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241st out of 345 books
—
440 voters
The Thieves of Ostia (The Roman Mysteries #1)
The dogs on Flavia's street have started dying mysteriously, and she is determined to find out why. Her investigation leads her to three extraordinary people: Jonathan, her new neighbor; Nubia, an African slave; and Lupus, a mute beggar boy. The four embark on a search for the killer&150and that's when the excitement begins
Paperback, 160 pages
Published
May 24th 2004
by Puffin
(first published April 1st 2002)
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This is a story about four children living in the ancient Roman city of Ostia Antica. Surprisingly only two of these children are actually Roman: Flavia Gemina, the main character, and Lupus, the last character we are introduced to. The other two are Jonathan, a Jewish boy, Mordecai, his father who is a doctor, and Nubia, an African slave girl who doesn't know that much Latin. They all try to solve who is murdering the dogs in the city. The characters are not all introduced at once though. I tho...more
The Thieves of Ostia is the first book in The Roman Mysteries series written by Caroline Lawrence. Flavia Gemina, daughter of Captain Geminus, teams up with her friends Jonathan, a Jewish boy; Nubia, an African slave; and Lupus, a mute beggar, to find out who is killing the dogs in her street. They believe that Avitus, a neighbour whose daughter recently died from a dog bite, could be the killer and begin following him. However, when Avitus commits suicide, it becomes apparent that he is not the...more
I read this to my little boy as his bedtime story. He's still a little young for it, but enjoyed it nonetheless. So this review is more from me for the adults than anything.
I visited Ostia a number of years ago with my wife and was extremely taken with the place. Now, having just read this book, I can feel that wonder all over again. With the memories of the city, reading the book felt so vivid and real, I could picture every nuance and detail as if I were watching on the screen or even experien...more
I visited Ostia a number of years ago with my wife and was extremely taken with the place. Now, having just read this book, I can feel that wonder all over again. With the memories of the city, reading the book felt so vivid and real, I could picture every nuance and detail as if I were watching on the screen or even experien...more
Mar 29, 2012
Divyesh
added it
A good historical fiction mystery set in the Roman town of Ostia, in 79 CE. The story contains quite a bit of detail, so it's educational, yet the information is well-distributed, so the reader doesn't feel as though she's sitting in a stuffy classroom, listening to a boring history lesson.
It all starts when a number of dogs die in mysterious circumstances. They suspect a person named Avitus to be the killer of the dogs, but who knows; maybe the killer is their friend? During their search for t...more
I had the privilege of meeting Caroline Lawrence about two years ago, and I went and bought this, the first of her books, at once, which is something I nearly always do after meeting an author. Given that my pile of "To Be Read" books is never less than 50, and I have a young family, I didn't get around to reading it until yesterday, when I got a chance while on holiday. What a treat it was!
The Thieves of Ostia is a delightful and well-written read, full of accurate yet lightly woven-in descript...more
The Thieves of Ostia is a delightful and well-written read, full of accurate yet lightly woven-in descript...more
In this book heroine Flavia Gemina, a Roman sea captain's daughter, takes the reader on a suspense-filled adventure through ancient Rome. Set in 79 AD, Ostia, Flavia sets off to track down her father's stolen signet ring when she befriends a diverse group of characters. They team up together to catch the person responsible for the recent spate of dog killings in Ostia and find out what their motives are.
This book is beautifully written and carefully explains what daily life in Rome was like in...more
This book is beautifully written and carefully explains what daily life in Rome was like in...more
A good historical fiction mystery set in the Roman town of Ostia, in 79 CE, aimed at the pre-teen age group. The story contains quite a bit of detail, so it's educational, yet the information is well-distributed, so the reader doesn't feel as though she's sitting in a stuffy classroom, listening to a boring history lesson. The history lives. What pleased me the most was the map of the city, as well as a floor plan of the houses in which the main characters live. As a visual person, being able to...more
So I've been reading a book on Roman triumphs by one of the best classicists writing today, Mary Beard, who holds the chair in classics at Cambridge. I noted in her bio that she has a fairly entertaining blog titled A Don's Life, to which she adds something about once a week. So I eagerly went there and found that she mentioned this excellent series by her old classmate in classics Caroline Lawrence, and highly recommended it. So I immediately tried the first one, and it really was quite a treat...more
Jun 22, 2012
Liz
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Children age 7-11 who like mystery
Recommended to Liz by:
Two of my friends
Shelves:
four-star-good
As a fan of mystery, I liked this book very much, though it is aimed at a younger audience. The feeling of the book was very exciting and adventurous, with a really good element of friendship. I decided to read the series because my two friends kept discussing them and I had no idea what they were talking about.
Plot of book:
Flavia is an eleven year old girl living in Ostia in Ancient Rome. When someone starts killing the local dogs, Flavia finds friends in her new neighbour Jonothan, slave girl...more
Plot of book:
Flavia is an eleven year old girl living in Ostia in Ancient Rome. When someone starts killing the local dogs, Flavia finds friends in her new neighbour Jonothan, slave girl...more
I thought this was a good historical fiction piece for the intended age group. There were enough clues so you could figure out the mystery without it being completely obvious. The history teacher in me enjoyed the historical references and "teaching points" that were well integrated into the story. There was a lot to learn about the period without it becoming a history lecture.
I listened to this book in my car. I had not read one of this series but heard they were very good. The narration was well done and really put you back in the Roman empire. I was extremely surprised at some of the bloody and disgusting descriptions used in the book. I would not be able to recommend these books to a younger audience. They were however, appropriate for the time period.
Flavia Gemina is brilliant at finding things, so it's natural for her to solve mysteries. The daughter of a ship'...more
Flavia Gemina is brilliant at finding things, so it's natural for her to solve mysteries. The daughter of a ship'...more
The Thieves of Ostia is the first title in Caroline Lawrence's popular Roman Mysteries series.
Flavia Gemina is a real problem solver, who always manages to find her father's missing things. On one of her finding missions, she gets chased by a pack of wild dogs and meets Jonathan and his family. When Jonathan's beloved dog is beheaded in his home and it starts happening to other dogs too, Flavia is determined to solve the mystery. Along the way she meets Nubia, a slave girl, and Lupus, a mute beg...more
Flavia Gemina is a real problem solver, who always manages to find her father's missing things. On one of her finding missions, she gets chased by a pack of wild dogs and meets Jonathan and his family. When Jonathan's beloved dog is beheaded in his home and it starts happening to other dogs too, Flavia is determined to solve the mystery. Along the way she meets Nubia, a slave girl, and Lupus, a mute beg...more
These are children's books, but they are a lot of fun and I recommend them for kids in 3rd or 4th grade. These books are about 4 children--a sea captain's daughter, a Christian doctor's son, an african slave girl, and a young urchan who has had his tounge cut out who strike up an unlikely friendship and together travel the Roman empire solving mysteries. I've read the first four and the picture that Lawrence paints of ancient Rome is really interesting. Once more, the circumstance the kids find...more
The Thieves of Ostia by Caroline Lawrence is an exciting book with suprises around every corner! This adventure takes place in the times of the late roman era and happens at the time of a murder! A boy's watchdog was slaughtered and his head was stolen. Four children find a witness and are lead to believe that a man did it, a man whos daughter was recently murdered by a dog with rabies. Can they find him in time before he slaughters more dogs? The moral of this story is that a hero can come from...more
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This is a very entertaining book about four children who become friends in Ostia in 79 AD. The main character, Flavia, is the daughter of a sea captain, and she lives next door to Jonathan, a Jew whose family has converted to the new religion, Christianity. Her family purchases a young black girl, Nubia, as a slave and companion for Flavia, and the fourth member of the group is Lupus, a young beggar whose tongue was cut out some years ago. They make a great group of kids who are handy as solving...more
Flavia went on an adventure with 3 friends. Her friends were Johnathan, Nubia, and Lupus. Her dad lost a ring that her mom left for her dad. She thinks its a animal that stole the ring because there was a print of something that looks like an animals footprint. She's on a journey to find it and how her friends and her go through seeing killing.
This connects to these books I've read before, they are both on mysteries. This reminded me of when my friend lost something and we went through a lot pl...more
This connects to these books I've read before, they are both on mysteries. This reminded me of when my friend lost something and we went through a lot pl...more
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...more
In terms of historical accuracy, Lawrence creates an effective...more
I read about 2/3 of the book and then skipped to the end to see who the killer/thief was. The books are definitely written for kids -- the mystery is neatly plotted, much like a Nancy Drew book, which I loved as a kid, but as an adult, not so much. I got bored. However, this series is set in Ancient Rome, and the historical details are quite interesting. This book is perfect for kids 9-12 years old with an interest in history and mystery. My "meh" reaction is only because I'm 30 and really not t...more
A cracking good historical mystery for children. It wasn't too hard to spot the culprit, but children aged 9 to 12 will probably find the mystery a little more challenging. A range of interesting and appealing characters from different walks of life allow us a view of the whole range of Roman society in the port town of Ostia. Lawrence paints a vivid picture of everyday life during the time of the Emperor Vespasian, and doesn't hold back on the more unpleasant aspects. I started off by describin...more
Ich bin auf die Bücher durch die Verfilmung, die derzeitig im Tigerentenclub gezeigt wird aufmerksam geworden.
Als Kind liebte ich Gaius den Lausbub aus dem alten Rom und überhaupt ist das genau meine Epoche, die ich gerne lese.
Die Bücher sind spannend und lehrreich geschrieben, so dass Kinder auch was über das alte Rom lernen.
In diesem Buch sind mehrere Fälle enthalten, die Falvia löst:
Zuerst verschwindet der Siegelring ihres Vaters, dann werden Hunde geköpft und es gibt auch einen Diebstal.
Das...more
Als Kind liebte ich Gaius den Lausbub aus dem alten Rom und überhaupt ist das genau meine Epoche, die ich gerne lese.
Die Bücher sind spannend und lehrreich geschrieben, so dass Kinder auch was über das alte Rom lernen.
In diesem Buch sind mehrere Fälle enthalten, die Falvia löst:
Zuerst verschwindet der Siegelring ihres Vaters, dann werden Hunde geköpft und es gibt auch einen Diebstal.
Das...more
I loved this book a lot but there were points wear I wanted to skip a paragaph or a sentence becuse it made no sense to the story at that moment or at all in the story. But I enjoyed it becuase included the problems of all four children and how they all fitted together to make one big problem: who was the thief of Ostia? When the answer becomes clear it was obvious and you feel like a big idiot for not realizing it earlier. So the clues were there and it was kind of a game and a book at the same...more
I read this one evening on holiday; I plucked it from the shelves of the people I was visiting, and had no idea what to expect. It was very entertaining, a good mystery with good characters. Even more than that, it was a good history of life in Roman times, and I enjoyed that side of it, as well! It was simplistic, certainly, but it could very possbily get its readers interested enough to find out more, and that is one of the greatest things a book can do. I am looking forward to reading more in...more
Caroline Lawrencen "Ostian koirat" (WSOY, 2003) aloittaa Roomalaismysteerit -kirjasarjan, jonka suomennokset taisivat jäädä kolmeen osaan. Sarjan ensimmäisessä osassa roomalaisen merikapteenin tytär Flavia Gemina joutuu ystävineen selvittämään, kuka oikein tappaakaan heidän kadullaan asustavia koiria. (Vuosi on muuten taas 79 jaa, mikä selittynee sillä että toisen osan nimi on "Pompeijin merirosvot).
En innostunut "Ostian koirista" ihan niin paljon kuin olin etukäteen ajatellut, mutta luotettavie...more
En innostunut "Ostian koirista" ihan niin paljon kuin olin etukäteen ajatellut, mutta luotettavie...more
nice to read. any teenager studying Latin, or Roman history ought to enjoy it too, it's clearly meant to be educational! But I did enjoy it. In many ways the books seem well written, but sometimes it feels more like she is lecturing us about Roman customs than telling a story, but who am I to say that young people will not read and learn from these descriptions?
Another goodreads reader [Jon Sutton:] says:
One of the best classicists writing today, Mary Beard, who holds the chair in classics at Ca...more
Another goodreads reader [Jon Sutton:] says:
One of the best classicists writing today, Mary Beard, who holds the chair in classics at Ca...more
I love this whole series because of the way the author weaves historical details into fun little mysteries. Her characterization is pretty good too so I have enjoyed spending time with the four main characters. These books are written for youth but they're fun and fast to read as an adult if you have any interest at all in classic Roman and Greek culture. You get a great contextual 'view' of life in this time including diet, class interaction, home life, leisure and politics as well as introduct...more
A mysterious adventure of four friends à la The Famous Five/ The Secret Seven. The only distinguishing factor : The story is set in 79 A.D. Rome
The first book in “The Roman Mysteries” series, 'The Thieves of Ostia' is more of an introduction to the four main characters. Flavia Gemina, daughter of sea captain Marcus Flavius Geminus. Nubia, the pretty little slave girl who is saved by Flavia and now lives with her. Jonathan ben Mordecai, Flavia’s new jewish neighbour. And Lupus, the mute beggar bo...more
The first book in “The Roman Mysteries” series, 'The Thieves of Ostia' is more of an introduction to the four main characters. Flavia Gemina, daughter of sea captain Marcus Flavius Geminus. Nubia, the pretty little slave girl who is saved by Flavia and now lives with her. Jonathan ben Mordecai, Flavia’s new jewish neighbour. And Lupus, the mute beggar bo...more
Honestly, this one was not good. The history was thrown in, the plot was mediocre, and the characters not believable. Still, I wrote a booktalk.
The Thieves of Ostia, by Caroline Lawrence
The year - A.D. 79. The place - the Roman port city of Ostia. The crime - dog murder. Yes, that's right. Someone has murdered a dog and may strike again. Young Flavia Gemina, daughter of a Roman Sea Captain decides it is up to her to solve the crime. The magistrates have no interest in the crime unless it involv...more
The Thieves of Ostia, by Caroline Lawrence
The year - A.D. 79. The place - the Roman port city of Ostia. The crime - dog murder. Yes, that's right. Someone has murdered a dog and may strike again. Young Flavia Gemina, daughter of a Roman Sea Captain decides it is up to her to solve the crime. The magistrates have no interest in the crime unless it involv...more
This was a pretty neat children's book. There were details that I didn't think would make it into a kids book about ancient Rome (naked slaves, cutting out tongues, and the like) but the author didn't shy away from things that really happened way back then.
The mystery was some what secondary to the main theme of Roman awesomeness. It's pretty cool that kinds can read about ancient Rome in a novel form.
I will have to get my Classics major husband to write off on all the historical accuracy issues...more
The mystery was some what secondary to the main theme of Roman awesomeness. It's pretty cool that kinds can read about ancient Rome in a novel form.
I will have to get my Classics major husband to write off on all the historical accuracy issues...more
This series offers an insider's view of Roman city life seen through the eyes of crime-solving tweens. The details are fascinating and credible -- what they see, eat, drink, say and do -- despite the wildly improbable premise (upper-class Flavia assembles a ragtag sleuthing squad that includes a street urchin, a freed slave, and a Christian boy)... But the books (there are over a dozen so far) are so much fun, who cares?
A group of kids in ancient Rome work together to solve a mystery involving beheaded dogs. Plenty of action to keep kids interested, and I really liked the unique historical setting, although there are several mature themes (someone has too much to drink and commits suicide, a child has had his tongue cut out, plus all of those beheadings). Thinking about using this in 2013 as a pick for my kids' book club at the library but am on the fence.
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Caroline Lawrence won a scholarship to Cambridge to read Classical Archaeology, then did a degree in Hebrew and Jewish studies at University College London. She now lives in London with her English husband and teaches Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Art and French to children.
Series:
* Roman Mysteries
Western Mysteries
More about Caroline Lawrence...
Series:
* Roman Mysteries
Western Mysteries
Apr 04, 2012 02:32am