This book, based on Vesuvius’ eruption in Pompeii, is a brilliant Roman diary from an old-fashioned past. Featuring Claudia and her brothers and slaves, and her lovely dog Pollux, and lastly Briton barbarian boy Aengus, this a great historic quick-read. It holds you in a firm grasp with the characters, and with this book, you can always rely on a new, more exotic date of the Romans.
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Claudia is a little Roman girl, who lives in Pompeii. She is constantly frightened at the great Vesuvius, the huge mountain that looms over the city. Is it just her that keeps on feeling those shaky tremors? Her father and mother take no notice, and her brothers Sextus and Marcus rely on what their old friend Gaius says, which is false. Nobody takes up any notice. Soon, Claudia gets so worried she begins to write a diary, where she can express her feelings to only the thin papyrus.
But then, half a year later, Vesuvius continues to shake. “Tremors in Pompeii are very common, Claudia, do not be so silly,” is all her father would say. Then the great mountain begins to spit little bits of solid rock, and great clouds issue from it. The little Roman girl is more and more scared.
Join her on her journey through the past as the gods decide what they shall do. ( )

Great for winter solstice, celebrating the return of the sun each morning. Story of a twelve year old girl - a bakers daughter who becomes friends with a slave turned gladiator. ( )

This entire series is a wonderful way to learn history or teach it to adolescents. I find today's generations seem to recall more when they learn through other people (pop songs, celebrity gossip, etc.), so what better way to teach history than through someone else's perspective? Yes, "authentic" diaries would be "better", but would the language really hold the modern student's attention? Did the diary writer know what WOULD be important in the context of history? Probably not.

Really good but sad ending the sun always rises but nicely finished ( )

Thirteen-year-old Claudia is more fortunate than many of the people living in the Roman city of Pompeii in the year AD 78. Her father is a successful businessman who owns a bakery. As a result, the family is able to own their own home and have slaves to help them out. But Claudia is often not content with her life. She would much rather write in her diary then learn about the duties of a Roman housewife from her mother.

Besides her unhappiness at learning household tasks, Claudia also has more serious worries. The city experiences several small earthquakes, and there are omens and prophecies of doom. Claudia fears something stirs in Mount Vesuvius, which looms over Pompeii. And all she can do is wait and wonder what is to become of herself, her family and friends, and the city she has lived in her entire life.

Written in the form of Claudia's diary, this book brings to life the final year before Pompeii's destruction during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Although at times the language seemed a bit modern for a diary written by a girl in ancient times, the book still does a good job at accurately describing both the everyday life of a middle class girl in ancient Rome and the events leading up the disaster. Readers who enjoyed other books in the My Story series are sure to enjoy this fascinating look into a place and time long gone but not forgotten. ( )