Caroline Lawrence is the author of over 30 historical novels for children and young adults, most of which are set in ancient Rome. She studied Latin, Ancient Greek and Biblical Hebrew at Berkeley and Cambridge and has been investigating the ancient world ever since. In 2009, she won the Classical Association Prize for 'a significant contribution to the public understanding of Classics’. Her aim is to make that world accessible for kids.
By Caroline Lawrence
Still my best-selling book and still used in schools, this is the first in a 17-book series called The Roman Mysteries aimed at children aged 9-12. The BBC made a TV series based on ten of the books in 2007 and 2008.
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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By Rosemary Sutcliffe
Possibly the best historical fiction for kids set in Roman times. Set in Roman Britain rather than Rome, it is full of action and suspense. Although it was written in 1954 it is still considered a classic.
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By Barbara Bell, Helen Forte
There are many books for kids who would like to learn Latin but this charmingly illustrated book, also set in Roman Britain, is one of the most accessible, especially for children in primary school.
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By Cambridge School Classics Project
‘Caecilius est in horto!’ For slightly older children the Cambridge Latin Course has now become such a part of pop culture that some of its characters have been referenced in Dr Who. And what other language textbook can reduce pupils to tears – the good kind! – in the final chapters?
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By Peter Connolly, Hazel Dodge
Kids will love seeing what Ancient Rome might have looked like, and in this book they get Ancient Athens in the bargain. The late, great Peter Connolly illustrates every aspect of ancient Rome, not only the famous monuments but ordinary homes, what people wore, their artefacts and even their gods. This is such a meticulously researched and clearly presented book that scholars use it, too.
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By René Goscinny, Albert Uderzo
A Belgian series of 36 comic books originally written in French, these have been brilliantly translated into English. Set in the time of Julius Caesar with a small band of Gauls as the heroes and the Romans the ‘baddies’ this series offers many surprisingly accurate insights into the world of ancient Rome. A colourful, humorous, visual format means it will appeal to even the most reluctant readers. Start with Asterix and Cleopatra just to get them hooked.
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