xpost: Which Rosemary Sutcliff?

[Matryoshka]

We're doing Rome (and taking a little bit of time to study the Celts during that period) and then of course the fall of Rome - seems like Rosemary Sutcliff wrote a ton of books set in this period! As I doubt my kids will have time to read them all, which ones would you recommend as being the not-miss ones? This would be for my two 13yo dds.

 

I might try to sneak a couple more in by getting them on audio and listening in the car (then my 10yo would listen along)...

 

Here are the ones I have listed - an asterisk means I can also get it on audio...

 

Song for a Dark Queen

Mark of the Horse Lord

The Hound of Ulster

Tristan and Iseult

Outcast *

The Eagle of the Ninth

The Silver Branch*

The Lantern Bearers*

Edited September 24, 2011 by matroyshka
forgot one!

[flyingiguana]

If I were to only choose one, I'd go with The Eagle of the Ninth. That was the one my kids enjoyed the most.

 

The Lantern Bearers and the Mark of the Horse Lord both end badly for the main characters (and I'm assuming Song for a Dark Queen doesn't end much better).

 

Outcast was ok, but not her greatest book, in my opinion.

 

But I haven't read The Hound of Ulster or Tristan and Iseult.

 

Another book you might try is The Dancing Bear (Dickinson). It's not quite Rome, but takes place in Byzantium. My kids liked that one better than any of Sutcliff's books. In fact, they started refusing to read any more Sutcliff books.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I've never seen anyone else mention The Dancing Bear. It is one of only a couple books I have found for YA set in Byzantium. (though I still prefer Sutcliff)

 

For the op

Song for A Dark Queen is often not recommended because of two scenes of rape (implied not described but hard to skip over)

 

My favorites are The Eagle of the Ninth, The Lantern Bearers and The Silver Branch. I think those three show the progression from Roman province to an ungoverned land to a place under siege by Vikings.