Ladrones en el foro (Spanish Edition) (2001 original; edició 2016)

9788478887927

Written for older children, "The Thieves of Ostia" was a great read for those who enjoy history and adventure. The author had clearly done her research as the novel was filled with interesting information about daily life in Ancient Rome. The four young protagonists - Flavian, Jonathan, Nubia and Lupus - were all relatable and I liked how diverse they were. Although the writing and mystery were simplistic, considering the target audience, I think "The Thieves of Ostia" would appeal to a range of readers. ( )

It’s ancient Rome and the dog belonging to one of Flavia’s neighbours has been killed and beheaded. Flavia and her friends plan to find out who did it.

This is a mix of children’s lit, historical fiction, and mystery. I listened to the audio, and overall it was ok. I did lose focus (as I seem to with audios more often lately) a few times, but the story was ok. There was a short author’s/historical note at the end, though being a kids’ book, it didn’t go into detail. Even with only an “ok” rating from me, it might still be a fun series to continue. ( )

There is nowt innately wrong with this book. My issue, however, is that I'm unsure of where it fits in terms of the age of its intended audience. It's written in a very basic fashion, as would befit junior fiction, but the concepts are such that I wouldn't give this to a junior-fiction-aged child. The things that happen to dogs would have traumatised me for weeks when I was younger, and there are other scary concepts in here as well.

In terms of historical accuracy, Lawrence creates an effective Roman universe, but it's all a bit too modern in terms of the way the characters interact, given that they are all from racial and religious groups that were NOT inclined to be firm friends in the time of Vespasian.

Una buena oportunidad para conocer la vida cotidiana en Roma de forma amena. ( )