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Delta and the Lost City
Follow Delta the wolfdog around Pompeii in 79 AD while the shadow of Mount Vesuvius looms. It’s the year 79 AD, and the earth around Pompeii is quaking . . .Young wolfdog Delta finds herself on the run and escaping her family’s villa after bearing witness to a horrible crime. With the help of her eagle friend, Bellona, Delta navigates the tricky terrain full of threatening creatures and thieves outside the ancient city's walls. But the earth is warning of a much larger threat, and determined to warn her family, Delta must race against time and find them before it’s too late . . .Journey with Delta through an inspiring journey around the ancient city of Pomepii and the famous eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.
161 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 4, 2024
2 people are currently reading
80 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 20, 2024
What a pocket rocket of a novel!! At just under 200 pages, I was very sceptical that it would deliver with fewer pages than most.
Boy, was I wrong! A fast-paced historical adventure story set in Pompeii just as the earth begins to shake. It took me on whirlwind adventure from the get-go and loved it. I especially respect that it didn't shy away from the horrors of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. It was a courageous and inspiring book, and having been to Pompeii myself, I felt like I was walking the streets once again, still looking up at Vesuvius as it stands there taunting... 2000 years later.
A must-read for all historical fiction lovers, and it just goes to show that sometimes less is more, although this novel is small in size, it sure makes up for it in sheer action and heart 💥
Boy, was I wrong! A fast-paced historical adventure story set in Pompeii just as the earth begins to shake. It took me on whirlwind adventure from the get-go and loved it. I especially respect that it didn't shy away from the horrors of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. It was a courageous and inspiring book, and having been to Pompeii myself, I felt like I was walking the streets once again, still looking up at Vesuvius as it stands there taunting... 2000 years later.
A must-read for all historical fiction lovers, and it just goes to show that sometimes less is more, although this novel is small in size, it sure makes up for it in sheer action and heart 💥
May 21, 2024
A book about one of the biggest natural disasters in the ancient world probably doesn't strike many as the sort to be a potentially sweet narrative, but Fargher's doggy heroine manages to bring a little light to Pompeii.
As is the trend with middle-grade at the moment, the Delta of the title is our protagonist, a wolf-dog living in a countryside villa in the shadows of Pompeii with her mother, Luna, eagle friend Bellona, and the human cast: enslaved woman Gaia, her son, Neo, Lucius, the master of the house, and Herminia, Lucius' daughter. Also present is Herminia's husband Marcus, but as we discover very early on, Marcus isn't exactly a pinnacle of niceness. When Delta witnesses a horrible crime in her home, she finds herself on the run with Bellona, evading beasts and thieves in the wilderness. But, as she sets about trying to right the wrong that has torn her family apart, Vesuvius begins to rumble, and another disaster is on its way.
Animal stories fit really nicely into the genre of childrens' historical fiction, and Delta is no different: it's not the first novel to tackle Pompeii for younger audiences (I say as an avid Roman Mysteries reader at the age of 9), but Delta's perspective brings new aspects to light that might otherwise be missed in a novel with a human protagonist. The Vesuvius scenes especially are very poignant in their detail and narration, and lots of the smaller historical details (such as the crowds tying pillows to their heads to cushion the falling rock from the volcano) are peppered in nicely, in a way that's subtly educational without being overbearing. While I'm not an artist myself, David Dean's illustrations work well with the tone throughout: it's characterful while also being stark monochrome.
Delta's relationships with her animal family members are also really refreshing to read. Her conversations and interactions with Bellona gives their relationship an almost big-sister feel, whereas it isn't often that parental relationships are explored in animal stories, so Delta's interactions with Luna, and her consequent desire to find her later in the novel, makes a really nice change to the standard Incredible Journey-esque canine character motivation to find human owners. It also creates more of an analogue between Delta and her readers, for whom close relationships with adult caregivers are presumed to be important.
It's always a complex manoeuvre to discuss slavery in ancient Greek and Roman stories for children in a way that accentuates how awful the institution of slavery is, while equally reinforcing the endemic use of slavery as an economic system within the ancient world. Fargher managed to strike a pretty good compromise in this regard by using Delta as a viewpoint character: her position as a dog places her in a liminal position to view this from a separate viewpoint. She isn't a free creature herself - she's a pet, and some of the events of the novel are tracked based on whichever collar she's wearing - but equally she isn't an enslaved human, meaning that she can view the system from a removed level while simultaneously empathising with the injustices we see. There is a scene in the first third where Gaia and her son Neo are separated in a slave market, which is particularly harrowing - while Delta's POV means this doesn't become completely upsetting to a child reader, it doesn't shy away from the trauma and injustice associated with the scene, and simultaneously places Delta on par with Neo due to both of them being separated from their mothers, a strong emotional core for childrens' fiction. However, the novel very nearly sidles into the trope of the 'good slave master', which it avoids purely by the skin of its teeth. Despite his friendship with Severinius, a wealthy Roman boy whom Neo and Delta rescue from bandits, and consequently the son of Neo's enslaver, Fargher is thorough in ensuring that Neo remains miserable the entire time he is separated from Gaia: Severinius has a sense of justice, but equally one where slavery is an endemic part of his life, and as such he treats it like this. Since Greeks and Romans are big parts of the Key Stage 2 curriculum, I imagine this would be an interesting classroom conversation to have.
As I implied earlier, Marcus, Herminia's husband, isn't the nicest of the cast of characters: as we learn pretty early on in the novel, the business he runs is a scam, he's a greedy criminal, and he doesn't treat Herminia well - not helped by the fact that she is pregnant with his child. There's a genuine sense of menace to his characterisation: he's obviously an abject villain given the numerous crimes and cruelties he inflicts, but his presence as an abusive husband towards Herminia makes him increasingly sinister in a way that's accessible to young readers. Fargher does a great job throughout of taking what might be deemed very adult themes and presenting them in a way that's emotionally-resonant while equally not traumatising. In terms of my qualms with this novel, most of them are line-level editorial issues which may just be an issue with the proof copy: while I imagine these have been rectified, I'll mention them here anyway since they were present in my reading. There are several lines which are clunky and don't read particularly well, and which would have benefitted from another read-through, but again, these are very easily rectified.
Overall, Delta and the Lost City is a fun little novel with a lot of heart at its centre, and a new canine hero to join the legions of dog protagonists in childrens' books: she's a joy to read, and I'm sure she'll resonate with a wide audience of children and adults alike.
Thank you to Macmillan Children's and Netgalley for an eArc in exchange for an honest review!
As is the trend with middle-grade at the moment, the Delta of the title is our protagonist, a wolf-dog living in a countryside villa in the shadows of Pompeii with her mother, Luna, eagle friend Bellona, and the human cast: enslaved woman Gaia, her son, Neo, Lucius, the master of the house, and Herminia, Lucius' daughter. Also present is Herminia's husband Marcus, but as we discover very early on, Marcus isn't exactly a pinnacle of niceness. When Delta witnesses a horrible crime in her home, she finds herself on the run with Bellona, evading beasts and thieves in the wilderness. But, as she sets about trying to right the wrong that has torn her family apart, Vesuvius begins to rumble, and another disaster is on its way.
Animal stories fit really nicely into the genre of childrens' historical fiction, and Delta is no different: it's not the first novel to tackle Pompeii for younger audiences (I say as an avid Roman Mysteries reader at the age of 9), but Delta's perspective brings new aspects to light that might otherwise be missed in a novel with a human protagonist. The Vesuvius scenes especially are very poignant in their detail and narration, and lots of the smaller historical details (such as the crowds tying pillows to their heads to cushion the falling rock from the volcano) are peppered in nicely, in a way that's subtly educational without being overbearing. While I'm not an artist myself, David Dean's illustrations work well with the tone throughout: it's characterful while also being stark monochrome.
Delta's relationships with her animal family members are also really refreshing to read. Her conversations and interactions with Bellona gives their relationship an almost big-sister feel, whereas it isn't often that parental relationships are explored in animal stories, so Delta's interactions with Luna, and her consequent desire to find her later in the novel, makes a really nice change to the standard Incredible Journey-esque canine character motivation to find human owners. It also creates more of an analogue between Delta and her readers, for whom close relationships with adult caregivers are presumed to be important.
It's always a complex manoeuvre to discuss slavery in ancient Greek and Roman stories for children in a way that accentuates how awful the institution of slavery is, while equally reinforcing the endemic use of slavery as an economic system within the ancient world. Fargher managed to strike a pretty good compromise in this regard by using Delta as a viewpoint character: her position as a dog places her in a liminal position to view this from a separate viewpoint. She isn't a free creature herself - she's a pet, and some of the events of the novel are tracked based on whichever collar she's wearing - but equally she isn't an enslaved human, meaning that she can view the system from a removed level while simultaneously empathising with the injustices we see. There is a scene in the first third where Gaia and her son Neo are separated in a slave market, which is particularly harrowing - while Delta's POV means this doesn't become completely upsetting to a child reader, it doesn't shy away from the trauma and injustice associated with the scene, and simultaneously places Delta on par with Neo due to both of them being separated from their mothers, a strong emotional core for childrens' fiction. However, the novel very nearly sidles into the trope of the 'good slave master', which it avoids purely by the skin of its teeth. Despite his friendship with Severinius, a wealthy Roman boy whom Neo and Delta rescue from bandits, and consequently the son of Neo's enslaver, Fargher is thorough in ensuring that Neo remains miserable the entire time he is separated from Gaia: Severinius has a sense of justice, but equally one where slavery is an endemic part of his life, and as such he treats it like this. Since Greeks and Romans are big parts of the Key Stage 2 curriculum, I imagine this would be an interesting classroom conversation to have.
As I implied earlier, Marcus, Herminia's husband, isn't the nicest of the cast of characters: as we learn pretty early on in the novel, the business he runs is a scam, he's a greedy criminal, and he doesn't treat Herminia well - not helped by the fact that she is pregnant with his child. There's a genuine sense of menace to his characterisation: he's obviously an abject villain given the numerous crimes and cruelties he inflicts, but his presence as an abusive husband towards Herminia makes him increasingly sinister in a way that's accessible to young readers. Fargher does a great job throughout of taking what might be deemed very adult themes and presenting them in a way that's emotionally-resonant while equally not traumatising. In terms of my qualms with this novel, most of them are line-level editorial issues which may just be an issue with the proof copy: while I imagine these have been rectified, I'll mention them here anyway since they were present in my reading. There are several lines which are clunky and don't read particularly well, and which would have benefitted from another read-through, but again, these are very easily rectified.
Overall, Delta and the Lost City is a fun little novel with a lot of heart at its centre, and a new canine hero to join the legions of dog protagonists in childrens' books: she's a joy to read, and I'm sure she'll resonate with a wide audience of children and adults alike.
Thank you to Macmillan Children's and Netgalley for an eArc in exchange for an honest review!
August 28, 2024
I was rather disappointed with this one, given how much I enjoyed Anna's other books - The Umbrella Mouse, and The Umbrella Mouse to the Rescue, and The Fire Cats of London. So I had high hopes for this one. I think it was the way the dialogue was spoken, I'm not sure. Maybe I'll give it another in a few months, and see if i can be swayed.
July 10, 2024
'Delta and the Lost City' is an adorable little story about Delta, a young wolfdog, and her quest to save her humans from the destruction wrought by a cruel, selfish husband and the eruption of Mt Vesuvius in AD 79.
Delta is aided in her quest to right wrongs and save her loved ones by Bellona, a golden eagle, her mother, Luna, and a horse named Flyer. Their adventure is fast-paced and epic. I could see the story beats keeping young readers engaged, as this certainly would have been a favorite of my 7-12 year old self. The villains are easy to root against, the heroes easy to root for, and everything ties neatly together and comes back around in a way that is ultimately satisfying.
There are some neat historical and scientific details buried within the narrative, so the teaching is subtle but apparent throughout the story. This book meets children where they are at while (hopefully) serving to draw their interest further into aspects of ancient history and/or volcanology. As a former child who eschewed any story that didn't star an animal, I know how effective animals can be in that regard. Want your child to take more of an interest in history or historical fiction? This book may be their gateway into that world. 'Delta and the Lost City' will more than serve that fun, introductory, educational purpose for today's young animal lovers.
Delta is aided in her quest to right wrongs and save her loved ones by Bellona, a golden eagle, her mother, Luna, and a horse named Flyer. Their adventure is fast-paced and epic. I could see the story beats keeping young readers engaged, as this certainly would have been a favorite of my 7-12 year old self. The villains are easy to root against, the heroes easy to root for, and everything ties neatly together and comes back around in a way that is ultimately satisfying.
There are some neat historical and scientific details buried within the narrative, so the teaching is subtle but apparent throughout the story. This book meets children where they are at while (hopefully) serving to draw their interest further into aspects of ancient history and/or volcanology. As a former child who eschewed any story that didn't star an animal, I know how effective animals can be in that regard. Want your child to take more of an interest in history or historical fiction? This book may be their gateway into that world. 'Delta and the Lost City' will more than serve that fun, introductory, educational purpose for today's young animal lovers.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 10, 2025
The story of Pomepii/Mount Vesuvius told from a dog named Delta's POV. Sounds pretty good, right? Nope. The dog characters knew way too much (how would a dog know what a slave is?). The writing was lacking (things like a dog's fur stiffening and little whimpers screeching). And the logic was just so off (Delta went six days with no food or water and was perfectly fine).
Plus some issues were a mix of those other issues, like the Delta's mother mated with a wolf and was "lucky to escape with her life". WTF even? Did the wolves kidnap her? Rape her? What in the world does the author think about wolves?
DNF about 20% in.
Plus some issues were a mix of those other issues, like the Delta's mother mated with a wolf and was "lucky to escape with her life". WTF even? Did the wolves kidnap her? Rape her? What in the world does the author think about wolves?
DNF about 20% in.
July 8, 2024
This book is an edge-of-your-seat action adventure as a the loyal wolfdog races against time to save her loved ones in the midst of a volcano threatening to erupt. It also stands as a perfect way of introducing young readers to Roman rule in 79AD, including the darker elements of slavery and social hierarchies, without feeling overly educational or overbearing. A heartwarming story with real heart.
April 10, 2025
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
As a former Latin teacher, I'm a huge fan of books set in the ancient Roman world. This had its moments, but circulation of books set during this time is down, so I will probably pass on purchase. This does make me want to brush off Lawrence's Thieves of Ostia and Lasky's The Last Girls of Pompeii, and made me sad that I got rid of The Shadow of Vesuvius
by Eilís Dillon. Love the David Dean cover.
As a former Latin teacher, I'm a huge fan of books set in the ancient Roman world. This had its moments, but circulation of books set during this time is down, so I will probably pass on purchase. This does make me want to brush off Lawrence's Thieves of Ostia and Lasky's The Last Girls of Pompeii, and made me sad that I got rid of The Shadow of Vesuvius
by Eilís Dillon. Love the David Dean cover.
June 17, 2024
Another firecracker of an adventure from Anna set in AD 79 as the ground rumbles around Pompeii. Stunning illustrations from David Dean that really bring the drama and suspense alive.
I love how Anna tells her stories from the animals point of view. It brings a wonderful new and emotional perspective to historical events.
Loved it!!!
I love how Anna tells her stories from the animals point of view. It brings a wonderful new and emotional perspective to historical events.
Loved it!!!
July 25, 2024
Just not for me – the way the dogs speak to the eagle, the stodgy writing with overlong sentences about things we don't really care about, and the old-fashioned feel of it all. I felt the first sentence (dull, lecturing) had really failed to win me over to spending an evening with these pages, and nothing in the first three chapters changed my mind one jot.
April 14, 2025
📖 Ancient Rome
📖 Pompeii
📖 Mount Vesuvius
This is a lovely, quick-paced story that is packed full of everything Ancient Rome and an ABSOLUTE DREAM for teachers!
Set in Pompeii, this book follows Delta the dog on her mission to find and rescue her beloved family after tragedy strikes. Threatened with the loss of her dear humans and her new master’s determination to banish her to the Roman army, Delta must escape her enemies and travel across Pompeii, battling wolves, thieves and the growing threat of Mount Vesuvius.
I loved the educational value of this book and can imagine my class spotting all of the Roman-specific vocabulary that has been discussed in history lessons. The author uses this vocabulary to create a strong sense of what life would have been like when living in Ancient Rome and paints a very detailed image which is easy to picture.
While this book is fantastic for those who are learning about Ancient Rome, it doesn’t feel like an educational book (mostly because it’s told from the perspective of a dog!). The storyline itself is very exciting and combines fiction with non-fiction beautifully.
I would definitely recommend this book to children learning about Ancient Rome, but also anyone who loves fast-paced, suspenseful animal adventures and of course any teacher who is or will be teaching about the Romans!
📖 Pompeii
📖 Mount Vesuvius
This is a lovely, quick-paced story that is packed full of everything Ancient Rome and an ABSOLUTE DREAM for teachers!
Set in Pompeii, this book follows Delta the dog on her mission to find and rescue her beloved family after tragedy strikes. Threatened with the loss of her dear humans and her new master’s determination to banish her to the Roman army, Delta must escape her enemies and travel across Pompeii, battling wolves, thieves and the growing threat of Mount Vesuvius.
I loved the educational value of this book and can imagine my class spotting all of the Roman-specific vocabulary that has been discussed in history lessons. The author uses this vocabulary to create a strong sense of what life would have been like when living in Ancient Rome and paints a very detailed image which is easy to picture.
While this book is fantastic for those who are learning about Ancient Rome, it doesn’t feel like an educational book (mostly because it’s told from the perspective of a dog!). The storyline itself is very exciting and combines fiction with non-fiction beautifully.
I would definitely recommend this book to children learning about Ancient Rome, but also anyone who loves fast-paced, suspenseful animal adventures and of course any teacher who is or will be teaching about the Romans!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews