Pompeii by Liz Sonneborn - OPTIONAL

Sonneborn, Liz Pompeii, 74 p. NON-FICTION. Twenty-First Century (Lerner), 2008.

MS – OPTIONAL

Pompeii’s riches were discovered by accident and its depths were plundered for its treasures to enrich the king of Spain. While scholars complain about the chaotic worksite, The actions of three men who alternately in charge of the excavation create a complicated morass of conflicting plans and actions all through the late 1800’s.

Unfortunately, too much of the book is devoted to the complicated interactions of the first chief excavators, turning it into a rather dry text that only spends a small amount of time on the importance of Pompeii itself. While the historical information be interesting to someone studying the details of the Pompeii excavation, it is not high in usefulness for the middle school classroom.

Cindy Mitchell – Library-Teacher