The Code of Romulus

The Roman Mysteries #5.5

by Caroline Lawrence

A brilliant new mini-mystery for only £1, published to celebrate the 10th anniversary of World Book Day.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Childrens, Mystery, Fiction, Historical, Young Adult, Ancient History

80 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2007

About the author

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

Reviews

[Afnan · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting, great mystery to read and solve too. I was able to guess who the thief before the detective revealed it which made it feel more fun. I love how it involves Rome which adds to my general knowledge.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

My daughter bought this from school and we both enjoyed it greatly. It's a wonderful way to introduce ancient history to children - through mysteries and fiction.

[Diana Sandberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A single short story written to fit in between the novels The Dolphins of Laurentum and The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina. Simple but workmanlike.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had never heard of this novella before seeing it in the list of the Flavia Gemina books, and when I did see it I had to find out what it was immediately. See it’s funny because, I was buying these books as they were coming out and I do not remember this being released for World Book Day at all. Maybe that is just a sign of how bad my memory actually is, but you would think that I would remember this one.

This is a very short novella that just shows an additional adventure that Flavia and her friends go through. It’s not meant to add a massive amount to the overall storyline but it’s just a fun little aside that you can join in with and try to solve the riddle along with them.

I think if you’re a little older than the recommended reading age than you are probably able to guess the thief quite early on, but it’s still fun to see the adventure roll out.

[Ayesha Tahir · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love little thirty min reads especially when they’re for kids. These little mysteries were my childhood frrr also yes I found this while deciding what books to bring back w me to Canada and I had to read it!!! I bought this during world book day back in 2007 or 2008 at school and I completely forgot about it bc I had bought the entire series that day jfknjfnfjrmj brought back such nice childhood memories

[Edmund Flyte · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a book that I read as a tween, this is one of my favourite instalments of The Roman Mysteries, and I think one of my strongest influences in originally studying Classical Civilisations at university. I later changed degrees to study Film (I, too, often ask myself why), but The Code of Romulus is still largely to blame for my unending interest in Roman codes, graffiti, and unsolved mysteries. As a short read, it is definitely worth adding to your library!

[Jessica DeWitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short, special volume in the series that focuses on Flavia and her desire to be a "detective." I like that it teaches children about palindromes, anagrams, and the latin roots of specific terms. I also like that it covers the early history of Christianity, exposing children to a time when the religion was not as ubiquitous as it is today.

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet and tidy mystery set around school lessons and a bakery, told very well. Charmed again.

[sabisteb aka callisto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nette kleine Kriminaleschichte mit christlichen Anstrich. Die Geschichte ist unterhaltsam und füllt eine kleine Lücke in der Chronologie der Geschichte, denn in diesem Band lernen die vier Detektive Porcius, den Sohn des Bäckers kennen, den sie in Band 9 retten und der auch in Band 12 noch einmal vorkommt.

Zeitpunkt der Geschichte:
November 79 n. Chr, zwischen Band 5 und 6 der Serie.

Fehler:
Noch einmal der Fehler mit den Schwefelhölzern, den es schon in Band 1 gab (S. 50)

[Maux · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's super and a cool book.

[BookAmbler · Rating 2 out of 5]

A simple, quick read for children. Not sure many would figure out the code though!

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good short book. Not sure if it was what I was expecting (all one part, not multiple scrolls) but we enjoyed the story and the puzzle.

[Kushnuma · Rating 5 out of 5]

From World Book Day.

[Isaac]

Mysterious.
Quite Short.