The Roman Mysteries: Secrets of Vesuvius

The Roman Mysteries: The Secrets of Vesuvius by Caroline Lawrence was published in 2001 by Penguin Group.

Jonathan, Flavia, Lupus and Nubia, friends and detectives, sail to Flavia's Uncle Gaius to spend the summer at his house. There they uncover a riddle that could bring them great treasure. Meanwhile, tremors are shaking the ground animals move and people dream of nearing doom. One of the worst natural disasters in history is about to happen. Read the book to find out more about this horrible disaster and the great treasure.

Flavia, Jonathan, Nubia and Lupus start out in Ostia right after having found the thief from The Thieves of Ostia, the first book in the Roman Mysteries series. From there the friends move to Gaius's farm which is somewhere between Pompeii and Stabia. Gaius's farm is a very large farm that also has vineyards all around it.

Flavia is a courageous young girl who is intelligent and  has a very good mind for problem solving. Nubia is a slave girl who watched her family get murdered and with her charm can make any beast fall asleep. Jonathan is a funny Jewish boy who tends to think everything is his fault (and sometimes it is). Lupus is a mute boy learning to read and write and when angered will stomp off and not come back for days. There is also Flavia's dog Scuto and the two puppies Nubia's puppy Nipur and Jonathan's puppy Tigris.

Caroline Lawrence was born in London,England. Shortly after her birth her American parents moved her family to Bakersfield, California where she grew up. When she was twelve, her family moved to Stanford, University in northern California so her father could study there. Caroline inherited her father's love of words and her mother's love of art. In 2000 Lawrence wrote her first book The Thieves of Ostia, the first book in The Roman Mysteries series. Caroline now lives with her son Simon and husband Richard in London.

I really liked The Secrets of Vesuvius  because of it's mixture of fiction and facts. I recommend this book to people who like fiction, mystery or historical fiction. If you like this book I would recommend reading Nancy Drew by Carolyn Keene. If you like the book try playing the game made by CBBC.