Ancient Rome and Pompeii: A Nonfiction Companion to Magic Tree House #13: Vacation Under the Volcano

What was it like to be a gladiator? How many people died in the destruction of Pompeii? How did Roman children spend their days? Find out the answers to these questions and more in Magic Tree House Research Guide: Ancient Rome and Pompeii. This is the nonfiction companion to Vacation Under the Volcano (Magic Tree House #13).

Children's Literature

The story of 2,000 years of Roman history is explored in this nonfiction book. Originally written to provide background to the fictional work Vacation Under the Volcano, the book can be read on its own as an introduction to the cities of Rome and Pompeii. Two children, Jack and Annie, are the guides throughout the book, describing how they researched Rome and Pompeii; throughout the book, their headshots appear with sidebars of historical interest on every page or two. There are seven chapters in the book focused on subjects like Roman war machines, famous Romans, gladiators, daily life in the Roman Empire, and the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The many illustrations in the book—black-and-white drawings as well as photos of sites and artifacts—make it an enjoyable text. In the appendix, there are helpful hints for readers who want to do more research on their own, plus sources including books, museums, videos and DVDs, Internet sites, software, and CD-ROMs. The book is part of the "Magic Tree House Research Guide" series.