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Caroline Lawrence is a prolific children’s author, and there are plenty of her books to choose from if you’d like an exciting foray into the ancient world. While she is perhaps best known for The Roman Mysteries, the two volumes of The Time Travel Diaries are her most recent works. They’re written for children aged 8+ and are just as much fun for older children, too.

The Time Travel Diaries (the first book in the series) is set between modern day London and 3^rd Century Londinium. As the title suggests, the action revolves around a machine that sends the protagonist, a 13 year old boy called Alex, back to the ancient past. Here he has a mission, to find a girl whose body was, in real life, discovered by archaeologists, along with grave-goods that included a striking ivory-handled knife. Lawrence has given the girl a fictional identity, but the inspiration from actual research is a wonderful reflection of the way in which study of Classics fires the imagination.

The world of time-travel

Lawrence avoids the well-worn tropes of time-travel narratives, but not without a cheerful nod to the norms of the genre. Her level of detail is convincing but always with hints of both fun and tension. So Alex must learn the three rules of time-travel (though he manages only two of the three!):

‘One: naked you go, and naked you must return. Two: drink, don’t eat. Three: as little interaction as possible.’

He must memorize sufficient phrases to complement his learning from Latin Club:

‘Can you tell me where I might buy sandals?’ or ‘Where is the bridge?’.

Where is the Classics?

You don’t need to know any Latin to understand the book, but it’s there all around you. Lawrence doesn’t shy away from including Latin words and phrases throughout. They punctuate the text in a way that is not remotely pretentious, and everything is explained. That’s not to say that there aren’t in-jokes, too. Classicists will smile at the references to the Cambridge Latin Course or the terrible jokes of classrooms fifty years ago.

Perhaps the best thing from a Classicist’s perspective is that The Time Travel Diaries doesn’t try to make Roman London into something it wasn’t. A far cry from Hollywood depictions, this world is hard, and grubby, and cruel. We feel the squelch of mud and manure; we smell the latrines and bad breath. As Alex makes his way through the city, we share in the struggles of the poor to find clothes, the destitute who beg for money, and some of the realities of enduring slavery. It is refreshing that a children’s book doesn’t shy away from the cruelty of Roman punishments, the horror of sacrifices, or the bloodlust in the arena.

Why is it fun?

It may be gritty, but the book is full of humour, too. When Alex tries becoming a street performer to raise money, the best dance he can think of is Carlton’s from The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. The gladiators are fatter and less aggressive than he expects; one of them suffers a non-fatal wound when he trips over and impales himself on his own sword. The opportunity for teen romance is almost thwarted by the unpleasant consequences of the Romans’ lack of good dentistry.

But most of all, this novel is an adventure. The pace is delightfully relentless, and half the time Alex is running away from one hostile Roman or another. The jeopardy is constantly convincing. On every other page, he faces new risks: sewage-filled rivers, choking mud, rusty nails, and desperate Romans. Right from the start he compiles a list of ‘Ways to die in Londinium’. We are always left wondering: how he will possibly make it back to his own time? Will he have caused any terrible impact to the space-time continuum in the process?

Why is it clever?

The realistic backdrop of Londinium sets this novel apart from many others. Lawrence demonstrates a sensitive eye to historical detail, but never lets the facts get in the way of the excitement. We are shown buildings, business deals, burial rituals, and commerce, but each is seamlessly woven into Alex’s adventure. Lawrence does not try to explain away every mystery of the ancient world, either. We are left with the same questions historians face about ancient magic and the nature of Mithraism.

Perhaps the greatest success of Lawrence’s writing is the way she inhabits her characters. Alex is an attractive hero, but not without the characteristics of a typical teenage boy. He is driven by the appeal of money; he learns about the world through video games; he gets confused by his feelings for girls; he wants to make fun of his less-fortunate peers. His only unusual features are his encyclopaedic knowledge of the ancient world, and a surprisingly good grasp of Latin!

Why should you read it?

Ultimately, the story becomes one about friendship, about recognizing what matters in life, and about the human side to history. It leaves you satisfied, but never becomes a cliché or schmaltzy in its handling of these themes. It would be a good read for a child who knew nothing about the Romans as much as it would be for one who already had a fascination with the ancient world.

Any of Caroline Lawrence’s books would be a good way into Classics for younger readers. The Time Travel Diaries is an excellent place to start.

We believe reading novels and stories about the ancient world are a fantastic way into Classics. Look out for regular reviews of some of our favourites, for children and adults.