The Dolphins of Laurentum: Roman Mysteries [Paperback]

Caroline Lawrence (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Roman Mysteries

Disaster! Flavia Gemina’s father’s trading ship is wrecked. Soon after he arrives home barely alive, creditors try to seize the house, giving them only a day to find enough money to pay the debt. Flavia, her father, Jonathan, Nubia, and Lupus take refuge at a country estate where they learn of a sunken treasure ship in the dangerous waters nearby. Lupus is sure he can retrieve the cargo. But their enemy, the slaveowner Venalicius, is after the treasure too.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (November 3, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0142403792
• ISBN-13: 978-0142403792
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,277,955 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Charming, Compelling, and a Very Entertaining Read, January 24, 2008

By 

Amy Graham (Scottsdale, AZ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Dolphins of Laurentum: Roman Mysteries (Paperback)

Here in the fifth book of the Roman Mysteries Sereis, which take place shortly after the events of the fourth book, The Assassins of Rome. Once again we join the steadfast group of Flavia, Nubia, Jonathan, and Lupus as they find themselves back home in Ostia. As with the previous books, this volume is set in the first century, 79 A.D, shortly after the eruption of Vesuvius. As we start out here, the group (along with Uncle Gaius (Flavia's Uncle who is staying with them since the destruction of his farm in The Secrets of Vesuvius), Aristo (their tutor), Miriam (Jonathan's Older Sister), Mordecai (Jonathan's Father, a physician) and all the dogs) are once again, home in Ostia getting back to their "normal" daily life...or so they think! Very shortly Flavia's father returns after many months away...and he is in very bad shape.

Once again disaster looms for Flavia and her closest friends and family...since her father's ship was lost at sea, this creditors are threatening to sell the house (and all their possessions to repay the debt)...in no condition to deal with this, Falvia, her father (and the rest of the gang) are shipped off to Pliny's (the younger) seaside home, leaving Mordaci and Uncle Gaius to tend to the legal issue of the debt. Once ensconced at the seaside, our intrepid group learns of a treasure sunk just off the coast...a treasure that they become determined to recover...for each in the group has a special desire that this treasure can fulfill. Will the group recover the treasure? Will they all get their heart's desire? Will they save Falvia's home in Ostia? You'll have to read to find out!

As with all the previous books in The Roman Mysteries series, Caroline Lawerence gives the reader an excellent glimpse into the daily life of the Roman people (of this era) and deals with wide ranging issues from Roman Law, the treatment of slaves, the division of the class system, the results of a natural disaster on the economy and the people, and the very depth of human nature. As with the previous books, The Assassins of Rome it manages to address a lot of series issues, give a solid look at life in the given time period, and still be entertaining and fun to read! This fifth book in the series returns to the focus of the group of four, though the story is clearly that of Lupus as we learn more about his past and how he came to be who he is now. As in the previous books, the adults play only a brief role at the beginning and end of the story.

Overall, this was a highly enjoyable mystery/thriller/adventure book for young readers that is heavy on the details of Roman daily life and is highly descriptive with likable and believable characters (for the most part). I give it four stars and would recommend it in a heartbeat! We are certainly looking forward to continuing through the remaining books in the series (12 in all).

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Dolphins Have a Strange Effect on Those Who Swim With Them...", August 16, 2010

By 

R. M. Fisher "Raye" (New Zealand = Middle Earth!) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Dolphins of Laurentum: Roman Mysteries (Paperback)

For the first time in the fifth book in Caroline Lawrence's "The Roman Mysteries" series, the focus shifts to Lupus, a young ex-beggar boy with a mysterious past. His friends Flavia (the daughter of a merchant), Jonathan (son of a Jewish doctor) and Nubia (the freed African slave of Flavia) know that Lupus doesn't like to discuss what happened to him before they met, and even if he wanted to, he couldn't - his tongue has been cut out. Respecting his privacy, the trio decided not to push him into revealing anything until he's ready. However, they know that it all has something to do with Venalicious the slave-dealer, as during a run-in with the hideous man in The Pirates of Pompeii, Lupus almost killed him.

After their adventures in Rome, as recounted in The Assassins Of Rome, the four children are relaxing in their homes in Ostia when they're disrupted by the arrival of an injured, ragged man who is soon identified as Captain Marcus Flavius Gemina: Flavia's father. Much like Antonio in "The Merchant of Venice," his ship has sunk in a storm, and all its cargo has been lost. It could not come at a worse time considering the bankers in the area are demanding repayment for Marcus's debts, and are ready to seize his house and belongings should he not raise the money in time.

Luckily, Pliny the Younger, the nephew of Admiral Pliny that the children befriended in The Secrets of Vesuvius, offers his villa to Marcus and the children whilst Marcus's twin brother tries to help out in the city. It is at Pliny's villa in Larentum that the children discover exciting news: there is a shipwreck off the coast that is rumored to have an immense treasure inside it. All four children have desperate cause to get their hands on that treasure: Flavia to save her father and home, Nubia to free her enslaved older brother, Jonathan to buy a home for his sister and fiancée, and Lupus for darker reasons: to pay for an assassin to kill Venalicious.

Gradually, light begins to unfold on Lupus's past. He reveals to the others that he is an adept sponge-diver, and that only he can sink down to the depths and search for the treasure. With call-backs from previous books (including the identity of the prisoner that Doctor Mordecai shared a cell with in The Assassins Of Rome), the other children piece together Lupus's history, and what happened to make him such an angry, intense eight-year old.

Lawrence has created a fantastic series of books, drawing on extensive research into the Roman era in order to make an historical-mystery that is populated with fascinating characters and which flows smoothly at an exciting pace. Her language is clear and descriptive, and which feature scenes that may well bring a tear to your eye: exceptionally beautiful is the moment in which the four children encounter a school of dolphins, among which Lupus finds some measure of peace.

"The Dolphins of Laurentum" is very much a story of healing, as Lupus comes to terms with his tragic past and the man responsible for it. As you may have realized judging by all the links to previous books, it is unwise to read "The Roman Mysteries" out of order. The children grow and change with each installment, and each passing book draws on the events and revelations of those that have gone before. Yet such is the quality of the over-arching story, tracking down the books in chronological order is more than worth the effort. It's impossible to come away from these books without learning something new about Roman history, or to not be moved by the experiences of the four children.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars makes history exciting, October 6, 2009

By 

A. Basanese "AllisonWonderland" (Canton MI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Dolphins of Laurentum: Roman Mysteries (Paperback)

Another excellent book from Caroline Lawrence. History comes alive and the challenges and the decisions the children face in the book are relevant to today. Even young adults who don't like to read "for the fun of it" enjoy this book series.