Book review: My Story : Pompeii by Sue Reid

My Story: Pompeii, a Roman Girl's Diary by Sue Reid (Published by Scholastic UK, May 5, 2008)

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.