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The Thieves of Ostia [Paperback]

Caroline Lawrence (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
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Book Description

Publication Date: 1 April 2002 | Series: THE ROMAN MYSTERIES (Book 1)

The first in Caroline Lawrence's internationally bestselling Roman Mysteries series, re-issued with a fantastic new cover look.

Flavia Gemina is a natural at solving mysteries. The daughter of a ship's captain living in Ostia, the port of Rome, in AD79, she and her three friends, Jonathan, a Jewish boy (and secretly a Christian); Nubia, an African slave girl; and Lupus, a mute beggar boy, must work together to discover who is beheading the watchdogs that guard people's homes, and why.

A talented storyteller, Caroline Lawrence has created a delightfully readable and accessible series that children will want to read time and time again.

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The Thieves of Ostia + The Secrets of Vesuvius: Roman Mysteries 2 (THE ROMAN MYSTERIES) + The Pirates of Pompeii: Roman Mysteries 3 (THE ROMAN MYSTERIES)
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Product details

  • Paperback: 208 pages
  • Publisher: Orion Childrens; New Ed edition (1 April 2002)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1842550209
  • ISBN-13: 978-1842550205
  • Product Dimensions: 13 x 1.7 x 19.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 5,781 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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More About the Author

› Visit Amazon's Caroline Lawrence Page
Caroline Lawrence
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Product Description

Review

"This was a very exciting and intriguing book - I couldn't put it down!" -- Megan Whiteman, aged 11, Aquila, Vol 9 2/3

"This was a very exciting and intriguing book - I couldn't put it down!"
-- Megan Whiteman (aged 11), Aquila

'Good news, it's the first in a new series...' -- Primary Times, Jan 2002

'I wish these novels had been around when I was a boy!' -- Steven Saylor, March 2002

Book Description

It's AD 79. Someone is killing Ostia's dogs and Flavia Gemina - inquisitive, bossy and brave - wants to find out who and why ...
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Review from Kieran, aged 9 26 Nov 2004
By J. Lesley
Format:Paperback
The Thieves of Ostia is all about Flavia and her friends who get involved in a mystery set in the Roman port of Ostia in the year 79 AD. Two dogs are killed and their heads are taken away.No one knows who killed the dogs or why.Flavia meets new friends in different ways; she buys a slave named Nubia because she feels sorry for her and a boy named Jonathan saves her from a pack of wild dogs. Last but not least, the trio of friends save a mute begger boy named Lupus.

During their adventures they are chased by slave dealers, go all around the streets of Ostia and much more with a cliff hanger at the end of every chapter. They learn how to become a Christian and we learn how hard it was to become Christian in those days. We also learn how Romans lived such as how they dressed and ate. We even learn how they used the different rooms in their houses.

I loved the Thieves of Ostia there wasn't one bit I didn't like.

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars An evocative and pacy read - the new Sutcliffe? 19 Jun 2002
By simon scarrow
Format:Paperback
While one questions the need for yet another Roman detective, this book is an interesting variant from the growing range of adult series. There's none of the increasingly painful tongue-in-cheekness that is so much a feature of much of this oeuvre. Instead we get a refreshingly straight narrative voice that describes Ostia in tangible terms and Lawrence simply gets on with telling the tale. And she's good at it. I found this book to be a real page turner, thanks to the obvious (but still effective) use of cliff-hanger chapter endings (which I'm fond of in my own writing). The characters are a little flat at times and the identity of the villain was never much of a secret. But that's no great problem, since most detective novels suffer from the same measure of predictability.
Having finished this I have tried to buy the others from my local bookstores, but it seems the print runs are quite small. So, once this is written I'll just have to use Amazon!
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A worthy new series for young mystery readers 18 Nov 2001
By Richard Campbell
Format:Paperback
Having collected and read all of Lindsey Davis and Stephen Saylor, I've wondered if there were comparably well written books for younger mystery fans and classics students. I think this first book by Ms. Lawrence fits the bill. Well researched and well paced, the 'Thieves of Ostia' has enjoyable characters and a good puzzle. Several serious themes are brought out, such as the purchase of a slave, and the treatment of Christians, which the author says will be directly addressed in the series and not glossed over (there is a website with a discussion forum available in which the author replies to questions and asks for feedback). This is a welcome attitude to learning about the realities of Rome while actually enjoying a well written story.
I've recommended and loaned this book to Latin teachers in our area (I don't think I'll ever see my book in one piece again), and I would have welcomed having this when I was starting Latin.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Exciting and well written
Good fast paced plot with just enough suspense. A little but not too scary. very appealing characters. Keen to read more.
Published 4 days ago by Jeffrey D. Thomas
5.0 out of 5 stars Rpman adventures
The Roman times in which these adventures are set were certainly not gentle, and the engaging children who are the heroes and heroines of these stories face - and experience - some... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Anthony Hodson
4.0 out of 5 stars Okay
I would recommend this book to children who are about 9+ .I especially liked the bit about the slave-trader coming and trying to capture them. Read more
Published 2 months ago by THOMAS FLINT
4.0 out of 5 stars Thieves of Ostia
A great book for use in literacy or guided reading sessions.
Adverbs, similes,descriptions and comprehension can be useful.
Enjoyable for all ages. An uncomplicated read.
Published 2 months ago by San
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing
This book gives an amazing experience of Roman empire. It gives all the expressions needed and gives an amazing lesson.
Published 4 months ago by Polina
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
I bought this for my 8 year old granddaughter as it is currently the book her class are enjoying in instalments and she couldn't wait to hear the next chapter. She loves it.
Published 6 months ago by VP
5.0 out of 5 stars THIEVES OF OSTIA
A WONDERFUL STORY OF ROMAN TIMES WITH ALL THE CHARACTERS COMING TO LIFE IN NOT ONLY THIS BOOK BUT ALL THE OTHERS IN THE SERIES. Read more
Published 6 months ago by KEV EMPTAGE
5.0 out of 5 stars historical novel for kids
This is a great series of books. My son who is 9 loves the mystery element and read all 17 books in a few weeks. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Kat K
4.0 out of 5 stars Good story well-told
Both our children (aged 13 and 11 one boy, one girl) enjoyed this book. It kept them entertained on a long car journey and the adults liked it too. Read more
Published 9 months ago by JuliaK
4.0 out of 5 stars Great book
I first read this series when I was around nine years old and absolutely loved the Roman mysteries.I'm fourteen now and was bored ,so i picked this up again. Read more
Published 10 months ago by cosmicmonkey
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