Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
How to be a Roman Soldier
Illustrator: Nicholas J. Hewetson
Nonfiction Series
For ages 8 to 12
National Geographic, 2005 ISBN: 978-0792236160
Imagine that you could go back in time, two thousand years in time in fact. Imagine that you were living somewhere in the Roman Empire and that you see a notice that asks you if you would be interested in joining the Roman army. If you join it won't just be a job, be warned, it will be a way of life. Sometimes there will be great danger, and much will be expected of you but if you perform well there could be great rewards. Why you might even be thanked by the emperor himself. You can certainly count on getting a salary, on the job training, time off to go to the baths, or to the theatre, and you will get the opportunity to see places that you never dreamed of seeing. After all the great Roman Empire has spread over many lands.
Written in the present tense, in a form that makes the reader feel that he or she is being recruited into the Roman Army, this book is unique and highly entertaining. It is not hard imagine what it might have been like to be a soldier, to be a Legionary or an officer. Easy to understand and yet engaging text along with lots of annotated illustrations makes this an excellent book for young budding historians.
