Mark of the Cyclops: An ancient Greek mystery by Saviour Pirotta

Bloomsbury, 2017. ISBN 9781472934147
(Age: 9+) Recommended. 'It seems you have a talent for solving problems. I believe Gaia is innocent. Find the real culprit and I'll pay you in gold...'
Athens, 434 BC.
Nico's new friend Thrax has a strange knack of figuring things out. And when a valuable wedding vase is broken Thrax's special skills might just come in useful. Can the boys prove that slave girl, Gaia, is innocent, and discover what the mark of the cyclops means?
Join Nico and Thrax for a mysterious adventure set in ancient Greece.
I can see this book fitting into a unit of work on an ancient civilisation as it would read aloud beautifully. The children would thrive on the suspense while at the same time continuing to learn about Ancient Greece. I would recommend it for children aged 9 and up for independent reading and 8 and up for a read aloud. The glossary is useful at the end of the book as too is the information about Greek pottery in Corinth. Fingers crossed that this will become a series as it would certainly appeal to children interested in historical fiction.
Kathryn Schumacher