Product Description

Flavia Gemina is brilliant at finding things, so it's natural for her to solve mysteries. The daughter of a ship's captain living in Ostia, the port of Rome, in AD79, she acquires a gang of three friends who help her. There is Jonathan, the Jewish boy (and secretly a Christian); Nubia, the African slave girl; and Lupus, a mute beggar boy. Together they work out who severed the heads of the watchdogs that guard people's homes, and why he did it. Caroline Lawrence is a terrific storyteller and a delightfully readable and accessible writer with characters that children will relate to. Her picture of daily life in Ancient Rome is wonderfully vivid. But THE THIEVES OF OSTIA is first and foremost a whodunnit, with lots of twist and cliffhangers and a mystery for the reader to solve.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #35133 in Books
• Published on: 2002-04-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 208 pages

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

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

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

Customer Reviews

Review from Kieran, aged 9
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.

Review from Bekki aged 8
I think that the Thieves of Ostia is an brilliant book! It is about a girl called Flavia who meets Jonathan, the boy who lives next door, Nubia, the slave girl and Lupus the mute beggar boy. They become her friends and together they embark on a amazing adventure.

I LOVED IT!!!!!!!!
The thieves of ostia is the first book in the roman mysteries series. In this book, 4 strangers quickly become best friends. They are Flavia, the Roman sea captain's daughter, Nubia, the african slave girl, Jonathan, the Jewish boy next door, and Lupus, the mute boy. In the small town of Ostia, someone or something is trying to take or steal something, but before that, they are silencing all the watchdogs of Ostia. It's upto Flavia, Nubia, Jonathan, and Lupus to solve the first mystery in their life time!!! I rated this book 5 because it has all the adventure and mystery that a great book should have!!! I LUVED IT!!!!!!!!!!!