Mission to Marathon

by Geoffrey Trease

A story set in Ancient Greece. When news reaches Athens that Persian ships are about to invade Greece at Marathon, Philip knows that his uncle and grandmother are in great danger. As his brothers and father are busy preparing for war, he is the only one who can cross the mountains and warn his family. The race is on...but will he reach them in time?

Genres: Historical Fiction

Paperback

First published June 30, 2002

About the author

Robert Geoffrey Trease (1909-1998) was a prolific writer, publishing 113 books between 1934 (Bows Against the Barons) and 1997 (Cloak for a Spy). His work has been translated into 20 languages. His grandfather was a historian, and was one of the main influences towards Trease's work.

He is best known for writing children's historical novels, whose content reflects his insistence on historically correct backgrounds, which he meticulously researched. However, with his ground-breaking study Tales Out of School (1949), he was also a pioneer of the idea that children's literature should be a serious subject for study and debate. When he began his career, his radical viewpoint was a change from the conventional and often jingoistic tone of most children's literature of the time, and he was one of the first authors who deliberately set out to appeal to both boys and girls and to feature strong leading characters of both sexes.

Reviews

[Viva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spoilers ahead. After discovering Geoffrey Trease I could only find 3 of his book that were easy for me to get. I liked Cue to Treason and was hoping this book was as good. Unfortunately, this is a much shorter book. Only 1/3 of the depth. So rather than learning something about Athenian life and culture, it's pretty much just a short story about Philip, a young Athenian who helps his dad (Lycon) who is a sculptor.

The Athenians find that the Persians have invaded Euboea and mainland Greece is next. Lycon sends Philip to Marathon village where his uncle and his grandma lives to warn them. Philip runs to Marathon over a day and a half and is in time to warn them. His uncle hides his family and possessions in a cave while Philip and his cousin watch the Persians as they land.

The Athenian army of 10,000 men arrive and block the path to Athens. Philip watches the battle unfold but it's a very short narrative. The battle ends in a few pages and the book ends. The glossary and historical note were more informative. Too bad, I think Trease could have filled this book up a lot more.

[Kendra Fletcher · Rating 2 out of 5]

Short read, nothing over-the-top great but since we flew through it, it kept our interest.