The Pirates of Pompeii

The Roman Mysteries #3

by Caroline Lawrence

Set in the terrifying aftermath of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, the third book in this highly praised mystery series takes young sleuth Flavia Gemina and her friends in search of pirates and slave dealers. A fast-paced whodunnit that combines action, well-placed clues, and strong female lead, and a well-realized ancient Roman setting, this is a treat for mystery lovers and history fans alike.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Fiction, Historical, Childrens, Middle Grade, Young Adult

160 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2002

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

[Shea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this continuing story in the Roman Mysteries series. This one deals with some heavier topics, but everything works out in the end. I can’t wait to see what other mysteries Flavia and her friends will solve!

[Grace*dnfing books since 2022* · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, as many have noted, was an improvement on the previous book, mostly because it showed such a depth of character development as opposed to the previous ones in the series.

In this book, Flavia and her friends are still around Pompeii when they meet the incredibly charismatic Felix Publius. Other people have noted the main plot points of the book, so mostly I'll concentrate on what I thought were the noteworthy character developments.

Essentially what happens is that the young Flavia meets Felix Publius, as do her three friends, and the man is a very influential, wealthy, and highly charismatic man, and each are affected in turn. There is great depth of detail as to how he is able to work his charisma in different ways with each of them. For young fearless Lupus who has quite a sad backstory, he lets him hold the reins of the horse cart and even inducts him into his meetings with his "soldiers." For Flavia the bookworm, he tests and acknowledges her learning and presents her with a priceless gift of a painted cup in careless disregard of its monetary value. His charisma is very well-done and one of the best features of this book, as I think it does serve to let young readers understand this aspect of dangerous people. Only Nubia does not like him and thinks he is splitting apart the friends. Meanwhile, Nubia is befriended by an African ex-slave and wooed into wondering whether she should run away or not.

Felix also has three daughters, the oldest of which is a massively spoiled and carelessly cruel beautiful girl who beats her slave-girl with regularity and locks her in a chest for misdoings. Her actions towards her slave and Flavia's growing infatuation with Felix leads Flavia to start mistreating Nubia, which in turn causes her to consider seriously about running away. At the same time, Polla, the beautiful daughter, is enamored of Jonathan and treats him with fawning adoration while she ignores the rest of the group.

It is a situation ripe with different character dynamics and very different from the earlier books and even the later books, many of which are taken over with Jonathan's pessimism. It is also an interesting take on Flavia's infatuation with a much older charismatic man, who may or may not be the villain. This infatuation has a later follow-up in the book, "The Sirens of Surrentum," which was a book with the same emotional vein as this one, with Flavia being a strong protagonist instead of fading out to Nubia's introspection.

The only quibble I would have with this book would be Nubia's inner voice which condemns one character and praises another, both judgments which are proven wrong by the end of the book. This is strange because by the end of the series, Nubia has developed a superpower of her own, being that she can communicate with animals and instantly suss out the good and bad guys. It seemed like it was a red herring in this book and thus was a strange setup for her later "prophecies." It also doesn't seem in line with where the book started, with the strangely charismatic Felix to be completely harmless, as the initial message seemed to warn children away from such people.

[Jane Hargrave Montaigu · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third novel in Caroline Lawrence’s highly successful Roman Mysteries series which recount the adventures of four young friends in Roman times. The setting for this historical novel is the refugee camp just near Pompeii in the few days after the eruption of the volcano Vesuvius in AD 79.

The leader of the group of friends is Flavia Germina, a determined and resourceful girl, the daughter of a sea captain. The novel opens with Flavia, accompanied by her slave girl Nubia, scouring the hillside above the Bay of Naples, searching for an amulet, a particular flower needed to aid the healing of their friend Jonathan who has been in a coma since the eruption. With the help of the healing powers of this flower and through the strong lure of music, eventually Jonathan is roused from his coma and is at last able to join in his friends’ adventures. When the four friends discover that children are being kidnapped in the chaos following the eruption, they decide to find out who is responsible, despite the danger this exposes them to.

I found this was a gripping historical novel with rounded central characters that children will find likeable and will be able to identify with, given their age and interests. The story moves ahead at a good pace and there is plenty of humour and suspense. The setting is clearly described with realistic historical and cultural detail bringing this period of history alive. Maps are provided and there is a very useful glossary (Aristo’s Scroll) of Roman words and proper nouns at the back of the book. As a 200 page chapter book without illustrations this novel would be suitable to have in the school library or classroom bookshelf for children of 8 years old onwards for personal reading. It could also be used for guided reading sessions with small groups or the whole class. The series would be an inspiring way in to a Roman topic and this particular adventure would link well with a unit on volcanoes. If the Roman Mysteries series had been around when I was a child I would certainly have devoured them all with relish.

[Erin Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

But what about Leda?

So it's true, this series does get better at the 3rd book

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book I've ever set my eyes on.
Absolutely amazing, interesting and mysterious.....

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one had me crying.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Nubia in this book and I just wished she was zoomed in a little bit more.

[D.K. Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Continuing to work my way through this collection of novels from the brilliant Caroline Lawrence - some read many years previously - and trying to work out what I remember and what I don't.

Having finished book III, I'm still firmly in the camp of 'I definitely read this before', recalling that, somewhere early on in the series, I - and all of us at the Christian school where I worked in Bangladesh - had to stop because one book featured (gasp, horror)...a kiss. The books were, as far as I can tell, either promptly banned or that book was removed from the library rendering reading others in the series pointless (if you're like me and have to read in the correct order or not at all).

So, reading this book - which breathlessly follows on from the second book where our intrepid detectives had just survived the eruption of Vesuvius (by the skin of their teeth) - I found again that many parts of the book I recalled from the past. As per the previous books (and this may tell you more about me than the book), I couldn't remember the key details and who, in particular, was the bad guy; so I enjoyed the mystery all over again.

The plot follows on from the disaster brilliantly told in book II, with the survivors from Pompeii living in refugee tents, trying to rebuild their lives. Almost immediately it becomes obvious that children are going missing. The fingers point to a powerful and mysterious 'Patron' who seems to delight in selling children into slavery. Our four young detectives set out to find out what's going on, find the children and solve the mystery.

That's the premise, but there's much more under the surface. For a start off, slavery is a major topic; not just as a historic reality but the ethics therein. What does it mean to be one in Roman times? And how were slaves treated? What did Romans think to owning other human beings? Furthermore, there's a lot of situations where characters get to find out what it is like to live 'on the other side' of things. Finally, the issue of prejudice and jumping to conclusions is dealt with too. All of these are managed naturally; and without even once becoming close to preachy. Lawrence really is a very good writer and knows how to touch the soul while creating a damned good page-turner that entertains.

Of course, these books are for older children and young teens, but Lawrence doesn't shy away from dealing with uncomfortable subjects and difficult issues and this means it brings something to the table for those of us who are (ahem) less young (and more young in heart, perhaps). That makes these great books for parents and children to read together or one after the other. Funnily enough, I'm doing exactly that with my daughter, albeit that she stopped being a child several years ago! We're both enjoying returning to these books of our/her youth, perhaps smiling gently at the innocence of it all but still enjoying really good storytelling. If tales of destruction and kidnapping of children can be said to be damned good fun - then this is it!

[ChroniclesofTania · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is really the second part of the previous book. That book had a slow start, a weak storyline, but was rich in historical description of the eruption of Vesuvius. This book is fast paced throughout and starts in the aftermath of the volcano eruption at the refugee camp on the beach. The children get to meet the emperor and his right hand man Felix, when they make an appearance. The children impress so much that they get taken away to the Villa Limona to stay with Felix and his family to recover and solve the mystery of the missing children.
Many slaves ran away when their masters were killed in the eruption and amid the chaos Nubia meets a group of runaway slaves with a charismatic leader who persuades her to run away with him back to Africa and leave her friends behind. Flavia becomes too influenced by the powerful Felix in her bid to impress him and his daughter Polla Pulchra's lifestyle is as enticing as her misuse of her personal slave is abhorrent. Unfortunately Flavia starts to treat Nubia poorly as she tries to emulate the behaviour of this wealthy family. Lupus falls for the charisma of Felix as a substitute father, while Polla Pulchra is enamoured with Jonathan and fawns over him to the exclusion of the other three friends. The four friends are divided and their bonds weakened. In to the cracks come the pirates of Pompeii....

[Eleni · Rating 4 out of 5]

The way Pulchra and Felix speak about and treat the laves is insane to listen to. I understand that there would be a divide in how people treated slaves back then, but after seeing them treated so normally before, it's a bit shocking to see them in such bad condition in this house, and to be literally referred to as property is jarring. The abuse that goes on is disgusting to read about, but again; it's impressive that it can be digested by kids, and also leaves a mark on me as I read this as an adult.

Flavia getting into a physical fight with Pulchra felt so good and rewarding, especially considering it was to defend Nubia. And the fact that neither girl held back at all was hilarious. Biting, hair pulling, fighting so aggressively that the boys were too scared to step in... hilarious.

Speaking of Nubia; what a great character. She's someone who I can completely understand the motives and actions of, and I can empathise with easily. She is so strong and has been through so much (though in saying that all these poor kids have been through a lot in their short lives).

I liked the ending. I mean, I expect them all to end roughly the same because it's a kid's series, but I am enjoying this series and where it's going and I'm keen to read on.

[RamSwaminathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about the aftermath of the Mt.Vesuvius eruption. In the start of the book, there was mourning, fire, hopelessness and death everywhere. Johnathan had fainted and he had been living in some sort of a subconscious paradise. After Johnathan woke up, the children had heard about some person in which all crime can be traced back to. The emperor, Titus, had entered Pompeii and wanted to meet Mordecai and meet the citizens of Pompeii. The also met Flavia, the protagonist in the story. Nubia, Flavia, Lupus and Johnathan meet the patron and the patron invite them to their home. This is the part of the story which I hate. This part of the story was the worst to me, Nubia and Leda were treated badly by Pulchra and the worst part was that Flavia didn't even let Nubia get a single bite of food in that part. When Nubia ran away, the climax started, this is when Nubia started her friendship with Pulchra and Flavia redeemed herself to Nubia. I feel better when it reached the end because Venalicius, a horrible slave dealer, was captured by the slaves he had hunted down. I am hoping that he will not return in the future.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Following directly on from the events of the Secrets of Vesuvius, we follow the children as they try to uncover who is behind the disappearance of children from the refugee camps set up after the eruption of the volcano and in turn get themselves caught up in the plot.

This book is definitely an improvement on the previous two, there is a lot of character growth in each of the four main children and it helps to set up events that you know will take centre stage in later books as well. There is also some of a conversation around life in Ancient Rome for those who were freeborn and those who were slaves which is also quite a poignant one.

The contrast between the characters of Flavia and Pulchra and their different relationships with their slaves is quite sad to read. Especially when you realise that Flavia has been set up as an exception to the norm and that behaviour like the type exhibited by Pulchra would have been far more normal in that society.

But I will say, I hated Pulchra the first time I read the series and I still hate her now. Time will tell if that will change or not.

[Emilija · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a vast improvement on the previous book in the series, primarily because it has character development in. It mainly focuses on the character growth of Flavia and Nubia, though Lupus does have some really good moments.

I found it a bit confusing in the sense that through the entire book, Felix is portrayed as a villain, and the book warns of people who are charismatic and can use that charisma as a weapon and then in the last chapter, Felix is shown to be harmless.

I also think that the author is vastly overestimating the swimming ability of Lupus, an eight year old boy, who doesn't seem to need to breathe in water and who can seemingly swim without getting tired.

I did like that they showed the aftermath of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and went into the social aspects of that, ie, the loss of property, the health issues suffered by people, the runaway slaves, the people going around trying to rob the buildings ending up buried under ash, and of course, the stealing of children in the aftermath of the tragedy and being sold on by slave traders.

[Egiet · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Pirates of Pompeii is about four children by the names of Flavia, Nubia, Jonathan, and Lupus who are living in a refugee camp after their hometown of Pompeii was destroyed by a volcano called mount Vesuvius. After several days of living in the camp, rumors start floating around about kidnapped children. The friends decide to investigate a powerful man called the Patron who seems to be connected to the disappearances.
I really enjoyed the pace of the book. It was well thought out and explained. The timeline was reasonable, and helped keep the story moving consistently. Along with that, the story was quite historically accurate, and seemed well researched . The story was moderately interesting and believable, although it fell apart at the very end. One thing I didn't like was the fact that the story was very predictable. None of the plot twists were very radical, and the whole thing was quite straightforward and didn't really keep you on your toes.

[GravesAndYearning · Rating 5 out of 5]

My young self would give it a 5 star, so I gave it. I read this book years ago and now I am way too old to say that this book is the best book I have ever read. But I love the relationships between characters, they are interesting and funny. Jonathan was even my book crush for a long time.
I must say that this book series made me who I am today, becouse of it I fell in love with the history of Rome and now I am currently studying latin in my high school. And I could not be happier about it.
Book also contains a lot of useful and historicly correct facts. My favourite part was Aristo's scroll, where you can find meanings abd definitions of all gods and just regular objets that were used in that century.
I still remember the dates from this book. Yeah, so to help you start on this: it is August of year 79...

[Isa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3er libro de Misterios Romanos. No sé cuántas veces me lo he leído, pero sí sé que no es de mis favoritos: lo dejo en un 3'5 redondeado a la baja. Leyéndolo de adulta me entero muchísimo más y me sorprende que se incluyan ciertos detalles y situaciones que, para un libro de niños, puedan quizás parecer un tanto fuera de lugar. En mi caso, debo confesar que debido al cariño que le tengo a esta serie, a esto le doy más bien poca importancia.

Se ha quedado con esta puntuación porque un personaje en concreto tiene una evolución para redimirle muy poco verosímil, un personaje que no me encanta tiene demasiado protagonismo, y en me han chirriado demasiado las edades de los protagonistas en comparación a las de otros personajes (son demasiados pequeños para la manera que tienen de actuar). Dicho esto, me encanta esta serie y no sabéis cuánto estoy disfrutando con estas relecturas.

[Leila Anani · Rating 3 out of 5]

This 3rd adventure set in the aftermath of Vesuvius is a vast improvement on the previous book. Our four heroes helping out in a refugee camp get embroiled in a plot where pirates, taking advantage of the chaos kidnap children and sell them into slavery for profit. This one's fast paced and quite exciting, particularly the climax aboard the pirate's ship. The characters are rich and this does an excellent job of bringing the ancient world to life.

I like how these books don't sanitise the brutality of the Ancient world either, it's not all blood and guts but slaves get beaten, Jews get crucified and life isn't all roses. This series is a great way to introduce youngsters to Ancient History.

[Tales Untangled · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was surprised at the bits of brutality shown with the slavery in this book written for children. I was talking to my eleven year old, and he said that it's part of history and so it should be in the book - and he is right. It's a good opening for a dialogue with a class or your own children.

Here are some of the facts mentioned:

Eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
Pompeii and the surrounding area were covered in thick ash, in places up to 20' deep.
Titus was the commander who burned the temple in Jerusalem in about 70 A.D.
The Romans worshipped the pantheon of gods originally instituted by the Greeks.
Slavery was a ...

To read the full review go to www.talesuntangled.wordpress.com

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the aftermath of the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, the kids from the Roman Mysteries series (Flavia Gemina and friends - her neighbor Johnathan (a Jewish-born Christian), Nubia (Flavia's slave . . . and friend), and Lupus ((a little boy who lost his tongue but can write on wax tablets) are helping the survivors in the region near Pompeii. But someone is kidnapping children of refugees and selling them into slavery! Could the pirates be connected to Felix, a rich Patron with clients throughout the region, a friend of the Emperor Titus himself? Flavia and friends race to solve the mystery!

[Johnny Bennett · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book falls into a weird category where it is topically advanced, without being graphic, for those who would normally be interested in reading it. While lacking the complexity of most Young Adult novels, slavery, beatings, politics, and more await the reader. This generally elevates it above a children's or youth book.

Being book three in a series, without consuming books one or two, this book stands on it's own. One expects that there is good character development from book to book.

[Madeleine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some beautiful and evocative descriptions of the setting and really engaging, well-developed characters (Felix and Nubia especially), I thoroughly enjoyed it. Though I found the plotline a little hard to follow at the end, it was exciting and fast-paced, and I appreciated, though hard to read, that Lawrence didn't sanitise the brutality nor the discourse around slavery. I think for children, however, some of the violence may have been a little too explicit, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

Again, as with the other books in this series, I felt there were some adult issues inappropriate in a book for children. Also, the author hopped around a lot from viewpoint to viewpoint--it was unsettling, especially in the beginning of the book.

However, the setting was beautifully described, and the aftermath of the eruption of Vesuvius was sensitively handled.

[Book Grocer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Purchase The Pirates of Pompeii here for just $5!

Book 3 in the series, this has a great basis in history that will educate your childen without sacrificing a good story. For ages 7 and up.

Elisa, Book Grocer

[Jessica DeWitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this installment, but not as much as the first two books. Where it falls flat for me is mainly around the forced Pulchra redemption arc, which didn't seem deserved or believable. I would have rather had the end focus on Leda, and her future. What is Leda's future?? I also didn't care for the only Black characters in the novel (excluding Nubia) turning out to be the bad guys.

[Momschooled · Rating 2 out of 5]

Im half-way through chapter 5 and I'm sorry to say I'm giving up. There are so many character names my head is spinning. I need a paper with names, descriptions and relationships to know what's going on, and I don't have the patience for that.

I love the idea of this series, and I'm considering getting the first book in hopes there are fewer characters to keep track of.

[Kitty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I definitely preferred this to the second book. For one thing, there was a mystery to solve, which meant that the four main characters had a lot more time to act on their own instead of reacting to situations around them. This book also had a lot more development for them, and you can really see the way that they are growing together.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am being nice this time and rounding UP. About a 2.75. Slightly better than #2. Author's hand manipulating the characters is very apparent. Many of the same problems as the previous volume, but at least his one was CLOSER to being a mystery. When I run out of audio books (the next is the last recorded,) I won't continue the series...I could NOT make it through 17 of these.

[Teddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was an appropriate read for yesterday - being talk like a pirate day and all. This was enjoyable and very quick. A bit juvenile and it had several inconsistencies, but overall a pretty good tale.

[Kari · Rating 5 out of 5]

There were glaring typos but I’m not going to hold that against the book, just the editors. I loved that this is the aftermath of Pompeii and the relationships develop even more. We start to learn more back stories which is fantastic and the descriptions really are evocative.

[Jennifer Wilkey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good one! I wish I would have had these back when I was a young Latin student. Can’t wait to see what my 12yo says about this one. The most intense plot yet. Good character development and lots of good info about the post-eruption Bay of Naples.