Skip to content 
- a boy is given a new slave who soon becomes his friend
- set in Rome, which had not yet risen to become a superpower
- convo: slavery, mentions a slave killing his master, conquered people (inc. women & children) paraded in chains, mentions sacrificing conquered kings & leaders to their gods, a few mentions of whipping slaves (never happens in book except for once but the only stroke hit the wrong person and the real whipping didn’t happen), kisses between a married couple
- language: x1 stupid
Type: short chapter book
Ages: 8-12
Author: Caroline Dale Snedeker
This was a required reader for my children’s history curriculum and a title I’d never heard of before. I liked how it brought to life a time period we don’t always read about (usually Rome is already an established giant in historical fiction novels set in ancient times). It also did a good job at highlighting the humanness of slaves and the terrible practices of slavery, all at an age-appropriate level.
There are touching themes of friendship and loyalty that I appreciated. Flavius, the boy, begins with a lot of pride but eventually is lowered to reality and begins to see the slaves around him as people, people he loves.
Overall, it’s a decent book to use in your studies of Ancient Rome & Greece. On a personal note, it didn’t make a big impact on us. The story is somewhat forgettable. That, of course, is subjective, and I know there are some children who love the book. So I still recommend giving it a chance!
