman Invasion is the story for you! The Romans have taken prisoner Bran, his mother, sister, and three cousins after a failed attack by their tribe on the Romans. As royalty, they have been spared death for “something special.” Bran’s three cousins are sent to Rome to provide entertainment as gladiators. Bran is sent with a legion of soldiers to build a major road. His job is to prevent attacks on the legion as no Briton tribes will risk the death of Bran, prince of the Carvetii tribe. His mother and sister will stay with the main army to be killed immediately if Bran attempts escape. Bran is sent with Pentheus and Talos. Pentheus is originally Greek, but the Romans invaded Greece and took him as a prisoner. They discovered that he was a surveyor, so they gave him the choice: work for them or die. He chose to live. Talos was the son of Pentheus’ brother, but when the Romans killed him and his wife, Pentheus took Talos under his wing. At first Bran was just a prisoner to them. But as the story goes on, Bran becomes more friendly with Pentheus and Talos, and he is no longer just a prisoner.
I think that the book is daring, dangerous, and full of action. For example, during one of the wars, one of the Roman soldiers swung his sword at Bran, but Talos jumped in the way and saved Bran. Also, when the soldier Simeon was about to kill Bran, two other Roman soldiers grabbed his arms and pulled him back. The book moved fast and was well written. The characters moved around and traveled a lot. It did not take a long time for action to happen. There was always war, battles and traveling, which made it interesting. I would give the book 3.5 out of 5 stars because it was well written, fast paced, and was dangerous. It was well written because it had simple language, great adjectives and it was easy to understand. I did not give it a perfect score because even though I did like the content, I do not enjoy reading. I would recommend this book to a friend because it was enjoyable to read
Roman Invasion, by Jim EldridgeReviewed by Ben F. Would you like to find out about the Romans’ engineering and how they fought during 84 C.E.? If you would, then I suggest you read Roman Invasion. This book takes place in Britain and is about an eleven year old prince named Bran. Bran is the prince of the Carvetti tribe of northern Britain. The Romans, who are Bran's family's enemies, capture him. They know that no one will attack them while they have the prince. The Romans need the protection from their enemies while they try to build a road between their two forts,in Britain so that they can regroup and reassemble their armies. While Bran is captured, he meets a Greek engineer named Pentheus, who educates him about Greek history. He becomes one of Bran’s only friends while he is traveling with the Romans. Pentheus tries to warn Bran that his tribe will not defeat the Romans. Bran resists this advice, and believes that his tribe will succeed. I would give this book four and a half stars. The book tells a suspenseful story full of surprises in the plot. But it is also set in a true historical period which provides a lot of information about the Romans. For example, the book details how the Romans built roads by marking the road surface with wooden pegs and flags. It also taught how battles were fought in that time period. I did not give it a full five stars as the book did not have a proper plot structure, which took away from the overall reading experience. There is no true resolution to the problems. Instead, time just passes and the narrator provides an update. The book is special because it is suspenseful which keeps you interested. At the same time the reader is learning many historical facts about the time period.
The Sirens of Surrentum, by Caroline Lawerence
By Lily G.
How would you feel if you knew someone was trying to poison your mother? In an old town called Surrentum, Polla Pulchra is determined to find out who is behind a scheme such as this. Every time the Pulchra family has houseguests, Polla's mother seems to fall ill. Polla invites her friends Flavia, Nubia, Jonathan, and Lupus to stay with her at her father’s villa in Surrentum. She needs their help finding the person who is poisoning her mother. Polla convinces her father, Felix, to host a matchmaking party and to invite all of the suspects. The suspects are three young widows and three bachelors. Flavia assigns each of her friends to watch one of the bachelors or widows, yet no obvious suspect turns up. Although their surveillance is unsuccessful, they do find out that Felix regularly cheats on his wife with female houseguests, young slave girls, and women from the town nearby, Baiae. The group of kid detectives soon has a new realization. They think that Felix is trying to poison his wife so he can marry another woman. The children have the idea to consult a poison expert in Baiae named Locusta. They tell her all the symptoms, and she says these symptoms come from poisoning by a plant called hemlock. Hemlock can only be lethal if given in the correct dose, as well as being fresh. Locusta realizes that Polla's mother did not have the right amount of hemlock for it to be lethal, so she had become immune to the plant. Flavia lays out a trap by announcing that she has hidden a packet of lethal poison in the villa, and she waits to see who claims it. The book leaves cliffhangers at the end of each chapter, making it impossible to guess the verdict. I would rate this book five stars because I enjoyed reading it and putting together all the clues to finally solve the mystery. I would recommend The Sirens of Surrentum to anyone who is ready to be a detective and solve the mystery!
The Sirens Of Surrentum, by Caroline Lawrence
The Sirens Of Surrentum is a mystery romance book. It is also a little PG-13. Flavia Gemina is off to Villa Limona again to solve yet another mystery! Her father is a captain of a trading ship and is going on a voyage leaving Flavia no place to stay. She is joined on this adventure by three friends- Nubia, a freed slave girl, Jonathan, and the tongueless yet very artistic Lupus. And there is a twist! It involves three young bachelors and three young bachelorettes. Their host Felix thinks one of them is trying to poison his wife. He invites the young detectives to have fun and relax while trying to solve a mystery. Will the goddess Venus of passion and desire distract this group of sleuths? You will have to read this fantastic book of poison, mystery and love to find out!!
by Ethan E.
THE SON OF NEPTUNE, by Rick Riordan Reviewed by Noah G. Thrilling, suspenseful, amusing. These are some adjectives that describe The Son of Neptune. This book is the sequel to Rick Riordan’s book, The Lost Hero. In The Son of Neptune, Percy Jackson tells the story of how he awoke in a strange place. Percy is a sixteen-year-old demigod, a person with a mortal parent and a godly parent. Percy’s dad is Neptune, or Poseidon, god of the sea, earthquakes, and horses (this gives Percy control of over sea, ability to create earthquakes, and ability to talk to horses). The only thing that Percy can recall is that he was found by a wolf goddess; she trained, guided and taught him; then he was sent on a journey to find a camp for other demigods like him. The wolf goddess taught Percy that he was born for the Roman gods and that he was going to the Roman camp, but what Percy doesn’t know is that there is a camp like his, but for Greek demigods. To get to camp he’d have to defeat two gorgons over and over and over and over again, and then he’d have to carry an old, heavy hippie across a lake. Percy befriended a couple of outcasts, who were seemingly crazy weirdoes. Frank Zang and Hazel Lavesh (about the same age as Percy) had problems of their own; their cohort (the fifth, which Percy was elected to be in) was in a rut, and they had deathly scary secrets. But that all changes when a god comes to camp only to claim Frank and send him, Percy, and Hazel on a quest. They must go on a quest to kill a giant, unchain death, and recover an eagle. The quest isn’t easy, with evil wheat, women warriors, and healthy organic cupcakes.
I rate the book five stars out of five. This book was outstanding.
The Son of Neptune, By Rick RiordanReviewed by Madelyn S. In this sequel to the Percy Jackson Series, Percy, who was last seen in Camp Half-Blood (a Greek camp) has now ended up in the Roman Camp Jupiter. How he ended up there he doesn’t know. He doesn’t even remember who he was or what he did. His friend Hazel, who is supposed to be dead now, is falling in love with a boy named Frank. She was supposedly killed by the god Gaea while trying to save the world. Frank’s life now depends on a piece of wood. Once that wood is burned to ashes he will be dead. All of these friends are sent on a quest by Mars (the war god) to save Thantos the Greek god of death, who was captured and now can’t close and open the doors of death. Mother Gaea, goddess of the Earth, took control and now lots of monsters and giants are not dying because the doors of death are always open, meaning the dead are resurrecting. Thantos is being held in Alaska, where there is no protection from the gods. On the way to Alaska the friends run into a man named Phineas who knows all, so they try to get him to reveal the exact location of Thantos. They find out that the only way to get the location is to catch the harpy Ella, so to release her they decide to gamble with Phineas. Percy has two containers of gorgon blood: one heals and one kills, but both look exactly the same. Percy tries to connect to Gaea saying if he is so important, let Phineas die and let him pick the container that heals. Phineas does take the death container and dies while Percy takes the healing one. Ella the harpy comes with Percy, Hazel, and Frank and they go to Alaska. Do they free Thantos? Does Percy get his memory back? Read the book to find out.
The Son of Neptune, By Rick RiordanReviewed by Mati Z.Rescue the god of death in a week from the hands of an immortal, all-powerful, giant enemy of the gods, who cannot be defeated in his homeland where he is holding his captive? Why not? In The Son of Neptune, Hazel, Frank, and Percy are charged with this task. The three teenagers, who are demi-gods, are sent off from their demi-god camp, with nothing more than a small boat, their clothes, and their weapons. They must reach Alaska, the lair of Alcyoneus the giant, enemy of the gods, eldest of his kind, and bred to destroy the gods of Olympus. They fight their way through hostile wheat fields, unfriendly hot dog samples, Gorgons, seers, Canadians, griffins, undead warriors, and very large and unfriendly immortals. However, as in most adventure stories such as this, they receive help from many sources. Some of them are: very old ghosts, Amazons, death, a very cranky grandmother, a few gods, an elephant, a grizzly bear, an eagle and many more. In this book, Rick Riordan continues the legacy of Percy Jackson while making use of his new design of narration. The book contains as much excitement or more as its predecessor, The Lost Hero, and smoothly incorporates the characters of his previous series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians. This book indisputably deserves five stars for its dazzling excitement, its uproarious humor, superb character development, and Riordan’s remarkable feat of combining all of the above into a fantastic, cohesive piece of literature. Riordan perfects his masterpiece by humanizing his characters. He makes them heroes but he also emphasizes that they too have great weaknesses, like all people. They too are subject to temptation. Heroes that they are, they still are not so sure of themselves that they cannot for a minute doubt their cause. They are human. The Son of Neptune is altogether a literary marvel of the 21st century.
The Thieves of Ostia, by Caroline Lawrence
Reviewed by Shira
It all starte- Hey what was that?... It all started whe- What was that!?
Whatever.
My name is Flavia Gemina. I am a Roman sea captain's daughter. As I
was trying to speak before, I was trying to say that there are all these crazy
mysteries going on in my life! I solved my first mystery on the Ides of June
in the tenth year of the Emperor Vespasian.
My life was so confusing and scary! All of the dogs on my street
were mysteriously dying and I had no idea why! And I was losing
everything! At this point in my story I needed to find out who the killer was,
along with Jonathan my new neighbor, Nubia a young African girl, and a
mute beggar boy, Lupus. By the end of this novel I solved my problem by
asking for the latest gossip and reading or listening to everything that would
help me.
Star rating: two-and-a-half
I really loved the theme of this book. It was very mysterious and scary, but
enjoyable all at the same time!
What I didn't like about this book is that it jumped to two different scenes in
two different chapters then went back to the other scene, which was really
confusing.
The Thieves Of Ostia, by Caroline Lawrence
Reviewed by Jeremy S. The Thieves of Ostia, by Caroline Lawrence is a mysterious historical fiction novel that takes place in the ancient seaport of Rome during the time in which the Emperor Vespasian is ruling, 79 CE. Flavia is the ten-year-old daughter of Marcus Flavius Geminus. She has a keen knack for solving mysteries and that skill is put to the test in this story. The mystery begins when an unknown person breaks into Flavia’s neighbor Jonathan’s house and kills his watchdog, Bobas, but steals nothing. Nubia (Flavia’s slave girl that she had bought on her birthday), Flavia, and Jonathan have no idea who could be the culprit, but are determined to find out.
Later, they meet the tongueless beggar boy, Lupus, when they save him from a pack of wild dogs. He was in a tree just outside Jonathan's house and the dogs were barking at him, but Jonathan, Flavia, Nubia, and Mordecai, who is Jonathan's dad, do not know exactly what the dogs are barking at. Mordecai first shoots the wild dogs with his bow and arrow, then they all go down to the tree and see that there is a boy in the tree. They inform him that it's safe to come down, but he begins to hop from tree to tree. He is trying to escape from them, but then a branch snaps—crack--and he plummets to the earth. The group takes him inside, cares for him, and begins to question him. They find out that he has no tongue so he cannot talk, but they are still able to communicate through hand gestures. They learn he is an orphan and his name is Lupus. They say that he can stay with them in Jonathan's house and he agrees to help them solve their mystery. Lupus then becomes part of the team of young detectives hoping to solve an interestingly challenging mystery. During their journey for justice they do everything from following a suspect around town to running away from a slave dealer's men to save their lives. The Thieves Of Ostia is an amazingly written novel that makes it hard to put down the book. In my opinion, it gets a well-deserved 5 out of 5 stars.
The Thieves of Ostia, by Caroline Lawrence Reviewed by, Sophia H
The story begins when Flavia Gemina, an eleven-year-old girl, is trying to retrieve her father’s stolen ring from a magpie nest in a tree. As Flavia was just about to return home and greet her father with the ring, a pack of fierce wild dogs approached, ready to tear Flavia into pieces. Luckily, a boy named Jonathan came to rescue her and together they were able to get back to their homes safely. Flavia and Jonathan instantly became friends. One day when they were going to Jonathan’s house, his watchdog, Bobas was lying dead on the floor, with no head. One by one, dogs all around their town were being slaughtered. This was a mystery that needed to be solved. On Flavia’s birthday she spotted a slave, a girl about her own age. At once Flavia knew exactly what she wanted for her birthday. With her own money, and a bit of her father’s, she bought the slave girl, Nubia, to be her companion. Even though Nubia was not able to speak Latin like Flavia and Jonathan, she was very resourceful in helping solve the mystery... Lastly, Flavia, Jonathan, and Nubia find Lupus when he falls out of a tree. Lupus is an eight-year old orphan living as a beggar. The three friends welcome Lupus into their group. Together the four friends are working to solve the mystery of the dog murderer. Flavia, Jonathan, Nubia and Lupus have an extraordinary plan but will they ever solve this preposterous, problematic mystery? This story takes place in Ostia, Rome during 79 AD. I rate it a four out of five stars. It was an exciting plot that made you want to read on. However, in some areas it wasn’t very well written and it lacked interesting words. I definitely recommend this book to anyone wanting to read a thrilling, adventurous novel.
Thieves of Ostia, by Caroline, Lawrence Reviewed by Benjamin R This book is about a murder mystery that protagonists, Flavia Gemina, Jonathan ben Mordecai, Nubia, and Lupus try to solve. The mystery is about who killed Jonathan’s dog, who was found with his head decapitated and missing. The four friends go on a quest to find the killer. Flavia Gemina is a daughter of a sea captain. Jonathan ben Mordecai is a boy who recently moved next door to Flavia. He is officially Jewish and so is his family, but they follow the new Christianity. He was born around the time that Titus conquered Jerusalem. His father is a doctor and is very skilled, as Flavia finds out. Nubia is a slave who was being auctioned off on Flavia’s birthday. Flavia decided to save Nubia by buying her. Flavia and Nubia become best of friends. Nubia can barely speak Latin and comes from Nubia, which is a region in modern-day northern Sudan and southern Egypt. She is good with animals, which Flavia and Jonathan later find out when she calms down the dogs in a graveyard. Lupus is a beggar who cannot speak because his tongue has been cut off. He can be very greedy when he hears that there is something valuable in Flavia’s house. He tries to steal it but gets caught. The story takes place in Ostia, a major port-city in Rome, in 79 B.C.E. The group suspect that Avitus, a neighbor down the street, has committed the crime, as he hates dogs because they killed his daughter. Meanwhile, Jonathan, Flavia, and Nubia are chased by Venalicius, a local slave dealer, who wants to capture them to sell them off. This book has spawned many sequels. The four friends had an amazing adventure and will have many more.
The Thieves of Ostia, by Caroline Lawrence Reviewed by Yasmin S. The Thieves of Ostia makes you think you're in Flavia's world, all the way back in 79 A.D. in the Roman Empire. Flavia is an eleven-year-old girl who is on a quest to figure out who killed her friend's dog. Her friend Jonathan was devastated after his dog died. It was horrifying for him to walk into his house and see a bloody, headless dog lying on the floor. However, it wasn't only Flavia and Jonathan who were trying to solve this mystery. Flavia also had a slave girl who was about her age. Her name was Nubia, and she also helped on their adventure. Lastly, there was a boy who was a beggar, Lupus. All three of the other children found Lupus stuck, surrounded by dogs, and they saved him. As a group of detectives, the children roamed the streets of their city, piecing together clues to help them on their journey.
Overall, I would give The Thieves of Ostia a rating of three-and-a-half stars out of five stars. I enjoyed this book because each chapter was unpredictable. This book had me engaged because there were many plot twists and I had never read a book like it before. It got a little confusing at points because there were many people involved with it and sometimes I couldn't tell who was who. One other thing I didn't like about the book was that at the end of it nothing exciting happened. But overall, I suggest that many kids should read this book because it is informative and intriguing.
The Twelve Tasks Of Flavia Gemina, by Caroline Lawrence
Reviewed by Hunter K. Do you think the twelve tasks of Hercules are possible for a ten-year-old girl to do? I don’t know, but Flavia Gemina thinks it's possible. It’s the year 79 A.D., in the month of Saturnalia. Saturnalia takes place every year in December. It’s a festival where you can do things freely. The book takes place in Ostia, Rome. One day during Saturnalia, a girl that was visiting Ostia, named Cartilia Poplica, came and happened to really like Pater. Flavia Gemina thought that her love for Pater ( Flavia’s dad), was just a fluke and she just wanted his fortune. But no one knew that the Geminas had just lost all of their fortune. Flavia Gemina is the main character in the book. She is ten years old and is a detective. Flavia and her three friends ( Nubia, Jonathon and Lupus ) were determined to solve the case of Cartilia’s love for Pater. Flavia has a dream, and it tells her to perform the twelve tasks of Hercules to solve the case. Are you interested? If so, you should read the book.
I would rate this book five stars out of five stars because the book is fast paced and action packed. I really enjoy mystery books, so this was the book for me. The Roman Mysteries series (the series of my book), is a great collection if you are looking for books that have to do with Ancient Rome and also mysteries. I liked this book so much that I finished it in three days. Another one of the genres for the book was romance. The part in the book that I disliked was when a fever hit Ostia, because I didn’t like the fact that the fever killed people. But that was the only part I disliked. One of the parts I liked was when Flavia had a dream about the twelve tasks of Hercules, because if she didn't have that dream the book wouldn't really have been that good. That part hooked me into the book.
The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina, by Caroline Lawrence
Reviewed by Dori H.F. In 79 CE, in Ostia, in the Roman Empire, ten-year-old Flavia Gemina is not your typical girl. She runs through the streets with her friends, Lupus, Jonathan and Nubia and does not mind getting dirty. All of her fun stops when her father tells her that she has to become a proper young lady. She then becomes suspicious, as her father, Captain Geminus, and his new lady friend become closer, more than Flavia likes. She starts investigating the lady’s motives and persuades her friends to help her. Flavia has a dream about the Twelve Tasks of Hercules and uses these twelve tasks as a guide for this investigation. Flavia and her friends learn more and more gossip about her father’s mysterious lover, the widow Cartilia Poplicola. They think she might be a witch or even a murderess. They want to break off the relationship. The young detectives have many adventures as they follow the Twelve Labours of Hercules. Some of the tasks that they do are dangerous. They capture an escaped lion, and visit the Hydra fountains and the Atlas Tavern. They pick up scraps of gossip along the way and piece together their case. I give this book a rating of five stars because it made me think about what life was like for young women in Ancient Rome. I was surprised how early in their lives they began serious relationships. I was also incredibly surprised at the freedom Flavia had to run around the streets of Rome by herself. I found this piece of historical fiction well done and believable. It gave me a good view of life in another time. I highly recommend it because of the well-written plots and sub-plots.
The Wadjet Eye, by Jill Rubalcaba Reviewed by Maya P.
This book is about a boy who goes on an adventure to find his father. The story begins in Egypt in 45 B.C.E., and moves to Italy and Spain. Damon and Artemas are the two main characters in the book. Damon is studying to be a physician and Artemas wants to be a soldier. Damon’s mom dies and they go on an adventure to find his father, who is fighting with Ceasar in Spain. Their adventure was a great journey and I wish I could go on that trip. When they were shipwrecked and attacked by sharks, they were saved by the Pharaoh Cleopatra's sailors. Afterwards, they went to Spain and found and saved Damon’s father. I would give this book 4 stars out of 5 because it is full of information and adventure and kept me interested. It is missing one star because there are too many words that I don’t understand and the story is a bit too gory to for me.
The Wadjet Eye, by Jill Rubalcaba Reviewed by Bailey M. This book is about a teen named Damon and his best friend Artemas who live in Alexandria, Egypt. Damon’s mother passes away so he and Artemas head off to Spain to find Damon’s father who is fighting for Caesar’s army. Damon is studying to become a doctor and Artemas wishes to become a soldier. Damon has never spent time with his father and never really loved him because he left when Damon was young. During the journey the ship that Damon and Artemas are on gets sucked into a vortex, which is a current that spins and sucks you in. They also have to survive a deadly shark attack. They are saved by a ship carrying Cleopatra, Pharaoh of Egypt, while being attacked. I would give this a 4 out of 5 rating because I found it very interesting but there were a lot of smaller quests inside of the main one and I didn’t like that.
Historical fiction about ancient Rome
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The Assassins of Rome, by Caroline Lawrence
Reviewed by Jon C.
The Assassins of Rome tells the journey of Jonathan Ben Mordecai on a quest find his long lost mother. The book follows two intertwining stories, one of Jonathan and one of a trained assassin. It starts on Jonathan birthday just after the most famous eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 71 CE. His friends Flavia, Nubia and Lupus were giving presents to him. One of the presents is from a man named Felix who Jonathan had helped. It is lemon blossom perfume, which makes Jonathan sad and he doesn't know why. His father says it was because Jonathan's mother, who died when Jonathan was a baby, always wore lemon blossom perfume. Then there is a knock on the door. It is soldiers saying that they had information on a man who is tall, about thirty, with a beard and long frizzy hair. His name is Simeon Ben Jonah and he is thought to be a deadly assassin.
Jonathan had always wondered why his mother died. He knew she was caught in the siege of Jerusalem during the destruction of the Second Temple, but
Jonathan didn't know why she didn't come with the family out of Jerusalem. He always had a feeling that it was his fault. Soon after, Jonathan heard his father talking with a man. Jonathan's father was saying how he should've insisted that his wife come with them out of Jerusalem. Then the other man said, "It wasn't your fault. She had already made up her mind to stay, because of Jonathan." Jonathan looked closer and saw that the man was Simeon, the assassin. Jonathan screamed and head-butted Simeon in the chest. Jonathan's father Mordecai yelled, "Stop, Jonathan, he's your uncle." Simeon then explained how he is not an assassin and how he has an important message for Emperor Titus, even though he hated Titus for destroying Jerusalem.
That night Jonathan talks to Simeon. Jonathan asks about his mother and tells Simeon that he had a dream that she was alive and weaving in a cave. Simeon then told Jonathan what he was actually doing while sending a message to Emperor Titus. The next morning, lying on Jonathan's bed was Jonathan's wax tablet. In
Hebrew, the tablet read, "Gone to Rome, please..." and the rest was unreadable. In order to find out what happens next you'll have to read the book. The book kept you reading and never gave too much away, but gave enough away that you didn’t get bored and stopped reading. It described everything in great detail and painted a picture in your mind. I give this book a 4/5 for those reasons. I really enjoyed the book and would recommend it.
The Assassins of Rome, by Caroline Lawrence
Reviewed by Maya L.
The Assassins of Rome, by Caroline Lawrence, is about Flavia Gemina and her three friends, Nubia, Lupus, and Jonathan. Flavia Gemina is a sea captain’s daughter; Nubia is a girl from Africa who was Flavia’s slave until Flavia freed her; Lupus is a mute boy; and Jonathan is a Jewish-Christian boy. This book takes place in Rome and Ostia, during September, C.E. 79. The foursome are celebrating Jonathan’s birthday when officials warn them about assassins, and Jonathan’s Uncle Simeon, who is believed to be an assassin, arrives. Later, a wax tablet saying, “Gone to Rome”, is found, and Jonathan disappears along with Simeon. The next thing we know, Jonathan is on a mission in Rome to find a family member who was thought to be dead, Flavia and Nubia have gone after him, and Lupus and Aristo, the four friends' tutor, have gone, too. I would give this book a four-star rating, because a lot was going on, and the story itself was interesting, even though it had a slow beginning.
The Assassins of Rome, by Caroline LawrenceReview
Reviewed by Zachary M.
The story, The Assassins of Rome, is about the main character, Jonathan, going to Rome with his uncle to see if his mother is alive. But his uncle was part of an assassin group that wants to kill the emperor, and they end up in jail. Meanwhile, Jonathan’s friends, Flavia and Nubia, are in Rome looking for him. Jonathan’s sister, Miriam, and another one of his friends, Lupus, are taking care of the households of Jonathan’s friends, and also taking care of Jonathan’s father, Mordechai. This story takes place in ancient times, and all of the facts are based on ancient artifacts from Rome that is still here from that time. Jonathan is a smart, Jewish teenager. Flavia is an intelligent, curious, teenage girl. Nubia used to be a slave girl to Flavia, but they’re friends now. Lupus is a fast, toungeless, eight-year old. Miriam is a beautiful, Jewish, caring, girl. Mordechai is a Jewish doctor, father of Jonathan and Miriam. Aristo is a Greek tutor, and is in love with Miriam. When Jonathan’s uncle got to Rome, Mordechai was accused of holding an assassin in his house, so he was sent to jail.
I would give this book a four star rating, because it is a very good book, but it didn’t pull me into it until the middle.
The Assassins of Rome, by Caroline LawrenceReviewed by Helen R
The Assassins of Rome is the fourth book in a series about four young friends and their adventures in ancient Roman times. Jonathan, the main character, is a Jew whose family follows Jesus. Lupus is a boy who unfortunately had his tongue cut out. Flavia is Jonathan’s next door neighbor and friend. And last, but not least, of the four main characters, is Nubia. She is Flavia’s former slave girl who was let free, and is now her friend. In this book, Jonathan travels to Rome with his uncle Simeon, who is thought by most to be a vicious assassin. They go in an attempt to find his long-lost mother, whom Jonathan had never met, but still felt a strong connection to. Meanwhile, his friends back in Ostia believe that he is in danger because they believe that Simeon, the assassin, had kidnapped him and was going to kill him. The friends eventually travel to Rome in hopes to save Jonathan before it is too late.
The story takes place in Rome about ten years after the destruction of the second Beit Ha-mikdash in 70 CE. In this time, people used a wax tablet to write, by scratching their message out in the wax. To travel comfortably people would hire a litter, which is a box with couches in it carried by four men. Overall, the times were nothing like they are today. They were much more harsh and primitive. People suffered through long wagon or litter rides, through hot weather, for distances that would now only take a fraction of the time to go by car. Communication was limited, except for letters and talking face to face. Now, the whole situation in the book could be avoided, because people are almost always in touch due to new technology.
I would give The Assassins of Rome a three out of five-star rating. It had an interesting plot, but I found that it was not written very well. I didn’t like that it was so predictable, although I did like the action and the description. I would recommend this book to a friend, because it is interesting and informative.
The Assassins of Rome, by Caroline Lawrence
Mysterious, misleading, and wonderful, Roman Mysteries is a series of 18 books. The fourth book, The Assassins of Rome, is about four children's different adventures leading them all to the same place, the Golden House of the Emperor Nero. They go there looking for Jonathan, their friend who mysteriously vanished. They don’t know why but suspect abduction or a quest to find his mother. The four main characters are Flavia, the twelve-year-old brilliant and kind-hearted daughter of sea captain Marcus Geminus; Jonathan, the twelve-year-old pessimistic escapee from Jerusalem; Nubia, the ten-year-old gentle and loyal slave; and Lupus, the ten-year-old brave and clever mute. The setting is in Ostia near Rome, in A.D. 79. Along the way the children encounter family, friends and danger every step they take. At the end of the road they face assassins and find a heart wrenching discovery while doing so. This book deserves a four out of five star rating because of the wonderful characters, plot and surprising ending.
By Allison G.
The Assassins of Rome By: Caroline Lawrence
In AD79, Ostia was the place where Jonathan and his friends were living. His friends were Nubia, Flavia and Lupus. Simeon and Miriam were Jonathan’s uncle and sister. Mordecai and Susannah were his dad and mom. Jonathan was celebrating his birthday with Nubia, Flavia, and Lupus. Jonathan was explaining to them how everything bad happens on his birthday. As they were about to eat dinner, Jonathan’s Uncle Simeon arrived and told the story of Jonathan’s mom in Jerusalem. The next day Jonathan and his uncle were missing. Miriam and Jonathan’s friends found a wax tablet with a note from Jonathan written on it. Most of the message was melted so they could only read part of it. The message said, “Gone to Rome…Please…”. Flavia, Nubia, Miriam, and Lupus went to Rome to search for Jonathan. While they were in Rome, Jonathan and Uncle Simeon searched for Susannah. Jonathan and Uncle Simeon got caught by the guards because they were trespassing. Jonathan became a slave in the Golden House, and Uncle Simeon got taken away. Flavia, Nubia, Lupus, and Miriam went to the Golden House to find Jonathan. While they were there, they found the Assassins of Rome. The friends need to kill the assassins before any more madness happens. I would give this book 4 ½ stars because it was a little slow in the beginning. As I kept reading, the plot got better and a lot more interesting. In the end, I did not want to put the book down. I just wanted to keep reading.
By: Max F.
The Assassins of Rome, By Caroline Lawrence
I hope after you read this review you will also read this book. This is an action and mystery book that will make you read the next chapter. The main characters are a boy named Jonathan, a girl named Flavia, who helps Jonathan, Nubia a slave, Lupus a boy with no tongue, Mordecai, Jonathan’s father, Susannah, Jonathan’s mother, Titus, the emperor or Rome, and Simeon, Jonathan’s uncle. This story takes place a few months after a volcanic eruption destroyed the city of Pompeii in 79 C.E. It takes place in ancient Rome and a small city called Ostia. It all started out when Jonathan said, “Every time I have a birthday something bad always happens.” Later that day the mayor said to Mordecai, “An assassin is coming here. Do you have any enemies?” and Mordecai said “No.” Then Jonathan finds his father talking with somebody who said, “Jonathan is why your wife didn’t come with you.” Jonathan realizes that it is the assassin because he matches the description of him. After Jonathan attacks the assassin, his father says it is his Uncle Simeon. Later in the story Jonathan goes to Rome with his uncle to find Jonathan’s mother. Once Flavia, Nubia and Flavia’s mentor find out where they are going, they also head to Rome. In a rental apartment, Simeon tells Jonathan that he will pretend to be a musician so they can talk to the emperor. In the emperor’s Golden House a person talks to Simeon in Hebrew he responds in Hebrew and gets caught. Jonathan becomes a slave for being a Jew and Simeon is sent to have his eye gouged out. Flavia, Nubia, Lupus and Aristo get into the Golden House and start looking for Jonathan. Meanwhile, Jonathan finds a girl who shows him where his mother is. I give this story four stars because it has a lot of action and mystery and its chapters are short. The book is short too, with only 150 pages.
By Amos E.
Assassins of Rome, by Caroline Lawrence
This book is about Jonathan and his friends celebrating Jonathan’s birthday when a visitor arrives to see Jonathan’s father. The visitor is Jonathan’s Uncle Simeon, who people believe is an assassin. The next day Uncle Simeon disappears with Jonathan. Jonathan is Jewish. His personality is always expecting the worst. He was a few months old when he, his sister, and his father fled Jerusalem. Within months, Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans. His mother did not want to escape according to Jonathan’s father. His father thinks it’s Jonathan’s fault his mother died because she sacrificed her life for him. Lupus is one of Jonathan’s friends. He is mute, so he writes on a wax tablet to tell people what he wants to say. He has a temper if people upset him and he will run off and disappear for days. Nubia and Flavia are also Jonathan’s friends. Nubia was a slave for sale in Ostia. Luckily, Flavia bought her. Flavia and Nubia are like sisters. Nubia’s personality is gentle, kind, loyal, and brave. Flavia is very smart and kind-hearted. She hates not knowing things and she is interested in mysteries. They are all best friends. They live in A.D. 79, in Ostia, Rome. The three friends try to find out where Jonathan and his uncle are going. The journey takes them to the Golden House of Emperor Nero, where a deadly assassin is at work, and they are face to face with the terrible destruction of Jerusalem. Meanwhile, Jonathan is trying to find out if his mother is really alive. My book rating is four out of five stars because it was a very good book but the mystery could have been more interesting.
Alex W.
The Assassins of Rome, Caroline Lawrence
Reviewed by Josh B.
In the book, The Assassins of Rome, Jonathan and his Uncle Simeon escape to Rome to find Jonathan’s mother who had been captured. Flavia and Nubia go into Rome in a truck full of oranges to help Jonathan find his mother. Meanwhile, Aristo and Lupus are on their way to Rome and bring the things that Mordechai needs in jail. What Jonathan doesn’t know is that he is traveling in Rome with an assassin, who was assigned to murder his mother along with two other men. This was a very thrilling book. I would rate it 5 stars. I would recommend this book for kids in middle school to read because of the language used, and the complexity of the story. This book really kept my stuck in its ideas and really made me want to know what would happen when I turned the page.
The Beggar of Volubilis, by Caroline Lawrence
Reviewed by Aaron H.Camels, hot deserts, skeletal bodies, slave traders, beggars, leopards, and pantomime dancers are just a few obstacles that Flavia and her three friends encountered along their adventurous journey from Ostia to Volubilis in 81 AD. The four young friends, all from very diverse backgrounds, set out to find an emerald, Nero’s Eye, and Flavia’s missing Uncle Gaius. What was supposed to be an uneventful mission turned into utter confusion and chaos when their boat sailed off without them, which caused them to run out of money and lose their possessions. Emperor Titus entrusted these four youngsters to return the emerald to Rome so that he could rule the Roman Empire. Will the children find the emerald? Middle school children who are interested in Roman times and following children on dangerous and mysterious adventures would enjoy reading this book. The bond between the children shows the importance of friendship, loyalty and devotion to family throughout the many challenges along the way. However, it would be best to begin with volume 1 in the series, since starting with volume 14 does not allow you to fully grasp the characters’ identities and relationships. It became quite confusing in the beginning when the author started saying all of the many characters' names. Overall, I liked the book and I would give it 3 stars out of 5 because the plot became boring at times and the book dragged on through many chapters. However, I liked the book because of the theme that existed throughout the text. The theme of family devotion was evident from the start of the book when Flavia set out to find her uncle, and how the children never left each other during the many months of traveling to Volubilis.
The Charioteer of Delphi, by Caroline Lawrence
The Charioteer of Delphi is a mystery about horse racing. The four children in the Roman Mysteries series, Flavia, Nubia, Jonathan, and Lupus, receive news that a prize racehorse named Sagitta has gone missing, and there is a reward of one hundred thousand sesterci for finding the horse. Unlike most of the Roman Mysteries, the mystery is solved quickly. Sagitta is discovered tied to a temple after a beggar tells them where to find him. But when the races begin, something strange ensues. That same beggar gives the four children a curse tablet that he found, and at the races, the doom specified by the curse tablet settles over the ones that it named. Who would do such a thing? And why? The children are determined to find out…
I liked this book because it has an even more complex plot than most of the Roman Mysteries. It has a many-part story, instead of the usual one or, occasionally, two. It is a very fast read as it is very engaging, though at times it is confusing. It also has the benefit of opening up to a surprising and (almost as surprisingly) interesting topic: horse racing as a competitive sport in Rome. I would rate it 4.5 stars, because it was a very good book, though many elements of the perfect book, such as the chase or the battle, were missing. (To find a book that has almost all of the elements of a perfect book and yet is still not entirely wonderful, look to The Horse and his Boy, fiction by C.S. Lewis.)
By Avi Z.
The Charioteer of Delphi, by Caroline Lawrence
This story takes place during the time of the Roman Empire. Flavia, Lupus, Jonathan and Nubia are in Rome celebrating the festival of Jupiter at the town house of Senator Cornix. Flavia Gemina is the daughter of Marcus Flavius Geminus a Roman sea captain. She embarks on thrilling adventures with her three friends, Jonathan, Nubia and Lupus. She is 12 years old and was born in Ostia, the port of Rome. Her family is only her and her dad. Jonathan ben Mordecai is Flavia's next door neighbor. His hobbies are keeping Flavia out of trouble, hunting, making things and collecting jokes. He is twelve years old and was born in Jerusalem. His family consists of Mordecai ben Ezra (father) and Miriam bat Mordecai (sister). Nubia was born in a desert country called Nubia, south of Egypt. When she was still young, slave-traders came in the night and took her in chains. She is twelve years old and thinks her family is dead. Lupus’s name means 'wolf'. He is a bit wild, like a wolf. For a long time he lived alone in the graveyard outside Ostia, begging or stealing what he needed. He is ten years old. He was born on Symi, a Greek island, and doesn’t like talking about his family. He is mute, which means he cannot speak. He is sneaky, crafty, brave and clever. He is good at spying on people and eavesdropping on them. He is learning how to read and write and it's very useful to him. Now he takes his wax tablet with him everywhere so he can communicate with his friends.Once the gang arrives in Rome they hear that a famous racehorse has gone missing a few days before very important events at the Circus Maximus. Not only does this horse go missing but other horses also go missing and during the races it seems the Greens are cursed and many of them are very hurt, some even killed. The Greens are one of the four horse racing factions of ancient Rome: White, Blue, Red and Green. They compete for lots of money and fame. With a new companion, Scopos, the group must figure out who stole the horse before the races start, and who is causing the curse.
I think this is a decent book; I give it 3 stars because it wasn’t that interesting for me. I would recommend it to people who like horse racing.
By Ofek.P
The Charioteer of Delphi, by Caroline Lawrence
The Charioteer of Delphi will take you on another adventure in ancient Roman times. This book is one out of the many in the series. In this book, Flavia, a regular Roman girl of 12 years old; Lupus, a tongueless boy who used to be a beggar who is now 9 years old; Jonathan, a Jew who turned Christian and is 12 years old; Nubia, a slave girl freed by Flavia; and their new friend Scopos, who can’t socialize with people but is very good with animals, especially horses, are off on another mystery. They are off to Rome to try to earn a huge reward by finding a famous missing racehorse. However, Flavia’s father has no idea about this latest mystery. Flavia and her gang, including her bodyguard, travel to Rome to stay with her uncle while her father sets sail on a trade mission. Flavia and her friends celebrate the Roman Festival of Jupiter while visiting her uncle. When they get to Rome, their bodyguard Aristo gets Scopos a job at the Green’s stable house. There are four different colors or factions of stables all competing against each other in the horse races. While Scopos is taking care of the horses, the rest of the gang is out to find the missing race horse. Out of nowhere, a beggar with a crippled leg asks them for a very small amount of money in exchange for information about the whereabouts of the horse. When they finally find the famous racehorse, its legs are burnt. Despite the horse’s injuries, they still get their giant reward. A couple of days later they find a curse tablet saying that certain charioteers from the Greens faction are going to lose the horse races. The friends notice that the first curse is coming true. Are the rest of the curses true? Is it sabotage? Why would a beggar only ask for a small amount of money and not claim the riches of the missing racehorse for himself? You’ll have to read the story to find out the trouble and danger these friends get into this time!
Ethan E.
Cleopatra VII, Daughter of the Nile, by Kristiana Gregory
Cleopatra is an adventurous, smart and brave 12-year-old girl. She has her older sisters, Tryphaena and Berenice, and her younger siblings that all live with her in Alexandria, Egypt. She knows her father (Ptolemy XII) went into hiding because the villagers are mad at him. She also knows that with her father gone, when her sister Tryphaena takes over the throne things will go bad. Her friends Olympus and Theophilus tell her that her father plans on going to Rome to get some Roman soldiers so they can overthrow the angry villagers. Cleopatra sneaks aboard his ship with her slave/best friend Neva and her guard Puzo. While in Rome, she meets Pompey the Great, his wife Julia, Marc Antony and many other Romans. But there still aren’t enough soldiers that are trained to leave Rome and go back to Alexandria. The longer they stay, the more homesick Cleopatra becomes…….. I rate this book a 4 ½. It is an excellent book that is good for boys and girls because it isn’t about girly stuff even though it’s about a girl. I really liked the book, and I think that others would too!
By Emily G.
Cleopatra VII, Daughter of the Nile, by Kristiana Gregory
In the great land of Egypt there lives a girl who must save her country. Her story takes place in 57 B.C., during the rule of King Ptolemy the First. As you can tell from the title, Cleopatra is the main character. The book is her diary telling of her life at age 12 through 14. She spends almost all of her time with Neva her maid and best friend. She visits her friend Olympus for advice. He is learning to become a physician. Also she visits Theophilus who is training to be a rabbi.
The story takes place in Alexandria, Egypt. As the story progresses, Cleopatra goes to Rome with her father. Cleopatra also spends much of her time in the great library of Alexandria. The story is about how Egypt is falling apart and king Ptolemy needs Rome’s help. So Ptolemy and Cleopatra go to Rome to get help from Caesar. Back in Egypt, Cleopatra’s oldest sister Tryphaena becomes queen and Egypt does not like her. Cleopatra believes that she should be queen because she can speak to all of Egypt in their language and knows the way to treat people fairly. In Rome she meets many people such as Pompey, Caesar, Cicero, and Marc Antony, and becomes friends with Pompey’s wife Julia.
I give this book 5 stars because it showed the history perfectly. It made me feel like I was in the streets of Rome next to Cleopatra’s carriage. It starts off in a very intriguing way and continues that way throughout the whole book. It made history come alive.
By Solomon F.
Detectives in Togas, by Henry Winterfeld
Reviewed by Sophia S
Detectives in Togas is a book full of excitement and adventure that takes place in ancient Rome. It is about a school of seven boys, Caius, Mucius, Antonius, Publius, Julius, Flavius and,Rufus who are just ordinary boys attending school. Like other bairns who go to school, the boys sometimes argue and play tricks on each other. When Rufus inscribes an unkind name on a wax tablet, it turns into vandalism of a house dedicated to the emperor. Rufus is sent to jail before being proven guilty, and the boys know someone is up to no good. The friends go on an adventure to clear Rufus’s name and save him! I would give this book a 4 star rating because it was a great book packed with mystery and adventure.
Detectives in Togas, by Henry Winterfeld
Reviewed by Madison B.
A boy named Rufus went to school with a boy named Caius. Caius, whose father was a senator, insulted Rufus’s father, who was a general, which led to a fight. Rufus got so mad that on a writing tablet he wrote, “CAIUS IS A DUMBBELL". The next day, people found “CAIUS IS A DUMBBELL" in red paint on the wall of the Temple of Minerva, and everyone in the town assumed that Rufus wrote it. Rufus said to his friends that he did not do it, even though the writing was his handwriting, but Rufus was arrested.
The book is about how Rufus’s school friends, Antonius, Mucius, Flavius, Julius, and Publius, figure out who really wrote on the temple wall. After they risked their lives to prove Rufus was innocent, Rufus’s friends found the real suspect. The whole story takes place in Ancient Rome, near the Temple of Minerva, a goddess that the Romans worshiped. The main characters of the book are Rufus’s friends. Antonius was the first one who discovered who the real criminal was. Mucius fell into the Baths of Diana and realized that Rufus fell into the baths and was trapped there the night that someone wrote on the temple wall. That is how Mucius knew that Rufus couldn't have written on the temple wall.
I give this book a five star rating because it was very interesting and it is so exciting on every page that you can’t stop reading.
Detectives in Togas, by Henry WinterfieldReviewed by Lily G.
Mucius, Caius, Rufus, Antonius, Flavius, and Publius all attend the Xanthos School, which is a high class school in Rome. They have a very strict teacher named Xantippus, who demands hardworking pupils. One day, Rufus and Caius got in a fight while in class. Rufus was so annoyed that he decided to write the words, “Caius is a dumbbell,” on a writing tablet and hang it on the wall. Xantippus wasn’t pleased with this behavior, so he sent both Rufus and Caius home. The next morning, Xantippus wasn’t in the classroom when the boys arrived, which was very unlike him. Finally, they found him tied up in his closet, suffocating. This wasn’t the only weird thing that happened. That very morning someone had written the words, “Caius is a dumbbell,” on the holy temple of Minerva. It was the exact same handwriting as the tablet Rufus had written on. This is crime that could send someone to jail forever! Would a good boy like Rufus really do this, or was there another culprit?
Mucius is the smartest of the bunch. He always finds the solution to problems and stays calm in tough situations. Caius likes to brag about whatever there is to brag about, but deep down he has a good heart. Rufus is a good boy and he usually obeys the rules, unless something is really important to him. Antonius has a great memory, which comes in very handy while solving the mystery. Flavius, Julius, and Publius are very good at finding clues, and add a lot of humor to the story. Xantippus is very strict, but he is a great teacher and he teaches his students many valuable life lessons. This book takes place in ancient Rome many centuries ago. Some of our daily necessities such as electricity, paper, and pens weren’t invented yet.
I would rate this book five out of five stars because there was never a boring moment while reading, and you were always finding more and more clues to solve the mystery. It created a lot of suspense between chapters.
Detectives in Togas, by Henry Winterfeld
In Detectives in Togas there are seven important characters: Caius the son of the Emperor, Rufus, Antonius, Mucius the son of Marius Domitus who others call “His Excellency”, Flavius, Julius, and Publius. All of these boys are at The Xanthos School and their teacher’s name is Xantippus. This book takes place in Ancient Rome when there were slaves, people wore togas and wrote on writing tablets, there were Forums, a soothsayer, there were writings on scrolls, the teacher had his house attached to the school, there was an Emperor, and only boys went to school. School was from a little before sunrise till a little after sunset.
This story starts out with all the boys in the classroom. They are supposed to be writing Greek words. Instead Rufus writes “Caius is a Dumbbell” which gets the story started and Rufus expelled. The next day all the boys came to class except for Rufus and Caius. They were surprised that their teacher wasn’t there. They waited awhile then checked in his bedroom. After hearing a groan from the wardrobe they opened it and found their teacher gagged with a broken leg in his burglarized home. Afterwards the kids went to tell Rufus Xantippus was not really going to expel him. On their way there they saw on the Temple of Minerva the words painted in red, “Caius is a Dumbbell.” When the boys got to Rufus they told him about the temple and Rufus swore he had not written the words. But the Emperor had guards arrest Rufus. The boys figured whoever burglarized their teacher’s home must have forged Rufus’s handwriting on the wall. With the help of their teacher the kids used clues to figure out who really wrote on the temple and burglarized their teacher’s home.
I rate the book a 5 because there is a lot of mystery and my favorite genre for anything is mystery. I would recommend Detectives in Togas to anyone who likes mysteries or reading books about ancient foreign places.
By Gabrielle H.
Detectives in Togas, By Henry Winterfeld
The main characters in this book are boys named Rufus and Caius. Without them there wouldn’t be a story. In school they started to fight. Rufus called Caius a bad name and then they didn’t get their work done. As you could have guessed, that got them into trouble. Some other main characters are their classmates: Mucius was the clever one, Antonius was a good detective and Flavius, Julius and Publius were just good helpers. Their teacher Xantippus owned the Xanthos School. The last important characters were Lukos and Tellus, the evil ones. This book takes place in ancient Rome while Rufus’s father, Marcus Praetonius, who was a very famous general at that time, fought many wars. One of the wars was fought between Praetonius and the Gauls. In the end, Praetonius won although Livia, his wife, was not as excited as she should have been, because all she could think about was her son behind bars. Rufus was in jail because he was accused of writing on the Temple of Minerva, “Caius is a Dumbbell”, in big letters in red paint. Of course, Rufus would never dare do such a thing but someone broke into the Xanthos school, took the wax tablet that Rufus wrote on and tied up the teacher. Whoever did that definitely wrote on the temple. I would rate this book a five because not only was it interesting but I just couldn’t put it down. Every time I started a chapter I would want to finish the whole thing that night. I loved this book and I would totally recommend it to anyone who likes to learn and read about ancient times.By Mia S.
Detectives in Togas, by Henry Winterfeld
Detectives in Togas is a mystery adventure book about the pupils of
the Xanthos school in Rome, and their quest to save their friend Rufus,
who has been arrested for desecrating the temple of Minerva. The six boys,
Julius, Publius, Flavius, Antonius, Mucius, and Caius are quick to discover
that Rufus is innocent but they have a hard time proving it after the prefect
of the city announces that the handwriting on the temple is indeed Rufus’.
Every page in this book brings another clue, and the six classmates
continue to inch closer and closer to finding the culprit and solving the
mystery. In the end the boys discover something bigger than just the
culprit. The shocking ending to this book will blow your mind. Read the
book to find out! I rate Detectives in Togas 2 out of 5 because it is a very
unique book but it is very slow and not very descriptive.
By Noah M.
Detectives in Togas, by Henry Winterfeld
Detectives in Togas is about six boys in Rome who are trying to save their friend. He was blamed for writing on the temple wall, “Cauis is a Dumbell”. Not only did that happen, he also was sent to jail, where he could have been tortured and abused. This thrilling story takes you on the hunt for a desecrator, a tormenter, and a thief. For that man not only wrote on the wall, he robbed their teacher, stole his math papers, and tied him up! Caius, Antonius, Mucius, Flavius, Julius, and Publius go through dangerous, yet humorous scenes to solve the crime. They stumble upon many characters like Livia, who is Rufus’s mother; Senator Vinicius, Caius’s father; Lukos, the soothsayer; Tellus, the wealthy man; and Xantippus, the boys’ teacher. Every step they take, they discover another piece to the puzzle, each more complicated and bizarre. But sooner or later they will catch this evil man, and boy will he be up for it! I really like the book because it is very interesting and really took me into the position of the characters. I also really liked the exciting scenes.By Tamar C.
The Dolphins of Laurentum by Caroline Lawrence
Reviewed by Avi L.
Can you imagine what it would be like to live in Ancient Rome? In The Dolphins of Laurentum, you can learn a little bit about what it was like. The time is 79 AD (CE), the place is ancient Rome. Flavia’s father is in trouble. His ship was wrecked and he is about to lose his house if he does not pay one hundred thousand sestercii. When the bankers come to collect the debt during dinner, a guest tells the families that there is a sunken ship which is rumored to have treasure aboard. Flavia and her friends decide to find the treasure in order to help save her family’s home and possessions. They have an exciting experience finding the shipwreck. Lupus, who is eight years old, dives for the treasure; Jonathan, who is twelve years old, helps design ideas and build devices to get Lupus down to the shipwreck faster and also to get him above the surface of the water faster. Nubia and Flavia help by studying the movements of dangerous sea creatures and predicting where the treasure will be.
This book is special because it gives a great learning opportunity while being fun and interesting in its own way. I would give this book 3 1/2 stars because I liked the fact that it taught me how people lived back then in a clever way but it was not very well written. I was disappointed because it could have been more descriptive and it was not very deep.
The Dolphins of Laurentum, By Caroline Lawrence
The Dolphins of Laurentum is the 5th book in the Roman Mysteries series. It is about four friends who try to find hidden treasure in order to salvage a house and kill an evil slave dealer.
This book starts out when Flavia, a young girl living in Ostia, the port of Rome, sees her father walk up to the door, looking like a slave. She hadn’t seen her father, Marcus Flavius Geminus, in months and thought he was dead. Marcus told his neighbors and family that he had been shipwrecked and luckily was saved. He also told them that he had lost everything and that he was sick. Later, a man named Pliny came in and said that he was the nephew of the family’s dead friend. At dinner, Marcus’ family learns that he will have to give up their house unless he can come up with a ridiculous amount of money in the next week. Pliny allows them to stay with him until they get the money. Flavia and her dad go to Pliny’s, as do Flavia’s friend Nubia, her neighbor Jonathan, his sister Miriam and friend Lupus, and their tutor. Lupus is mute, and was a slave before he became friends with the three other pupils, and he wants to get revenge on the person who killed his father and cut out his tongue by hiring an assassin.
Pliny tells the four friends about treasure that is hidden in a boat at the bottom of the sea. If they can get it, a near impossible task, it will be enough money to get the house back and kill the slave dealer by hiring an assassin. Lupus was a great diver, and thought he could get the treasure. When he told everyone how good he was, they decided to let him try to dive for the treasure. The first time he tried to dive, he got to the highest part of the boat that held the treasure. Over the next day, he practiced holding his breath and he improved his time from 100 seconds to 180. The next day, he tried for the treasure again. Little did he know, the evil slave dealer was trying to get the same treasure he was, and it was a race… Read the book to find out who got the treasure and what happened. I rate this book 3.5 out of 5 because it was boring at the beginning but got better by the end.
Lev C.
The Dolphins of Laurentum, By Caroline Lawrence
This historical fiction book reveals the life of four young friends and their families in the port city of Ostia during the Roman Empire, in the year A.D. 79. The plot begins when Flavia’s father returns from sea injured from a shipwreck. This causes financial problems, including the risk of losing their home. A welcomed stranger, Pliny, arrives. He offers his recently inherited villa in Laurentum as a place for them to live.
One of the friends, Nubia, recognizes her brother in the slave market and needs money to buy and eventually free him. Flavia’s Uncle Gaius wants to marry Jonathan’s sister, Miriam. However, she doesn’t feel able to after his farm was destroyed in the eruption of Vesuvius. Lupus is informed that his worst enemy, Venalicius, bribed his way out of prison. Lupus wants to hire an assassin to kill him but can’t meet the price.
Pliny tells his guests a story about a shipwreck with a cargo filled with gold lost on the sea floor. He says that nobody has ever been able to reach it and those who have tried have not come back up to the surface. The story’s treasure peaks their interest as a way to solve all their financial problems. Lupus becomes the key. He announces that he was born on the island of Symi in Greece. There he followed his father’s path as a sponge diver. This gives them hope that Lupus can dive for the treasure. The story continues with the friends’ efforts to get the treasure. There is also a jail cell mystery involving Lupus’s life and what has led up to his dive for the gold.
I rate this book a 4.5 out of 5. It was a little tricky to follow the story line because of the number of characters and their Roman and Greek names. However, once I caught on to the characters, the mystery and the treasure hunt captured my attention and made me want to read more. What makes this book special is that the plot is very different from other books I have read. There wasn’t just a problem, solution and then resolution. The plot tied in all those features together really well.
Julia N.
The Eagle of the Ninth, by Rosemary Sutcliff
Reviewed by Tevah N
Have you ever risked your life to find a bird? Well Marcus Flavius Aquila and Esca did. Some time around 117 A.D., the Ninth Legion went missing somewhere near where York England now stands and its up to Marcus and Esca to find the Ninth Legion's eagle. The eagle is bronze statue that is like the flag for the Ninth Legion when they marched into battle. After being severely injured during battle, Marcus goes to live with his uncle, since his father being part of the Ninth Legion went missing. He hears word of the northern painted people having possession of the eagle. With the eagle the Ninth Legion can be reassembled, but without it the legion will be lost forever. Marcus meets Esca as a slave and sets him free to go on the journey together. The north was not very friendly to Romans, and travelers were faced with death every step of the way. Will Marcus and Esca find the eagle and restart the Ninth Legion, or will they die on the way? Read the book to find out.
I would rate this book four out of five stars, because although it was fantastic writing the beginning dragged on for a bit longer than it needed to. The language is also slightly hard to comprehend at first but the story is amazing. So if you like action packed, historical fiction you should really read this book.
The Eagle of the Ninth, by Rosemary Sutcliff
The Eagle of the Ninth takes place in A.D. 134 during the Roman Empire. At that time, the Romans controlled Britain. The story takes place in Isca Domnoniorum, which is where the Roman Legions are. Marcus Flavius Aquila, young Cohort Centurion of the Second Legion, is the main character. He’s fighting in a battle when he injures his leg severely and goes to live with his uncle, Aquila. His uncle has three slaves named Stephanos, Sassticca, and Marcipor. Marcus is lonely in Calleva (where his uncle lives) even when the slaves look in on him. One day, Marcus and Aquila go to the Saturnalia games to watch people fight. One of the fighters was losing until Marcus flashed the mercy sign for him. The next day, Marcus bought the gladiator, who had lost the fight, as his slave. His name is Esca and he serves as a good slave and friend to Marcus. There have been wolves roaming Calleva and the Roman elite make a hunt. Esca goes, and brings back a wolf cub as a pet. Marcus names him Cub. One day, when Marcus was playing with Cub in the forest when a thirteen or fourteen year old girl appears. Her name is Cottia and she quickly becomes friends with Marcus and Cub. Eight months later (Cub is fully grown now) Marcus and Esca set Cub free to the wild. They decided that if Cub came back to Marcus, he could stay, but he could also choose to stay in the wild. Cub returned and everyone was happy. When Marcus and Esca returned, they saw a guest. The guest was a Centurion of the Sixth Legion and he wanted people to go looking for the Ninth Legion’s eagle. The Ninth Legion had left fifteen years back, and had never returned. They had also lost their eagle, and every legion needs its eagle as a symbol. The head of the Ninth Legion was Marcus’s father, so Marcus asked if he could go with Esca to try to find the eagle (a near impossible task) and, after nearly he begged, his uncle and the Centurion agree! Marcus freed Esca from slavery and they’re on their way. Read the book to see what surprises Marcus and Esca run into… I rate this book three out of five because the beginning was kind of boring and slow moving, but it got better as it went.
By Lev C.On Etruscan Time by Tracy Barrett
On Etruscan Time, Tracy Barrett
Reviewed by Ilan G.
11/7/14
Why did Hector have to go to Italy with his mom Betsy? Really Hector didn’t know. He thought that he could have stayed back in Tennessee with his friends or something. When he arrived in Italy there was a woman at the airport named Susanna. They were going to stay with her. Susanna was an archeologist. The main reason Hector’s mom Betsy came to Italy was for archaeology and for some reason Hector had to come.
When he got to Susanna’s house there was a man named Ettore who was Susanna’s friend. He was also an archeologist. He had some good news and he said that he found human bones at the archeological dig. The next day they went to the archeological dig where archeologists were digging in big trenches in the ground. Everybody was looking for Etruscan artifacts. The Etruscans were people who lived in the place where Hector was Florence, Italy more than 2,000 years ago. Also They had a language, that Betsy Hectors mom, knew. Ettore asked Hector if he wanted to dig. But he had to dig out of the trenches because he wasn’t advanced. So after Ettore showed him how to dig in the correct way he got started. Ettore said if he found something he should call him.
When Hector got started it took a while to find something because there were a lot of rocks. Soon Hector thought he found something. He called Ettore and he said that it was just a rock and it wasn’t Etruscan. But since Hector thought it was something he kept it, because if he turned out to be a famous archeologist. The rock would be his first find because it didn’t look like a plain rock.
After Hector was digging he found a big boulder in the shade and he sat there. When he fell asleep he had a dream where there was a boy from the Etruscan time whose name was Arath. He said that he needed Hector’s help. Who was this boy? Would his dream be true?
I think if you like mysteries and historical Fiction this novel would be good to read. I thinks it’s cool that the book is in two time periods the Etruscan Times and Modern Era.
by Ben R.
The main character in this book is a boy named Hector. He travels back in time and finds himself among the Etruscans in Italy around 500 BCE. He finds new friends and learns how people lived in ancient times. Hector becomes friends with a boy named Arath whose father is a priest. Arath’s uncle is jealous of his brother and tries to harm his nephew. Hector is drawn into Arath’s problems and tries to protect him.
The author also tells us how modern archeologists work. Hector’s mom Susanna is an archeologist who took Hector to Italy with her when she was working on a dig one summer. Hector discovers some very important artifacts at the end of the book, but if you want to know what he finds, you will have to read the book. I would give this book a rating of four out of a five points for a good read.
Frontier Wolf, by Rosemary Sutcliff
Alexios Flavius Aguilla is sent to lead the Frontier Wolves. They are a group of undisciplined Roman soldiers who need training. Previously, Alexios had abandoned his fort in a German province and half his men were killed. His uncle Marius got him the job with the Frontier Wolves even though his leadership skills are questionable. The book takes place in Britain, A.D. 343. The Frontier Wolves defend their fort named Castellum. Alexios trains the men for a year without incident. He befriends Cunorix who is becoming the chieftain of a neighboring tribe. Cunorix has a brother named Connla who is wild and dangerous. Praepositus comes to visit to see how Alexios is doing. While he is there, Connla plays a joke and steals his horse. This is the beginning of many problems. Frontier peace was broken, soldiers were killed along with horses, including Praepositus’s favorite horse. Connla was captured. To save him from a long torturous death, Alexios kills Connla himself. A battle ensues between the Frontier Wolves, Cunorix’s clan the Votadinis, and the painted people. Alexios decides to abandon his fort again to get to a safer place with his men. Many men are killed along the way, but they make it there. A battle arises between Alexios and Cunorix, who is trying to avenge his brother’s death. I rate this book a 3 out of 5. It is a little hard to understand because of the strange names and places. It was a little slow moving, but the end was suspenseful when you wanted to know who would win the battle.
By Bryce T.
The Fugitive From Corinth, by Caroline Lawrence
Reviewed by Matan D.
This unique story takes place in ancient Roman times, in 80 CE. The book is about Dion wanting to kill his older brother Aristo because Aristo had all the fame and everybody loved him and not Dion. One night, Dion goes into Aristo’s room in an inn, not knowing that Aristo’s employer, Pater, and Aristo, switched rooms for that one night. Dion severely beats up Pater by accident when he was trying to kill Aristo. Aristo comes into the room and sees someone leap out the window, but Helen, the inn-keeper, thinks Aristo is the attacker, so she has her slaves tie him up. When Helen came, so did Aristo’s pupil Flavia, Pater’s daughter, along with her friends, Jonathan, Nubia, Lupus and others. Helen assigns two of her slaves to bring Aristo to the judges but one of them lets go of him to help an old man who has fallen. Aristo knocks down the other slave and flees to Athens from Corinth. Flavia and her group follow him, trying to capture him. The search group didn’t know that there were two people that looked alike and had blood on their white tunics. The second person, of course, was Dion. In Athens, they find a tree with a rope that held Aristo’s hands behind his back and then they find a beggar boy named Nikos. He gives them information about Aristo’s brother and family, as well as the problems that their family is having. Then the friends find out that Nikos the beggar boy is actually a girl named Megara who liked Dion. I think the rating for this book should be a four out of five because it can really interest you. I also think that it is kind of bad because I thought that the book sometimes randomly jumped to different events.
The Fugitive from Corinth, by Caroline LawrenceIf you like a good mystery, a good crime story, and historical fiction, this book is right for you. The twisting and turning plot is imaginative and so descriptive that you feel as if you are one of the characters. The setting is in Corinth, Greece. This is also where the fatal crime occurs: the stabbing of Flavia Gemina's father. Being one book of a series in which all of the characters are the same, the main characters are in every book. They are Flavia Gemina, 12, the brilliant detective; Jonathan, 12, the sad and pessimistic young Jewish boy; Nubia, 12, the gentle and kind ex-slave; and Lupus, 10, the bright and wild mute. Together, Nubia, Lupus, Jonathan and Flavia, along with help from some very important people, have adventures that make this time of May, A.D. 80, one they will never forget. The actions they take to figure out who stabbed Marcus lead them to a discovery of a lifetime. This book deserves four-and-a-half out of five stars because of the compelling plot and imaginative thinking.
By Allison G.
Galen- My Life In Imperial Rome, by Marissa Moss
Galen- My Life in Imperial Rome is a very interesting book written from the point of view of a twelve-year-old slave in Ancient Rome. The story is about Galen, his brother Polynices, and his father, who are slaves in the household of Emperor Augustus. The book does a very good job explaining what their lives were like. Galen and his family were not always slaves. One day they were on a boat which was captured by pirates and that is how they became slaves. One thing Galen really wished for was to be free again someday. Galen’s father was an artist who decorated the house of Emperor Augustus. Galen helped him, and Galen’s brother Polynices had to serve Augustus’s nasty grandson Agrippa Posthumus. Galen also has a best friend whose name is Micio. He met Micio one day when he went to the park looking for a ball game. Micio is a slave but he is also a charioteer, so he will be able to earn enough money to buy his freedom soon. On a holiday when slaves were given the day off, Galen was invited by Micio to attend a party where Galen pretended to be Micio’s slave. At that party, Galen overheard a conversation which made him very curious and worried. The book tells how Galen figures out what the conversation was about and how he tries to protect people he cares about. I would rate this book four stars out of five because it gave a lot of details about how Romans and Greeks lived and it showed how a twelve-year-old boy might have felt being a slave in Ancient Rome.
By Charles S.
The Gladiators From Capua, by Caroline Lawrence
The Gladiators From Capua starts when Jonathan is pronounced dead. He apparently died in the fire in Ancient Rome, when Vespasian was ruler. Although when Lupus, a former slave, comes with some very important news, everyone starts to speculate about the details of Jonathan’s death. Lupus came at the exactly wrong time: Jonathan’s funeral.This book takes place in 80 AD in Ostia, Italy, the port city of Rome, and in Rome itself, at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem. The four friends in the story are around twelve years old. The important characters include Lupus, a former slave, who had his tongue cut out, so all of his important messages were written on a wax tablet; Jonathan ben Mordecai, a Jewish boy, who died in the fire of Rome, but had also been a significant part of his friends’ investigation group; Flavia who was Jonathan’s best friend and also in their investigation group. In this story, she pretended to be a slave, even though she was really rich. Her uncle was a senator. His house was where the group stayed during Titus’ 100 days of games, in honor of the new Coliseum. Also in the group was Nubia, named after her homeland, in Africa. She had to make a terrible choice between her brother and Jonathan.
I would rate the novel, The Gladiators From Capua, four out of five stars. It was amazing. This book is a real page turner because it always kept me on the edge of my seat. It was filled with action and suspense because the characters were on an exciting quest to find out about Jonathan’s death. They were investigating it, because they were questioning if he was actually dead. The gladiators were professional fighters, who would battle against each other in gladiator fights. One of the biggest gladiator schools in ancient Italy was in Capua. Nubia’s brother was attending that school. This school of gladiators was where many of the gladiators who fought in the Coliseum were trained. Anyone who likes to read books about ancient history with lots of mystery would enjoy reading this book.
By Mattan M.
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The Ides of April, by Mary Ray
Reviewed by Alyssa C.
"The slaves are innocent, we have to find the real murderer" -Hylas
Hylas a Greek slave, is 17 years old. He works for Caius Pomponius in Rome in 42 CE. When his master is killed, all the slaves are taken to jail including Hylas's mother Nissa. Luckily Hylas was not caught. With the help of Varro and Matidia, his neighbors he is able to recruit Camillius Rufus who is related to his master. Hylas needs Camilius to help prove the slaves' innocence. Will Hylas and Camillius be able to prove the slaves' innocence? Will they save the slaves before the festival of the Ides?Find out in The Ides of April, by Mary Ray.
I rate this book 4 1/2 stars because I really enjoyed it, the plot was exquisite and I loved the idea of an historical murder mystery. My only complaints were there were some confusing parts where I could not understand who was talking. Even with quotation marks it was difficult. Also the ending was not the best the author could have amped it up a bit like making it happier and more descriptive. Otherwise I loved the book. It was an amazing read.
I recommend this book to kids ages 11+ for the fact that, it has some big words and confusing concepts, like when the main characters needed assistance, you never knew what they meant. Anyone who enjoys mysteries and likes to be on the edge of their seat should definitely read this book.
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The Ides of April, by Mary Ray (Historical Fiction--Rome and Mystery)
This story is about a slave who everyone thinks murders his master in Rome at 62 A.D. This meant the other slaves in the house have to die due to laws in the Roman Empire at the time. With the help of Varro, a secret Christian, another slave named Hylas manages to escape from being executed. He does not expect it to be hard to sneak away from all the guards in the area looking for him, but it is. He needs more help to hide and figure out that it was not a slave who murdered his master but someone very close to his master, maybe even a family member. Hylas is finally helped by a man named Camillus, a young tribune who later finds himself on a dangerous path to find the real murderer. I would rate this book five out of five stars because it is filled with action, mystery and it feels as if you are one of the characters in the story. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes Roman mysteries, action, and history.
David G
Imperial Purple, by Gillian Bradshaw
Reviewed by Ruthie D.Purple: the color of royalty, and when misused, the color of treason. Demetrias is a state slave in the fourth century Roman Empire. She lives in Tyre, a port-city in Lebanon, and works as a silk weaver. She has a husband, Symeon, who is also a state slave, and he works as a purple- fisher. She has a 6 year-old son, Melitos, or Meli for short. She is quite content with her life, and enjoys her work immensely. She is ordered by the prefect to make a purple cloak two inches too short to be for the emperor. Making the cloak would be dangerous, it would be treason,and if anyone figured out what she was doing, she would be killed. The prefect thought that she would not figure out that it was treason, or who the cloak was for. But she knows. The prefect finds out that she knows, and thinks it would not be safe for her to stay in Tyre, as she might give them away, and takes her to Constantinople, to be the slave of Chrysaphios, the emperor's chamberlain. The journey is long and strenuous, but isn't half as strenuous as the life ahead of her.
Imperial Purple is a very well-written book, and it has an extremely intriguing plot. It shows the story from various perspectives, never completely in one point of view. If I were to rate this book, I would give it 5 stars, as its plot and wording move the book right along and it is a great read. It includes characters and plot lines from history, as well as bringing the life of a state-slave in Ancient Rome to life. I really enjoyed reading this book, and I would recommend it to anyone. Gillian Bradshaw always writes extremely good books, and I can tell you for certain that Imperial Purple is not an exception.
The Last Girls of Pompeii, by Kathryn Lasky
Reviewed by Michal L.
The Last Girls of Pompeii is about a girl named Julia and her slave Sura. The story takes place in 79 C.E., around the time of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in the city of Pompeii. As part of the Roman Empire, Pompeii was a merchant city located in what would be modern-day Italy, on the Mediterranean coast. Pompeii was governed by two senior magistrates who were elected by the townspeople. Julia is the youngest daughter of one of the magistrates and has a withered arm. Sura was captured and taken from her home at age four. Sura has a brother named Bryzos who was taken to be a gladiator. Even though Sura is Julia’s slave, Julia treats Sura like her best friend.
Julia is tired of hearing all of the wedding talk that is happening because both of her sisters are getting married in one summer. Meanwhile, Sura overhears Julia’s parents talking about selling her and sending Julia to the temple of Bona Dea, where people with disabilities are sent if their parents do not think that they will be married. Sura does not know whether she should tell Julia or not. Sura asks Julia's cousin Marcus what to do. Marcus comes up with a plan, but in the middle of Cornelia’s wedding, Mount Vesuvius erupts and changes both Julia’s and Sura’s lives forever. I would give this book four and a half stars because there were some confusing parts, but all in all it was a compelling story about love, hatred, and unexpected miracles.
The Last Girls of Pompeii, by Kathryn Lasky
Reviewed by Emma DorschThe Last Girls of Pompeii is about two young girls living in Pompeii a few days prior to, and during, the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Julia is the daughter of an important man in politics and has a lame arm. The other girl, Sura, is her maidservant and best friend. But when the eruption strikes during Julia’s older sister Cornelia’s wedding, Julia and Sura are forced to make a choice that will change their lives forever. Julia is a wealthy girl who was born with a lame arm and is unmarriageable because of her deformity. The one place for her to go? Be given to the Temple of Bona Dea. Sura is a dark haired, green eyed, 16-year-old who was kidnapped at age four and sold to be a maidservant to Julia. Her brother Bryzos, also kidnapped, is a gladiator. Julia does not consider Sura her servant. She considers her a sister.
In 79 A.D., when the book takes place, Pompeii was a city within the Roman Empire, with customs and gods of its own. In 2005, Lasky visited Pompeii, and she added information to the book that she learned and saw there. For instance, one of the bodies covered in ash was a dog on a chain, like what Sura and Julia saw while trying to escape. And the character Aunt Lidia was actually inspired by a woman that was found in the gladiator housing, covered in jewels. Also, from writings that were found, there was a Murmillo Gladiator who fought with a small sword. There were apparently grapes covered in ash, too, so the theories of a vineyard being on Mount Vesuvius are true. I give this book five stars. It’s got action, romance, and drama. A great read!
The Last Girls of Pompeii, by Kathryn Lasky
Twelve-year-old Julia is the daughter of Flavius Cornelius Petreius and Herminia. Sixteen-year-old Sura has been with Julia since she was born. Julia’s family is wealthy; Sura is Julia’s slave. Sura is beautiful; Julia has a withered arm. They live in Pompeii in 79 AD, one-hundred years after the beginning of the Roman Empire. Sura and Julia are extremely close and are perfectly happy with their lives, until they find out they are to be separated after Julia’s sister’s wedding. Sura is to be sold to a disgusting man for wine and Julia is going to become a priestess because her parents believe no one would ever want to marry her. The girls aren’t happy about this and they try to find a way around it without letting Julia’s parents know what they know. While all this is happening, the earth has been shaking and the water is getting polluted for no known reason. Some people believe it is nothing but in the end it could lead to the destruction of their beloved home, Pompeii. I would give this book four stars out of five because it was pretty good, but I think it had its downs. It seemed a little short so it didn’t have room for a lot of details, but other than that I thought it was good.
By Nita R.
The Last Girls of Pompeii, by Kathryn Lasky
The Last Girls of Pompeii is about Julia and her slave Sura. Sura is an orphan. She and her brother Bryzos were captured and put on a slave ship. Sura was sold into slavery, and her brother was taken away to be a gladiator in Pompeii. Julia isn’t hard on Sura at all; they are practically sisters. Sura knew Julia since she was a baby. Julia is the daughter of a wealthy shipbuilder. She has a nice life in Pompeii with two sisters, Cornelia and Flavia. Of course, she also has Sura her slave, whom she can always count on. This story takes place in A.D. 79, in Pompeii, a city in Italy. Now Pompeii is a ruined and partially buried Roman town. But in ancient times, the people of Pompeii believed in all sorts of customs and religious ideas. Julia and her family make sure they follow all the rules. One different thing about Julia is that she has the Curse of Venus, a withered arm. Just when things are looking up, Julia discovers that her parents are sending her to the Temple of Damia, and Sura is being sold to a nasty shopkeeper. Julia and Sura experience two different life stories at the same time, but these girls will realize that both of their lives will change…..very soon. I give this book 4 stars. It is very entertaining and teaches us about Roman history. Also it teaches us about life in Pompeii, and that natural disasters change a lot in life.
By Tamar C.
The Last Girls of Pompeii, by Kathryn Lasky
Julia and Sura live different lives yet also the same. Julia is the daughter of a wealthy family. She has a withered arm which people call the Venus curse, and Julia considers herself ugly. Sura is Julia's slave. She is very gentle and very beautiful and understands Julia. They both want to be free--Julia of the curse and Sura of being a slave. This summer is different though. Julia has to listen to her sisters, Flavia and Cornelia, plan their weddings and she is really getting tired of listening to wedding talk. Then Sura overhears Herminia, Julia’s mom, and Cornelius, Julia’s dad, talking about her and Julia, and she starts to worry. What will happen to her? What will happen to Julia? But when Mount Vesuvius erupts plans change, and it changes Julia and Sura's lives forever. This story takes place in Pompeii, and the time period is A.D. 79. I rate this book a four because it was a little confusing and was a little hard follow. Other than that, I really enjoyed this book.By Emily G.
The Last Girls of Pompeii, by Kathryn Lasky
The Last Girls of Pompeii is a story about a slave named Sura and her mistress, Julia. When Sura was a baby she and her brother, Bryzos, were taken away from their village. Sura was taken to be a slave but her brother was taken to become a gladiator. Sura has cared for Julia since she was born even though when Julia was born Sura was only four years old. Julia had a withered arm, also known as the Curse of Venus. Julia’s older sister was getting married and Julia wasn’t so happy about all of the wedding talk. Cornelia was getting married on the twenty-fourth of August that was the same day as Mundus Patet, the day the doors to the underworld were thought to open. Julia’s mother, Herminia, went to all the seers to ask if this was OK. All of them said yes except one of them. So they planned to have the wedding that day. Then Sura found out that the family was going to sell her to a storekeeper. Sura didn’t know what to do so she went and told her brother about it. Her brother said that since he had been winning a lot of fights he had earned money. If he won one more fight he would have enough money to buy her freedom. But Sura found out that her brother would be fighting the best gladiator next and he would have a really hard time winning. Meanwhile everyone is getting ready for Cornelia’s wedding. Julia then decides that she wants to marry Marcus, her cousin. Marcus is already getting married but to someone he doesn’t want to get married to. So Julia and Marcus decide to run away together. They just have to wait for the right moment. Then during the wedding the floor starts shaking and everything changes.
I would give this book four out of five stars because I think it teaches you a lot about ancient history while reading a really great story.
Talia R
The Last Girls of Pompeii, by Kathryn Lasky,
Reviewed by Gabriella Maze
Even though Julia has enough trouble with her left arm and her sisters and Cornelia’s wedding and her family, she thinks something is wrong. Sura overhears the parents talking about something terrible. They want to sell her to another person who is rude and mean. Then, they want to send Julia away to live and work in a temple far away from home. Her parents don’t want anyone to see her arm.
When the disaster of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius strikes, the two girls and their aunt are forced to flee for their lives that are changed forever.
I rate this book four and a half stars because it was a little confusing at a couple of parts, but otherwise, it was a wonderful book.
I loved this book because it is a compelling story about love, hatred, and freedom, all in the mysterious place of Pompeii.
Locadio’s Apprentice, by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
In the ancient city of Pompeii, around d the year 79 AD, lived a boy by the name of Enecus Cano who dreamed of becoming an apprentice physician. His distant dream was realized when Locadio Priscus, a well known physician, decided to accept Enecus as an apprentice. Enecus quickly discovered that being a physician was nothing like he imagined. It was difficult and disappointing because he worked long hours and for many patients there was little to be done to save them. For most of his first year of apprenticeship, Enecus struggled to prove himself to Locadio. He finally proved his talent when he was given the chance to run the infirmary. He showed Locadio that he was capable of being in charge and also that he had learned much in his first year of training. Months went by and everything was going smoothly when the dormant Mount Vesuvius, which lies on the outskirts of the great city, began to release smoke. Many Pompeian’s fled the city in fear, including Enecus’ sister and mother. After almost a week of smoke leaking from the volcano, Locadio and Enecus started to leave the town but Enecus’ stubborn father refused to leave. Enecus ensured that his best friend Salvius would take his father out of the city the next day. After two days of travel, Locadio fell ill and with the possible eruption right behind them they needed to keep moving. Will Enecus survive? Will the city be destroyed? Read the book to find out! I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars because it was very descriptive and I loved the ending.
By Noah M.
Masada: The Last Fortress, by Gloria D. Miklowitz (Historical Fiction--Israel and Rome)
Masada: The Last Fortress, by Gloria D. Miklowitz, shows how the Romans take a Jewish fortress. The setting of the book is in the Judean desert on the mountain Masada. The mountain was King Herod’s abandoned fortress that the Jews found years later. This novel takes place in 72 C.E. when the Romans destroyed the Second Temple. Simon and Flavius are the most important characters in the book. Simon is the rabbi’s son and has an important role in the fight. He learns how to heal people and becomes the doctor’s assistant. He is also one of the narrators. Flavius Silva is the leader of the Romans and is the one who makes all the decisions for them. He is also the other narrator. Aram is the brother of Simon and he and his wife are ordered to leave Masada and get help for the Jews, but they get caught. Meanwhile the Jews attack the Romans by surprise and burn down one of their camps. I give this story a 4 out of 5. I liked it but there could have been more action. Some parts were cool but some were boring. My favorite part was when the Jews attacked the Romans. Overall, this was a great novel to read.
By Sam E.
Masada the Last Fortress, by Gloria D. Miklowitz (Historical Fiction--Rome and Israel)
Masada is about how long The Jewish people were able to hold off the Romans from taking over the fortress of Masada and what strategies they used. The book also includes how the Jewish people were defeated. One other thing the book includes is the main characters' lifestyle on the rock. One of the main characters is Simon ben Eleazar who is seventeen years old; Simon’s father is the man in charge of protecting Masada; John who is second in command and is also seventeen, is Simon’s best friend; Aram ben Eleazar is Simon’s brother and is fifteen; Debora is in love with Simon and John but doesn’t know whom to marry. The time period is 72 C.E. when Rome was trying to take over Israel. Masada was the last fortress the Romans needed in order to have taken over all of Israel. The story takes place on the rock called Masada, located just west of the Dead Sea. I would rate the book Masada a four out of five stars because I enjoy history novels with a lot of action in them. This book was action packed.
By David G
My Story- Pompeii, A Roman Girl's Diary, by Sue Reid
Reviewed by Maya R
Ground shaking is not an ordinary event and volcano eruptions- even stranger. Claudia is a 12 year old girl who doesn’t want to be the perfect Roman girl her parents wish she would become. She is secretly friends with a British slave boy, and she does NOT like sitting at home weaving like her mother. Meanwhile, Mount Vesuvius is stirring and Claudia seems to be the only person in all of Pompeii, besides her new friend Aengus, to notice.
Clearly, Claudia has a lot on her mind, but she can not express her feelings to anyone because she has a lot of secrets to keep, so she finds papyrus and makes a continuous diary that she keeps throughout her journey. If you’re yearning to know more about Claudia’s adventures then you have to read her diary, which will soon becomes the book, My Story- A Roman Girl’s Diary.
I would rate this book with four stars because it had a very interesting and suspensefull plot, but it moved slowly at times and didn’t give a lot of details.
Mystery Of The Roman Ransom, by Henry Winterfeld
Reviewed by Bailey M
Are you interested in action, because I am, and this book suited me. This book is about a group of friends that get themselves into some big trouble. They are all in the same class and work with their teacher and a supposedly mute and deaf slave to help solve a mystery. They find out that one of their fathers is supposed to be killed and they need to find a way to stop it. They must work together to uncover the murder plot and warn the people involved. The story takes place in the time of the Roman Empire in the city of Rome. This book is very special because it has a few genres in it. It has some action when the characters fight, and there is mystery when they try to find out whose father is going to be killed. There are also some funny parts. It has a lot of suspenseful scenes, like when the boys go to the catacombs, and that suspense kept me reading. Also, all the characters were interesting and did different things to help find who was supposed to be murdered and save him. I give this book a 3-and-a-half rating out of five because there were many good parts but also some bad. I liked the parts with action but there were many times where the characters wouldn’t do much and it made me bored. I also felt like some pages were just wasted because in those pages they wouldn’t really do anything and it would just add unneeded parts for no reason. Overall though, I thought this book was very good and interesting. It kept me reading to find out what happened and it will for you too
Mystery of the Roman Ransom, by Henry Winterfeld Reviewed by Ethan W.
☆☆☆☆
This book is about seven children, their teacher and a slave who all try to save Senator Vinicius, the father of Caius, one of the students. There was an ex-gladiator out to get Vinicius because someone would give him 1,000 gold pieces as a reward. And then out of nowhere, Rameses, a lion, attacked the ex-gladiator. This book takes place in Rome, during the height of the Roman Empire. The main characters are Caius, Mucious, Publius Julius, Flavius, Rufus, Antonius, and Xanthos. On their adventure they buy a slave named Udo and at first he pretends that he is deaf and dumb, but soon the students realize that he is not, but that he is rather smart. Udo tells them his story and it sends them on a great mission to save Caius’s dad. I gave this book four stars because it had a lot of adventure and I love adventure.
The Pirates of Pompeii, by Caroline Lawrence
Reviewed by Eli K
Ever wondered what happened to the lost city of Pompeii? Are you interested in mysteries involving lots of action? Or are you just looking for a good book to sit down and read? If so, then The Pirates of Pompeii, by Caroline Lawrence, is the book just for you. The book is about a girl named Flavia, her slave, Nubia, and her friends, Jonathan and Lupus. The book takes place in the city of Pompeii, in the year 79 CE, right after a volcanic eruption.
A few days after the eruption, Flavia, her slave, her friends, and a handful of other families took shelter at a refugee camp because their homes were destroyed. One day, Flavia and Nubia were looking for a plant. They needed the plant to help Jonathan because he inhaled too much ash and went into a coma. After they found the plant, they also found a little girl named Julia. She was waiting for her brother, Rufus, who was kidnapped by pirates. When the girls returned to the refugee camp they told their friends the news. It was strange because the group had heard from other people who had claimed that their children were also missing. After that, the friends began to investigate. They traveled to many places and went on a great adventure in search of the so called "Pirates of Pompeii".
This book is great because it has an interesting plot but it's also very action packed. I give this book four and a half stars because of its true historic information and its storyline.
Pirates of Pompeii, by Caroline Lawrence
Reviewed by Rebecca R
Nubia is the slave to Flavia. They are searching for a flower to give to their friend Jonathan to help wake him from a coma. On the search, they find a girl named Julia, who says that scary men wearing masks kidnapped her brother. After the girls help cure Jonathan, Nubia meets a runaway slave named Kuanto, who is from the same part of Africa that she is. He asks her to run away with him and another runaway slave. Nubia is not sure that she wants to; she has known Flavia almost all of her life and she is her friend; plus, the penalty for runaway slaves is to be crucified.
The four friends eventually learn that children have been disappearing everywhere. Flavia thinks that a group of people have been kidnapping the children. They hear a fisherman down at the dock mutter that Felix just got luckier, right after they found out that a new child was missing. Flavia suspected that her uncle's patron, Publius Pollius Felix, was the head of the kidnappers. When they are invited to his house, they meet his spoiled daughter Pulchra, his wife Polla, and his two younger daughters. As soon as Pulchra meets Jonathan, she has a crush on him. However, the friends are disgusted at how badly Pulchra treats her slave Leda, but as time goes on, Flavia starts treating Nubia almost as badly in order to fit in. The next morning, Flavia finds out that Nubia has run away after being beaten by Pulchra, who also stole her puppy and broke her flute. Flavia begs Felix to help find her but he says no. So she, Jonathan and Lupus go looking for Nubia themselves, with Pulchra and Leda following them. Unfortunately, they are all kidnapped and trapped in a cave with many other children.
Meanwhile, Nubia had decided to run away with the other slaves. They were all promised that there was a ship that would take them to Alexandria, but the crew and Kuanto showed themselves to be the same group as the kidnappers. They called themselves the Pirates of Pompeii. Kuanto said that Nubia was with him, so she was untied. When she saw Flavia she pretended not to recognize her. That night, Nubia was drinking wine with the pirates and was able to drug them with a powder Jonathan had given her. In the morning, the pirates were sorting out the people according to who they should sell as slaves or the people whose families would pay for their children. When Kuanto realized that they had captured Pulchra, the daughter of their boss, they were terrified. Then when the pirates started having hallucinations from the drinks, the children managed to take over the ship. Later, though, they saw that a ship was being driven by the slave dealer who was coming straight for them. To find out the rest you’ll have to read the book for yourself.
I would rate this book 4 out of 5 stars. I thought it was very good and it had a lot of adventure, but I don’t think that children would be able to be doing this.
My Story: Roman Invasion, by Jim Eldridge
Reviewed by Jacob Sp.
Do you like books with a great story and lots of action? Then My Story: Roman Invasion is the book for you. Set in CE 84, the book is narrated by Bran, an 11-year-old British warrior. Captured by the Romans along with his three cousins, mother and sister, he is sent along with the Romans as hostage. Also, they are keeping Bran’s mother and sister hostage, so if he escapes, they get killed. Along the way he meets Pantheus, a Greek inventor, and Talos, his nephew who is unable to speak. They hold secrets that keep the story going. And there is also Simeon, who wants to kill Bran to avenge his brother. Simeon will stop at nothing, not even his own death, to kill Bran.
Overall, the book has a great story and lots of action. It starts out slow but picks up speed. The old language is a bit confusing, but the historical content is presented in a fun way. Bran is a very shallow character because he only thinks of escape, not thinking of his mother and sister. However, Pantheus and Talos challenge him to grow. The book is too short in my opinion. The plot does not have enough time to build up to a climax. But the end wraps everything up and answers crucial questions about the Roman Empire. Because I do not like that kind of history, I give it a 3 out of 5 stars. I hope you find this book interesting!
Roman Invasion, by Jim Eldridge
Reviewed by Jacob F
The Roman Empire is the strongest in the known world in 84 C.E. Now it is
conquering Britain...
This book takes place in Britain in the late 1st century. Bran, a young prince of
the British tribe, the Carvetti, is being held hostage by the Romans. The Romans make
him go with a legion of soldiers to build a road across Britain to ensure that the soldiers
do not get attacked by the barbarians. If they do get attacked, Bran will be killed, and if
he runs away, both his mom and sister will be killed because they are also Roman
prisoners.
At first Bran does not accept food, shelter, etc. because the people that he is
traveling with are Romans. Later on he graciously accepts it. Bran makes two friends
named Pentheous and Telos on his journey and the Romans get attacked many times.
For all of these times Pentheous and Telos save him by making excuses about why he
should live.
Once Romans get attacked by the cannibal Caledonians. There were 20,000
Caledonians and 2,000 Romans. Bran thinks that no matter how well trained the
Romans were, they would all be killed. First the Romans with bows and slingshots shoot
rocks and arrows at the Caledonians and the effect is devastating. Then the
Caledonians charge directly into the Roman 'circle' and 4,000 of them are killed.
The circle is a circle of soldiers with the outside a wall of shields with spears pointing
out. In the end, the Caledonians retreat. There are 10,000 Caledonian casualties and
only a few hundred Roman.
In all, the journey is more then 30 days long and because Bran is a good
prisoner, the Romans eventually release him and his family.
This book is special because the history is told in a very appealing way.
Because of this, I would rate this book 3.75 stars out of 5 stars; it is not a very
entertaining topic, yet the author makes it interesting. It is not an entertaining topic
because the whole story is about the Romans making a road across Britain. The way
the author makes it interesting is that he makes there be cool battles and interesting
characters.
Roman Invasion, Jim Eldridge
Reviewed by Isabella J.Would you like to follow Bran, Pentheus, Talos, and the Romans on a journey to build a new road in ancient Britain? If so, then the novel Roman Invasion is the story for you! The Romans have taken prisoner Bran, his mother, sister, and three cousins after a failed attack by their tribe on the Romans. As royalty, they have been spared death for “something special.” Bran’s three cousins are sent to Rome to provide entertainment as gladiators. Bran is sent with a legion of soldiers to build a major road. His job is to prevent attacks on the legion as no Briton tribes will risk the death of Bran, prince of the Carvetii tribe. His mother and sister will stay with the main army to be killed immediately if Bran attempts escape. Bran is sent with Pentheus and Talos. Pentheus is originally Greek, but the Romans invaded Greece and took him as a prisoner. They discovered that he was a surveyor, so they gave him the choice: work for them or die. He chose to live. Talos was the son of Pentheus’ brother, but when the Romans killed him and his wife, Pentheus took Talos under his wing. At first Bran was just a prisoner to them. But as the story goes on, Bran becomes more friendly with Pentheus and Talos, and he is no longer just a prisoner.
I think that the book is daring, dangerous, and full of action. For example, during one of the wars, one of the Roman soldiers swung his sword at Bran, but Talos jumped in the way and saved Bran. Also, when the soldier Simeon was about to kill Bran, two other Roman soldiers grabbed his arms and pulled him back. The book moved fast and was well written. The characters moved around and traveled a lot. It did not take a long time for action to happen. There was always war, battles and traveling, which made it interesting. I would give the book 3.5 out of 5 stars because it was well written, fast paced, and was dangerous. It was well written because it had simple language, great adjectives and it was easy to understand. I did not give it a perfect score because even though I did like the content, I do not enjoy reading. I would recommend this book to a friend because it was enjoyable to read
Roman Invasion, by Jim EldridgeReviewed by Ben F.
Would you like to find out about the Romans’ engineering and how they fought during 84 C.E.? If you would, then I suggest you read Roman Invasion. This book takes place in Britain and is about an eleven year old prince named Bran. Bran is the prince of the Carvetti tribe of northern Britain. The Romans, who are Bran's family's enemies, capture him. They know that no one will attack them while they have the prince. The Romans need the protection from their enemies while they try to build a road between their two forts,in Britain so that they can regroup and reassemble their armies. While Bran is captured, he meets a Greek engineer named Pentheus, who educates him about Greek history. He becomes one of Bran’s only friends while he is traveling with the Romans. Pentheus tries to warn Bran that his tribe will not defeat the Romans. Bran resists this advice, and believes that his tribe will succeed.
I would give this book four and a half stars. The book tells a suspenseful story full of surprises in the plot. But it is also set in a true historical period which provides a lot of information about the Romans. For example, the book details how the Romans built roads by marking the road surface with wooden pegs and flags. It also taught how battles were fought in that time period. I did not give it a full five stars as the book did not have a proper plot structure, which took away from the overall reading experience. There is no true resolution to the problems. Instead, time just passes and the narrator provides an update. The book is special because it is suspenseful which keeps you interested. At the same time the reader is learning many historical facts about the time period.
The Sirens of Surrentum, by Caroline Lawerence
By Lily G.How would you feel if you knew someone was trying to poison your mother? In an old town called Surrentum, Polla Pulchra is determined to find out who is behind a scheme such as this. Every time the Pulchra family has houseguests, Polla's mother seems to fall ill. Polla invites her friends Flavia, Nubia, Jonathan, and Lupus to stay with her at her father’s villa in Surrentum. She needs their help finding the person who is poisoning her mother. Polla convinces her father, Felix, to host a matchmaking party and to invite all of the suspects. The suspects are three young widows and three bachelors. Flavia assigns each of her friends to watch one of the bachelors or widows, yet no obvious suspect turns up. Although their surveillance is unsuccessful, they do find out that Felix regularly cheats on his wife with female houseguests, young slave girls, and women from the town nearby, Baiae. The group of kid detectives soon has a new realization. They think that Felix is trying to poison his wife so he can marry another woman. The children have the idea to consult a poison expert in Baiae named Locusta. They tell her all the symptoms, and she says these symptoms come from poisoning by a plant called hemlock. Hemlock can only be lethal if given in the correct dose, as well as being fresh. Locusta realizes that Polla's mother did not have the right amount of hemlock for it to be lethal, so she had become immune to the plant. Flavia lays out a trap by announcing that she has hidden a packet of lethal poison in the villa, and she waits to see who claims it. The book leaves cliffhangers at the end of each chapter, making it impossible to guess the verdict. I would rate this book five stars because I enjoyed reading it and putting together all the clues to finally solve the mystery. I would recommend The Sirens of Surrentum to anyone who is ready to be a detective and solve the mystery!
The Sirens Of Surrentum, by Caroline Lawrence
The Sirens Of Surrentum is a mystery romance book. It is also a little PG-13. Flavia Gemina is off to Villa Limona again to solve yet another mystery! Her father is a captain of a trading ship and is going on a voyage leaving Flavia no place to stay. She is joined on this adventure by three friends- Nubia, a freed slave girl, Jonathan, and the tongueless yet very artistic Lupus. And there is a twist! It involves three young bachelors and three young bachelorettes. Their host Felix thinks one of them is trying to poison his wife. He invites the young detectives to have fun and relax while trying to solve a mystery. Will the goddess Venus of passion and desire distract this group of sleuths? You will have to read this fantastic book of poison, mystery and love to find out!!by Ethan E.
THE SON OF NEPTUNE, by Rick Riordan
Reviewed by Noah G.
Thrilling, suspenseful, amusing. These are some adjectives that describe The Son of Neptune. This book is the sequel to Rick Riordan’s book, The Lost Hero. In The Son of Neptune, Percy Jackson tells the story of how he awoke in a strange place. Percy is a sixteen-year-old demigod, a person with a mortal parent and a godly parent. Percy’s dad is Neptune, or Poseidon, god of the sea, earthquakes, and horses (this gives Percy control of over sea, ability to create earthquakes, and ability to talk to horses). The only thing that Percy can recall is that he was found by a wolf goddess; she trained, guided and taught him; then he was sent on a journey to find a camp for other demigods like him. The wolf goddess taught Percy that he was born for the Roman gods and that he was going to the Roman camp, but what Percy doesn’t know is that there is a camp like his, but for Greek demigods. To get to camp he’d have to defeat two gorgons over and over and over and over again, and then he’d have to carry an old, heavy hippie across a lake. Percy befriended a couple of outcasts, who were seemingly crazy weirdoes. Frank Zang and Hazel Lavesh (about the same age as Percy) had problems of their own; their cohort (the fifth, which Percy was elected to be in) was in a rut, and they had deathly scary secrets. But that all changes when a god comes to camp only to claim Frank and send him, Percy, and Hazel on a quest. They must go on a quest to kill a giant, unchain death, and recover an eagle. The quest isn’t easy, with evil wheat, women warriors, and healthy organic cupcakes.
I rate the book five stars out of five. This book was outstanding.
The Son of Neptune, By Rick RiordanReviewed by Madelyn S.
In this sequel to the Percy Jackson Series, Percy, who was last seen in Camp Half-Blood (a Greek camp) has now ended up in the Roman Camp Jupiter. How he ended up there he doesn’t know. He doesn’t even remember who he was or what he did. His friend Hazel, who is supposed to be dead now, is falling in love with a boy named Frank. She was supposedly killed by the god Gaea while trying to save the world. Frank’s life now depends on a piece of wood. Once that wood is burned to ashes he will be dead. All of these friends are sent on a quest by Mars (the war god) to save Thantos the Greek god of death, who was captured and now can’t close and open the doors of death. Mother Gaea, goddess of the Earth, took control and now lots of monsters and giants are not dying because the doors of death are always open, meaning the dead are resurrecting. Thantos is being held in Alaska, where there is no protection from the gods. On the way to Alaska the friends run into a man named Phineas who knows all, so they try to get him to reveal the exact location of Thantos. They find out that the only way to get the location is to catch the harpy Ella, so to release her they decide to gamble with Phineas. Percy has two containers of gorgon blood: one heals and one kills, but both look exactly the same. Percy tries to connect to Gaea saying if he is so important, let Phineas die and let him pick the container that heals. Phineas does take the death container and dies while Percy takes the healing one. Ella the harpy comes with Percy, Hazel, and Frank and they go to Alaska. Do they free Thantos? Does Percy get his memory back? Read the book to find out.
The Son of Neptune, By Rick RiordanReviewed by Mati Z.Rescue the god of death in a week from the hands of an immortal, all-powerful, giant enemy of the gods, who cannot be defeated in his homeland where he is holding his captive? Why not? In The Son of Neptune, Hazel, Frank, and Percy are charged with this task. The three teenagers, who are demi-gods, are sent off from their demi-god camp, with nothing more than a small boat, their clothes, and their weapons. They must reach Alaska, the lair of Alcyoneus the giant, enemy of the gods, eldest of his kind, and bred to destroy the gods of Olympus. They fight their way through hostile wheat fields, unfriendly hot dog samples, Gorgons, seers, Canadians, griffins, undead warriors, and very large and unfriendly immortals. However, as in most adventure stories such as this, they receive help from many sources. Some of them are: very old ghosts, Amazons, death, a very cranky grandmother, a few gods, an elephant, a grizzly bear, an eagle and many more.
In this book, Rick Riordan continues the legacy of Percy Jackson while making use of his new design of narration. The book contains as much excitement or more as its predecessor, The Lost Hero, and smoothly incorporates the characters of his previous series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians. This book indisputably deserves five stars for its dazzling excitement, its uproarious humor, superb character development, and Riordan’s remarkable feat of combining all of the above into a fantastic, cohesive piece of literature. Riordan perfects his masterpiece by humanizing his characters. He makes them heroes but he also emphasizes that they too have great weaknesses, like all people. They too are subject to temptation. Heroes that they are, they still are not so sure of themselves that they cannot for a minute doubt their cause. They are human. The Son of Neptune is altogether a literary marvel of the 21st century.
The Thieves of Ostia, by Caroline Lawrence
Reviewed by ShiraIt all starte- Hey what was that?... It all started whe- What was that!?
Whatever.
My name is Flavia Gemina. I am a Roman sea captain's daughter. As I
was trying to speak before, I was trying to say that there are all these crazy
mysteries going on in my life! I solved my first mystery on the Ides of June
in the tenth year of the Emperor Vespasian.
My life was so confusing and scary! All of the dogs on my street
were mysteriously dying and I had no idea why! And I was losing
everything! At this point in my story I needed to find out who the killer was,
along with Jonathan my new neighbor, Nubia a young African girl, and a
mute beggar boy, Lupus. By the end of this novel I solved my problem by
asking for the latest gossip and reading or listening to everything that would
help me.
Star rating: two-and-a-half
I really loved the theme of this book. It was very mysterious and scary, but
enjoyable all at the same time!
What I didn't like about this book is that it jumped to two different scenes in
two different chapters then went back to the other scene, which was really
confusing.
The Thieves Of Ostia, by Caroline Lawrence
Reviewed by Jeremy S.The Thieves of Ostia, by Caroline Lawrence is a mysterious historical fiction novel that takes place in the ancient seaport of Rome during the time in which the Emperor Vespasian is ruling, 79 CE. Flavia is the ten-year-old daughter of Marcus Flavius Geminus. She has a keen knack for solving mysteries and that skill is put to the test in this story. The mystery begins when an unknown person breaks into Flavia’s neighbor Jonathan’s house and kills his watchdog, Bobas, but steals nothing. Nubia (Flavia’s slave girl that she had bought on her birthday), Flavia, and Jonathan have no idea who could be the culprit, but are determined to find out.
Later, they meet the tongueless beggar boy, Lupus, when they save him from a pack of wild dogs. He was in a tree just outside Jonathan's house and the dogs were barking at him, but Jonathan, Flavia, Nubia, and Mordecai, who is Jonathan's dad, do not know exactly what the dogs are barking at. Mordecai first shoots the wild dogs with his bow and arrow, then they all go down to the tree and see that there is a boy in the tree. They inform him that it's safe to come down, but he begins to hop from tree to tree. He is trying to escape from them, but then a branch snaps—crack--and he plummets to the earth. The group takes him inside, cares for him, and begins to question him. They find out that he has no tongue so he cannot talk, but they are still able to communicate through hand gestures. They learn he is an orphan and his name is Lupus. They say that he can stay with them in Jonathan's house and he agrees to help them solve their mystery. Lupus then becomes part of the team of young detectives hoping to solve an interestingly challenging mystery. During their journey for justice they do everything from following a suspect around town to running away from a slave dealer's men to save their lives.
The Thieves Of Ostia is an amazingly written novel that makes it hard to put down the book. In my opinion, it gets a well-deserved 5 out of 5 stars.
The Thieves of Ostia, by Caroline Lawrence
Reviewed by, Sophia H
The story begins when Flavia Gemina, an eleven-year-old girl, is trying to retrieve her father’s stolen ring from a magpie nest in a tree. As Flavia was just about to return home and greet her father with the ring, a pack of fierce wild dogs approached, ready to tear Flavia into pieces. Luckily, a boy named Jonathan came to rescue her and together they were able to get back to their homes safely. Flavia and Jonathan instantly became friends. One day when they were going to Jonathan’s house, his watchdog, Bobas was lying dead on the floor, with no head. One by one, dogs all around their town were being slaughtered. This was a mystery that needed to be solved.
On Flavia’s birthday she spotted a slave, a girl about her own age. At once Flavia knew exactly what she wanted for her birthday. With her own money, and a bit of her father’s, she bought the slave girl, Nubia, to be her companion. Even though Nubia was not able to speak Latin like Flavia and Jonathan, she was very resourceful in helping solve the mystery...
Lastly, Flavia, Jonathan, and Nubia find Lupus when he falls out of a tree. Lupus is an eight-year old orphan living as a beggar. The three friends welcome Lupus into their group. Together the four friends are working to solve the mystery of the dog murderer. Flavia, Jonathan, Nubia and Lupus have an extraordinary plan but will they ever solve this preposterous, problematic mystery?
This story takes place in Ostia, Rome during 79 AD. I rate it a four out of five stars. It was an exciting plot that made you want to read on. However, in some areas it wasn’t very well written and it lacked interesting words. I definitely recommend this book to anyone wanting to read a thrilling, adventurous novel.
Thieves of Ostia, by Caroline, Lawrence
Reviewed by Benjamin R
This book is about a murder mystery that protagonists, Flavia Gemina, Jonathan ben Mordecai, Nubia, and Lupus try to solve. The mystery is about who killed Jonathan’s dog, who was found with his head decapitated and missing. The four friends go on a quest to find the killer. Flavia Gemina is a daughter of a sea captain. Jonathan ben Mordecai is a boy who recently moved next door to Flavia. He is officially Jewish and so is his family, but they follow the new Christianity. He was born around the time that Titus conquered Jerusalem. His father is a doctor and is very skilled, as Flavia finds out. Nubia is a slave who was being auctioned off on Flavia’s birthday. Flavia decided to save Nubia by buying her. Flavia and Nubia become best of friends. Nubia can barely speak Latin and comes from Nubia, which is a region in modern-day northern Sudan and southern Egypt. She is good with animals, which Flavia and Jonathan later find out when she calms down the dogs in a graveyard. Lupus is a beggar who cannot speak because his tongue has been cut off. He can be very greedy when he hears that there is something valuable in Flavia’s house. He tries to steal it but gets caught. The story takes place in Ostia, a major port-city in Rome, in 79 B.C.E. The group suspect that Avitus, a neighbor down the street, has committed the crime, as he hates dogs because they killed his daughter. Meanwhile, Jonathan, Flavia, and Nubia are chased by Venalicius, a local slave dealer, who wants to capture them to sell them off. This book has spawned many sequels. The four friends had an amazing adventure and will have many more.
The Thieves of Ostia, by Caroline Lawrence
Reviewed by Yasmin S.
The Thieves of Ostia makes you think you're in Flavia's world, all the way back in 79 A.D. in the Roman Empire. Flavia is an eleven-year-old girl who is on a quest to figure out who killed her friend's dog. Her friend Jonathan was devastated after his dog died. It was horrifying for him to walk into his house and see a bloody, headless dog lying on the floor. However, it wasn't only Flavia and Jonathan who were trying to solve this mystery. Flavia also had a slave girl who was about her age. Her name was Nubia, and she also helped on their adventure. Lastly, there was a boy who was a beggar, Lupus. All three of the other children found Lupus stuck, surrounded by dogs, and they saved him. As a group of detectives, the children roamed the streets of their city, piecing together clues to help them on their journey.
Overall, I would give The Thieves of Ostia a rating of three-and-a-half stars out of five stars. I enjoyed this book because each chapter was unpredictable. This book had me engaged because there were many plot twists and I had never read a book like it before. It got a little confusing at points because there were many people involved with it and sometimes I couldn't tell who was who. One other thing I didn't like about the book was that at the end of it nothing exciting happened. But overall, I suggest that many kids should read this book because it is informative and intriguing.
The Twelve Tasks Of Flavia Gemina, by Caroline Lawrence
Reviewed by Hunter K.Do you think the twelve tasks of Hercules are possible for a ten-year-old girl to do? I don’t know, but Flavia Gemina thinks it's possible. It’s the year 79 A.D., in the month of Saturnalia. Saturnalia takes place every year in December. It’s a festival where you can do things freely. The book takes place in Ostia, Rome. One day during Saturnalia, a girl that was visiting Ostia, named Cartilia Poplica, came and happened to really like Pater. Flavia Gemina thought that her love for Pater ( Flavia’s dad), was just a fluke and she just wanted his fortune. But no one knew that the Geminas had just lost all of their fortune. Flavia Gemina is the main character in the book. She is ten years old and is a detective. Flavia and her three friends ( Nubia, Jonathon and Lupus ) were determined to solve the case of Cartilia’s love for Pater. Flavia has a dream, and it tells her to perform the twelve tasks of Hercules to solve the case. Are you interested? If so, you should read the book.
I would rate this book five stars out of five stars because the book is fast paced and action packed. I really enjoy mystery books, so this was the book for me. The Roman Mysteries series (the series of my book), is a great collection if you are looking for books that have to do with Ancient Rome and also mysteries. I liked this book so much that I finished it in three days. Another one of the genres for the book was romance. The part in the book that I disliked was when a fever hit Ostia, because I didn’t like the fact that the fever killed people. But that was the only part I disliked. One of the parts I liked was when Flavia had a dream about the twelve tasks of Hercules, because if she didn't have that dream the book wouldn't really have been that good. That part hooked me into the book.
The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina, by Caroline Lawrence
Reviewed by Dori H.F.In 79 CE, in Ostia, in the Roman Empire, ten-year-old Flavia Gemina is not your typical girl. She runs through the streets with her friends, Lupus, Jonathan and Nubia and does not mind getting dirty. All of her fun stops when her father tells her that she has to become a proper young lady. She then becomes suspicious, as her father, Captain Geminus, and his new lady friend become closer, more than Flavia likes. She starts investigating the lady’s motives and persuades her friends to help her.
Flavia has a dream about the Twelve Tasks of Hercules and uses these twelve tasks as a guide for this investigation. Flavia and her friends learn more and more gossip about her father’s mysterious lover, the widow Cartilia Poplicola. They think she might be a witch or even a murderess. They want to break off the relationship.
The young detectives have many adventures as they follow the Twelve Labours of Hercules. Some of the tasks that they do are dangerous. They capture an escaped lion, and visit the Hydra fountains and the Atlas Tavern. They pick up scraps of gossip along the way and piece together their case.
I give this book a rating of five stars because it made me think about what life was like for young women in Ancient Rome. I was surprised how early in their lives they began serious relationships. I was also incredibly surprised at the freedom Flavia had to run around the streets of Rome by herself. I found this piece of historical fiction well done and believable. It gave me a good view of life in another time. I highly recommend it because of the well-written plots and sub-plots.
The Wadjet Eye, by Jill Rubalcaba
Reviewed by Maya P.
This book is about a boy who goes on an adventure to find his father. The story begins in Egypt in 45 B.C.E., and moves to Italy and Spain. Damon and Artemas are the two main characters in the book. Damon is studying to be a physician and Artemas wants to be a soldier. Damon’s mom dies and they go on an adventure to find his father, who is fighting with Ceasar in Spain. Their adventure was a great journey and I wish I could go on that trip. When they were shipwrecked and attacked by sharks, they were saved by the Pharaoh Cleopatra's sailors. Afterwards, they went to Spain and found and saved Damon’s father. I would give this book 4 stars out of 5 because it is full of information and adventure and kept me interested. It is missing one star because there are too many words that I don’t understand and the story is a bit too gory to for me.
The Wadjet Eye, by Jill Rubalcaba
Reviewed by Bailey M.
This book is about a teen named Damon and his best friend Artemas who live in Alexandria, Egypt. Damon’s mother passes away so he and Artemas head off to Spain to find Damon’s father who is fighting for Caesar’s army. Damon is studying to become a doctor and Artemas wishes to become a soldier. Damon has never spent time with his father and never really loved him because he left when Damon was young. During the journey the ship that Damon and Artemas are on gets sucked into a vortex, which is a current that spins and sucks you in. They also have to survive a deadly shark attack. They are saved by a ship carrying Cleopatra, Pharaoh of Egypt, while being attacked. I would give this a 4 out of 5 rating because I found it very interesting but there were a lot of smaller quests inside of the main one and I didn’t like that.