This series of hilarious fictional diaries put us inside the heads of hapless figures from history. Marcus is a 15-year-old boy living in Pompeii in 79 AD. During a trip to Rome with his merchant dad, he finds himself tricked into becoming a gladiator and forced to fight deadly warriors in the arena. Will Marcus manage to escape his imprisonment And will he learn to fight and distinguish himself as a gladiator... or will he just run away screaming 'Get Real' fact boxes featured throughout, as well as a timeline, historical biographies and a glossary in the endmatter, provide historical context and further information.
Een erg vermakelijk en grappig boek. Fijn en makkelijk te lezen verhaal. Het heeft me nogal verrast want er is/was natuurlijk weinig leuks aan gladiatoren.. Nu maar hopen dat kinderen dit ook snappen ;) erg boeiend en leuk zijn de feitjes tussendoor en achterin het boek.
This book tells the story of Marcus, the son of a rich family, who lives in Pompeii. He and his friends often pretend to be gladiators. His dad decides to go to Rome and takes Marcus with him. But whilst in Rome, Marcus is mistaken for a famous gladiator, Cassius. The two meet and agree they look very alike and when Cassius suggests they swap outfits and trick everyone, Marcus agreed. However, Cassius runs away and Marcus is left to be mistaken as Cassius the famous Gladiator.
The books is told as a diary and is written from the point of view of Marcus. Thought the book there are ‘Get Real’ boxes which include information from the Roman era which is relevant to what has happened within the text. At the end of the book there is a glossary for some of the words used throughout the story which relates to the time period. There is also additional information about famous gladiators and a timeline about Rome and Pompeii.
The Long-Lost Secret Diary is the World’s Worst Gladiator offers an entertaining recount of life in Pompeii and Rome and gives some insight to the life of a Gladiator. Although the text is meant to entertain there are elements of truth within, with some facts.
I read this with a Year 4 Class who were studying The Romans and they found it hysterical!
Another in this series that I really enjoyed! I think anyone studying the Romans would enjoy having this in their classroom - it definitely has a place in my library! Our poor MC ends up swapping places with a gladiator when he is in fact not at all one! Really fun!