Minna's Quest by K.M. Peyton

I am constantly surprised and thrilled at the number of historical novels being published of late, and equally astonished that this one is by K.M. Peyton. Peyton, born in 1929, is an award winning author, whose novels, now about 50, have been read since she first was published when she was 15. Her works have been made into TV series, and are constantly reprinted.

Minna is a young Celtic girl living in a Roman fort in Essex at the time when the capital of the empire was moved to Constantinople. The empire is in decline, but here in Britain, life goes on, but with the added problem of pirates fighting at the edges. Minna retrieves a foal, discarded at birth by her old friend, Theo, now the Roman commander. Raising the foal, she is distraught when her brother, in the Roman army, takes it as his own. But one night when the Germanic pirates sneak ashore to raid the defenseless fort, Minna rides for her life to find Tiberius, the commander of the area and report what has happened, bringing help to the community.

An exciting story, full of the life and times of Roman Britain, Minna's Quest is an engrossing read for middle school readers.

Fran Knight