Customer Reviews

Theras and His Town

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This book is set in ancient Greece, in two towns, Athens and Sparta. Athens is a beautiful city, with fine art, architecture, and music. Sparta is a small town with unadorned buildings, little art, and no music. In the beginning of the book, Theras, a young Athenian boy, lives a happy childhood with his family in Athens. He goes to school, where he learns to write and sing, and does athletics every day. One day Theras' father, Pheidon, is called to war far away from Athens, and he departs, leaving his family behind. Everything is fine for a few weeks, until they receive a distressing message from cousin Metion that Pheidon is lost at war. Theras' mother is forced to sell the house, and Theras is sent to Sparta to live with a distant relative.

In Sparta, Theras is made to live as a Spartan boy, separated from his parents, and trained as a soldier. After a year of this life, Theras wishes urgently to go home and live his old Athenian life. Eventually, Theras flees from Sparta with another boy, Abas, who also wishes to go. Theras and Abas must then endure many perils in the wilderness road to Athens, just to be free.

Theras and His Town is excellent. This book has suspense and excitement aplenty, with difficulties for Theras, who is brave and loyal. The book also has plenty of historic information about Greece, Athens, and Sparta. (This book review was written by a 6th grade, 11 year old Calvert School student, and published by his Mom.)

Theras is a young boy who lives in fifth century B. C. Athens, Greece, with his parents, father Pheidon, a wealthy businessman and civic leader, and mother Arethusa, two little sisters Aglaia and Opis, and the household servants including his pedagogue Lampon and old nurse Gorgo. As the book opens, Theras has just turned seven and will be going to school. He loves his city and, of course, has all the rights, privileges, and freedoms of being a born Athenian. One day some three years later, he wanders off, is captured by the "friendly" toy maker from whom he'd bought a ball, and is being taken in a boat to Chios to be sold as a slave, but his father arrives in one of his ships to rescue him.
About a year after this, Pheidon must go with the Athenians to fight against Samos. A few weeks later, a cousin of Pheidon's named Metion comes with the news that Pheidon's ship has been sunk and he is presumed dead. As the nearest living relative, the greedy Metion arranges to sell Pheidon's house and send Theras to Sparta to be the adopted son of Hippias, the cousin of Metion's mother. There he is forced to become like a Spartan, living a brutal life with no pity for those who are not physically perfect and totally obedient to Spartan control. Yet he never loses his love for Athens. He makes friends with a Periokoi boy named Abas, whose family believes that he will probably be killed by the Spartans when he is older. After witnessing what he thought was the senseless death of another friend Drako during the simulated battle at the Platanistos festival, Theras resolves to escape with Abas and return to Athens. With the Spartans after them and robbers abounding in the wilderness, will the two boys ever make it?
Caroline Dale Snedeker (1871-1956) was the author of fine historical fiction stories for children, most of which were set in ancient Greece and Rome. She won a Newbery honor twice, in 1928 for Downright Dencey, and in 1934 for The Forgotten Daughter. For those studying ancient Greece, Theras and His Town provides a great descriptions for children of daily life in both Athens and Sparta, including going to school, how people dressed, what they ate, etc. And there is a surprise appearance by a famous Greek historian! Some might object to the emphasis on worshipping the pagan Greek gods, but this kind of religion was an important part of ancient Greek life, and good historical fiction will incorporate such things. Besides, Mrs. Snedeker makes some comments which I believe show the superiority of Christianity over the superstitions of the ancient Greeks. Books like this used to be used in public and private schools to provide insight into Greek and Roman culture as a foundation for our Western civilization. Thanks to American Home School Publishing, they are available for homeschool families today.

Will young Theras ever get back to his heavenly home of Athens, alive?
This book is about an Athenian boy named Theras. His daily life is the life most children could only dream of. Then one day his father went to battle, while Theras was unfairly taken to Sparta by a family member after his father was assumed dead. It was in Sparta where Theras did the bravest and most daring task ever! To find out what it was, read the exceptional book, Theras and His Town. Do you think he made it home in one piece?

Young readers will enjoy this story of an Athenian boy named Theras who is forced to relocate to Sparta. Theras faces unexpected and difficult challenges while living in Sparta. He longs to escape from the harsh conditions that the boys of Sparta must endure and return to the more refined lifestyle and education that exist in Athens. I highly recommend this book for older elementary age through middle school as a compliment to a study of ancient Greece. Caroline Snedeker brings the era alive with historical facts about Athens and Sparta in a way that makes the story fun and engaging! For older, more advanced readers I recommend "The Spartan" by the same author(See my review for that title).

Theras is a young boy from Athens who is as happy as any young Athenian boy could be. He has friends, an awsome dad, two fun little sisters and a chance to be in the Olympics.
One day, Thereas's father is called to war. Later on, news that Phiedon, Theras' father, has lost a trading ship and that the family may lose every thing reaches Theras and his family. Later on that very same week, cries could be heard from Theras's house; Phiedon had been killed at war. Not only was the family sad about their loss but even more sad when word got to them that their broken family, would gat broken some more. Theras was told he was to go to Sparta and live with his relatives. Sparta is a vicous place to live. Instead of giving toys to sacrifice, boys give blood. Instead of playing on holidays, they fight, to the death.
When Theras hears about this he longs, more than ever to be back in Athens. One day, Theras runs away from it all and meets a Perioikoi boy named Abas and they instantly becaome freinds. After another one of Theras's few Spartan friends is killed Theras meets with Abas and they head back to Athens. It is a hard jouney back, but they finaly make it back.
I really enjoyed this story by Caroline Dale Snedeker and I hope you do to. There is never a dull momentin this book; enjoy!

I read this book with my 11 year old son. Some of the names are very hard to pronounce at times. This makes it kind of hard to read out loud and hard to keep track of who is who. Other then this, you really get to know the character and his world. It has lots of historical facts. This makes it very interesting. All and all, a good book. At the end I was sory it was over and will miss reading about Theras' adventures.