I Survived the Destruction of Pompeii, AD 79
Written by Lauren Tarshis
Illustrated by Scott Dawson
Reviewed by Hannah M. (age 9)
If you like Historical Fiction books you’ll love I Survived: The Destruction of Pompeii Ad 79. This book is about a father and son during the time of slavery. The two main characters are a boy named Thomas and his dad, Tata. They go on a mission to save people of Pompeii by telling them about the destruction that will soon happen. Are the two men right? You’ll have to read to find out!
I thought the story was interesting because all the characters and pictures were realistic. The book takes place in a real city and the life in the book was the same as the life in Pompeii in real life. The two characters who were most interesting to me were Thomas and Tata. They are a father and son pair that are trying to get out of Pompeii to survive the danger that was happening there. These two characters reminded me of me and my Mom. My Mom and I went zip lining and we had to work together to not fall just like Thomas and Tata had to work together to survive. This book is a part of a series called I Survived. It is similar to other books because all the books are historical fiction. It is different than other books in the series because there are different characters and a different storyline.
I think other kids should read this book because it has an unexpected ending. Want me to tell you? No way! This book also has great description about the characters and what they’re thinking. The type of reader who would enjoy this book is someone who likes adventure and things that are unexpected. Another type of reader who would enjoy this book is someone who likes waiting on the edge of their seats to find out the ending. I recommend this book because the author does a good job at describing the setting and the characters.