You Wouldn't Want to Be a Slave in Ancient Greece! [Library Binding]

Fiona MacDonald (Author), David Antram (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: You Wouldn't Want To...

Fiona MacDonald studied history at Cambridge University and at the University of East Anglia. She has taught in schools, adult education and university, and is the author of numerous books for children on historical topics.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6-At first glance, these profusely illustrated books appear to be a lighthearted approach to some grim chapters in the history of the world. Chapter titles are often blithe and the cartoon art depicts the gory and abominable treatment of one group of people by another. But closer examination of the texts and pictures reveals informative books, packed full of the facts students often seek. The first title describes the life of a woman from the Black Sea area who is kidnapped and taken to serve as a slave in ancient Greece. The treatment of the slaves by the aristocracy is depicted along with descriptions of everyday life. Gladiator highlights the superiority of the Roman army, which returned its prisoners to Rome where they were trained to be arena fighters. Rules of battle and types of gladiators are described. Mention is also made of the simulated sea battles that took place in the flooded arenas and of staged wild-animal hunts. Mummy covers the process of embalming and mummification along with the symbolic features of an Egyptian burial. Discoveries of tombs and modern beliefs about mummies are also included. While these books cover material included in other titles, their approach to history will be extremely popular with students who relish a bit of blood and guts along with their historical facts.
Elizabeth Stumpf, Clearfield Middle School, PA
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Fiona MacDonald studied history at Cambridge University and at the University of East Anglia. She has taught in schools, adult education and university, and is the author of numerous books for children on historical topics. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Library Binding: 32 pages
• Publisher: Franklin Watts (September 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0531146006
• ISBN-13: 978-0531146002
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 8.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,287,628 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun and informative for grade schoolers, November 11, 2002

By 

TammyJo Eckhart "TammyJo Eckhart" (Bloomington, Indiana United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: You Wouldn't Want to Be a Slave in Ancient Greece! (Library Binding)

You can tell the difference between someone who has studied history and writes a children's book and someone who hasn't a clue how to find information. Unfortunately, Macdonald doesn't provide a bibliography at all or address where she got her information so I had to take off one star. However, her information seems quite solid and I love the way the book is laid-out with the life journey of one woman into slavery and her experiences there. There are obviously several of the less pleasant things left out of this book such as sexual slavery, but it did contain more reality than I had expected for a book at this level. The sidenotes are great and they actually give you the advice the cover of the book promises. There are also hints for the younger audience that things are not simple, even something they've been taught is an evil, is actually quite varied and complicated by gender, race, age, skill, and personality.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fun way to get your essential bits of history (a history teacher's review), June 9, 2009

By 

DWD "DWD's Reviews" (Indianapolis, IN) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: You Wouldn't Want to Be a Slave in Ancient Greece! (You Wouldn't Want To) (Paperback)

As a history teacher, I think just about all of history is fascinating - the cultural tidbits, the technology, the religious beliefs, the wars, the governments. It's all fascinating! But...convincing my students is another matter entirely.

This series does an excellent job of looking at history from an interesting point of view and showing why it was tough. The art is accessible and just cartoonish enough to not be one of those boring illustrations that fill history books and plenty realistic enough that to clearly see and understand what is going on (for example, the women who are weaving on pages 16 & 17 are cartoonish but their loom looks pretty realistic).

In this book, you learn a lot about slavery in general that can be applied to any time - the drudgery and humiliation, the loss of freedom and the uncertainty. There is also a lot of Ancient Greece-specific information such as their attitudes towards foreigners and women.

I'd recommend this book for students in grade 4 or higher. I'd even recommend it for adults that want a little pain-free learning!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Any woman in history, December 12, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: You Wouldn't Want to Be a Slave in Ancient Greece! (Library Binding)

This is an informational story about you, as a mother, living near the Black Sea in the 5th century B.C. in a Scythian Tribe. You are captured by the Greeks, separated from your family, and sold in Athens. The story gives a detailed description of the typical life of a slave woman in Greece. Some tips for you to remember: "Forget about your family because you will probably never see them again. Work hard if you want your owner to treat you well. Be nice to your owner's eldest son - one day he'll become your master. Improve your cooking, or your owner won't feed you at all. Don't get caught trying to escape - you will be punished or sold." The book has great pictures and a lot of interesting information presented through a story. This book makes it fun to learn about the life of a female slave because it doesn't feel like you're studying! This is a good book to read aloud to primary students and have in the classroom library for students up to the intermediate level.