The Secrets of Vesuvius

by Caroline Lawrence

Book Overview

It's the summer of AD 79 and Flavia Gemina and her friends, Jonathan, Nubia and Lupus, set sail for the Bay of Naples where they are going to stay with Flavia's uncle near Pompeii. Once they arrive,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0142401188
• ISBN13: 9780142401187
• Release Date: May 2004
• Publisher: Puffin Books
• Length: 173 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.1" x 7.8"
• Age Range: 9 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 4 to 7

Customer Reviews

A Fast-Paced Educational Mystery

The Secrets of Vesuvius (I will be deliberately vague in order not to give away the plot of the book) picks up where The Thieves of Ostia left off, transporting us to Pompeii in the middle of August 79 C.E. The mystery is rather subtle this time - a riddle that leads to treasure but something of a different kind than Flavia Gemina anticipates. Actually, there is an additional mystery concerning the identity of a new character to the story. The real joy of this book for me is the Elder Pliny being fleshed out as the inquisitive and curious person that he undoubtedly was. We meet him on several occasions and the children interact with him at great deal. Caroline Lawrence provides a marvelous tour of Pompeii and her attention to the details of everyday life is engaging as always. I have read Robert Harris' novel about Pompeii (which I highly recommend) with its meticulous information about Mount Vesuvius. We have a different vantage point in this book as the characters discover from environmental changes and historic accounts that Vesuvius is about to erupt. The course of the eruption itself is nicely told as some of the characters stay at the Gemina farm and some travel across Pompeii in an attempt to save friends and warn the people in general. We get an excellent perspective on how terrible the eruption of Vesuvius was, the kind of hazards people ran attempting to escape and what their options were to get away from danger. All of the characters in the book are profoundly affected by the tragedy and a few require the services of Doctor Mordecai. To sum up, The Secrets of Vesuvius is a mystery novel that adults and children can equally share and learn about Pompeii and life for the ancient Romans. Certainly after reading this book you will be eager for the next installment.

a mystery at heart

The secret of vesuvius:the roman mysteries is an exellent book if you like mysteries its really good. Its like one of those books you just can't set down. I would defenetly would recomend it to someone who loves mysteries.

Great series...this is the second book

The secrets of Vesuvius is the second novel by Caroline Lawrence. Flavia and three of her friends go to the Bay of Naples to spend the rest of the summer at her uncle?s farm. The year is A.D. 79 and Mount Vesuvius has not erupted?yet. The four friends find themselves trying to solve a riddle but strange things are going on. Birds are dropping to the ground dead. Dogs are howling and barking for no apparent reason. And people are going mad. I liked this book because it is filled with action on every page. When Mt. Vesuvius erupts Flavia and her friends have to get help... Flavia sends two of her friends to get help, but they encounter a problem. One of the friends is knocked out cold, so it is up to the other friend to swim a great distance to get help. All the while Flavia, Jonathan and Nubia are trying to stay alive until they are saved.If you like action, adventure, suspense with a little history throw in, this second book in the series will keep you reading ten pages every night. I highly recommend this fantastic book.

The Pirates of Pompeii

This story continues the tale of four young friends, living in 79AD. Jonathan, Flavia, Lupus and Nubia have witnessed the eruption of Vesuvius, and are now in a refugee camp for survivors. Then, the leader of the group, Flavia, notices that children are going missing. She resolves to discover why. Soon, she and her friends are cast deep into a web of decit, love, and misplaced loyalties. Flavia and Johnathan find out where the children are, as they too are kidnapped, and must find a way to escape before they are sold as slaves. The story also brings you closer to finding out the secret of Lupus' past.

The Secrets of Vesuvius

I highly recommend Caroline Lawrence's "The Secrets of Vesuvius" to anyone, young or old, who wants to read a story with characters that really grow on you. I found myself caring about what happened to each of them throughout the book, concerned for their safety and well-being during the dangerous moments. After becoming aquianted with these characters in Ms. Lawrence's first book" The Thieves of Ostia", I was already aware of how addicting her stories can become. I found myself continuing to read just to find out how a character got out of a situation or to see if my summation of the mystery was correct. My ten-year old son was reading "The Thieves of Ostia" while I was finishing up " The Secrets of Vesuvius", and my husband couldn't talk to either of us until we were finished with a chapter! "The Secrets of Vesuvius" enchants with romance, thrills with danger and illustrates the miracles of friendship. It is a "must read" for any age.