Virgil Retellings
Virgil was a Latin poet who lived just before the time of Jesus Christ, when Augustus came to power as Rome’s first emperor. His epic poem the Aeneid tells the story of the Trojan hero Aeneas who flees his burning city, gathers refugees and sets out to find a New Troy (which will one day be Rome). Some of the stories are tragic and brutal and I have retold two of them with bittersweet endings. In The Night Raid two teenage Trojans make a disastrous decision to raid the camp of their Italian enemies. In Queen of the Silver Arrow an Amazon-like girl named Camilla joins the Italian forces fighting against Aeneas and his followers. Written for specialist dyslexic publisher Barrington Stoke, the vocabulary is simple and the prose clear, but the dark themes make these books most suitable for teen readers. Ages 10+
“I sing of a dog and a man.” Another short and bittersweet tale from Virgil’s Aeneid, told from the point of view of a minor character. This time it is the turn of Aeneas’s faithful sidekick Achates, imagined as a dog. Achates knows north, south, east and west, but can only count as high as his paws, ears and nose. Perfect for anyone aged 12+ who studies Latin, loves ancient myths or has a soft spot for animal narrators.
After seven years of wandering, refugees from Troy have finally reached Italy, where they hope to make a new home. United by friendship and the desire to win glory, two young Trojans decide to go on a dangerous night raid through a sleeping camp of hostile warriors. A powerful tale of friendship, loyalty and self-sacrifice inspired by a story from Virgil’s Aeneid.
Baby Camilla’s life was saved by her father’s vow that she would always serve Diana, virgin goddess of the hunt. When refugees from the Trojan War arrive in Italy sixteen years later, Camilla trains a band of teenage girls to join her in the fight against them. But can a few girls make a difference against seasoned male warriors? A bittersweet story of courage and love that knows no gender.