(3) 4-6 Alternator Books: Ancient Mysteries series. Each book in this series looks at a different ancient city or monument and explores unanswered questions about its construction and uses. Both historical and modern views are provided, with differences explained by recent research and technology. Plentiful photographs and illustrations bring the sites to life. "Dig Deep!" and "Myth Alert!" sidebars provide additional interesting context and detail. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Alternator Books: Ancient Mysteries titles: Mysteries of the Egyptian Pyramids, Mysteries of the Great Wall of China, Mysteries of Easter Island, Mysteries of Pompeii, Mysteries of Machu Picchu, and Mysteries of Stonehenge.

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(4) YA Set in the weeks leading up to Vesuvius's eruption, this love story follows a young Roman couple as their forbidden love blossoms. The historical setting is carefully researched and provides an interesting backdrop to the tale. However, stock characters (obstinate father, conniving rich boy, naive maiden, noble slave) detract from the otherwise richly detailed narrative.

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(3) YA Unearthing Ancient Worlds series. Each volume begins with a snapshot look at life in the title city, then moves on to detail the first excavations at its site. Important figures involved in the historical digs are then introduced, and readers follow along as the archaeologists make their groundbreaking discoveries. Numerous sidebars, maps, and illustrations provide additional information about the sites and excavation details. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Unearthing Ancient Worlds titles: Palenque and Pompeii.

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(4) 4-6 The friendship between a rich Roman girl and her slave is threatened by the family's decision to remove both girls from the household--one to serve in a temple and the other to be a concubine. Gladiators, a forbidden romance, and an erupting Mount Vesuvius all add to the busy melodrama of this historical fiction. An author's note is appended.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(3) 1-3 A boy and a girl flee ancient Pompeii as Mt. Vesuvius erupts, finding safety on a Greek fishing boat that sails out to sea while lava buries the city. Evocative illustrations reminiscent of the art of the period extend the drama and sorrow of the text. A map and author's note are appended.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn

(3) 4-6 Roman Mysteries series. Flavia and her friends solve a third mystery, this time involving kidnapped children, pirates, and escaped slaves. The setting--a villa outside Pompeii, just after the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius--is palpably evoked; the action is nonstop (with not so many gratuitous cliffhanger chapter endings as before); and the characters are well delineated. A light mystery that contains/disguises a wealth of detail about life in ancient Rome.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano