When in Roman (Horrible Histories: Ruthless Romans - Terry Deary)

Member Name: AmyAmy

Product:	Horrible Histories: Ruthless Romans - Terry Deary
Date:	11/06/09 (41 review reads)
Rating:

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There are a few authors which take me back to my childhood. Alongside Jacqueline Wilson, Nick Inkpen and Roger Hargrieves, theres Terry Deary. He writes a series of childrens books called Horrible Histories, and one of these is The Ruthless Romans.

Cover:
You should never judge a book by its cover, but I must admit, I do do it! The cover of this particular book. There is a lion threatening a Roman in the Colliseum, and the Roman fighter looks terrified! It is quite colourful with deep shades of red leaping out, making it seem quite terrifying and interesting.

Plot:
The book, naturally, is all about the Romans and how they lived their lives. It covers highs and lows of the period. It is not just all words though - a lot of it is illustrated with helpful diagrams. It makes learning easy as a lot of people do tend to memorise things better if they see it in picture form. Though the writing is always good to read, and adds to the humour with witty liners and comments.

Suitability:
This book series is aimed at children within the 9-12 aged bracket. I do agree with this completely. The writing is quite large and easy to read, and there is a good mix of pictures and facts, so it is well spread out and not to bore them. But it does not mean that it cannot be enjoyed by anybody older! It is a great way to start a topic off before you progress to the real nitty gritty facts, and makes a light read, with its 128 entertaining pages.

Price:
You can buy this for just 1p on Amazon.co.uk. Yes there is the £2.75 postage and packaging fee, but even then it is cheaper than the £4.99 RRP and can often be bought in fantastic, almost-new condition! Its definitely money well spent!

This is an entertaining and delightful book that can help you truly understand the basics of the topic, acting as the first stepping stone in a line of many. Its a great read and is well worth it.

Amy 2009

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