Roman Mysteries ASL Fan Mail

Roman Artefacts Inspire Young Writers at
the American School in London

A whole page of letters from the American School in London!

from Mrs Fearn's 3rd grade class at the American School in London:

Dear Mrs. Lawrence,
Thank you for coming to ASL. I learned a lot.
Your friend, Spencer

left: thank you scroll by Spencer (3rd grade)

You gave me a lot of ideas for writing stories. Sincerely, Alexa

You are really funny...You are great at making books. From Sophia

I thought it was neat that Romans didn't like chocolate, Thank you, your friend Michael

I really enjoyed your teaching us tips in writing. I also enjoyed you showing your props.
Sincerely, Jordan

Thank you for giving us tips about what ever it was called that but wiper thing it was fascinating. Thanks for the free book.
Your friend, Craig

Thanks for giving us the seven tips on how to write a book... yours sincerely, Luke

One of the things that really amazed me was the strigil. It was really cool. I hope you come again. Olivia E.

Thank you for the tips on how to make a good plot of the story.
Add to the sentens above and all the INFORMATION!!!
With thanks, Adam

Dear Mrs Lawrence
We love your books. You opened our imaginations.
Your roman artefacts were awesome.
your friend, Kevin

I love your books.
I would like to be a writer when I grow up.
Sinceirly, Taylor

Thank you for coming yesterday. It was Great.
Thanks for the tips they were great.
I don't no how you do it.
I can'd wait until the fourth book comes out.
Sincerely, Conor

Thank You for spreading your imagination with us. I love how you use your imagination with music.
Your friend, Katie

Dear Mrs Lawrence
Of all the years I lived here that was the best Author visit I have seen. Thank you for bringing in the Roman Props like the Scraper. Also thank you for the writing story ideas that you gave us. Sincerely, Ian
P.S. I look forward to reading your books!

Thank you for coming to our school. I loved your books. I finished the second one. It is very good. I think you are very funny. Your friend, Gabby

Thank you very much for taking your time to visit us. I like all the neat things you showed us.
Sincerely, Matthew M.

Thank you for giving us ideas for being an author. It was funny that they use a sponge to wipe their bottom.
Your friend, Jeff

I really learned a lot when you came. I can't wait till your fifth book comes out. I can't wait to read it.
Sincerely, Annie

the four friends by Lola

Dear Mrs Lawrence
I appreciate you coming to ASL.
Thank you.
Your big fan, Lola
"A good book is a good friend"

from Mrs Baccei's 3rd grade class at the American School in London:

I had a great time enjoying what you said...The character I loved was Nubia because she is exactly like me because her birthday is August 18th and mine is August 20th and her favourite colour is green and that is mine, she likes dogs and I do and she likes the Pirates of Pompeii and so do I!
From Mitali

I am 9 years old and I go to ASL. I am a big fan of your books and my favorite book so far is The Thieves of Ostia. I learned that the sea sponge on the stick is used to wipe your bottom. And that gladiators use the scraper to take off dead skin... I enjoyed it very much.
from Nicholas

Thank you for coming to our school. We have learned so much from you and your great Roman books... We learned most of this from your books because you know how to put knowledge into your books. your roman books also probably helped every one improve our writing at least a little bit.
Yours sincerely, Shannon

I really enjoyed The Thieves of Ostia. I have started secrets of Vesuvius and I'm sure I will like it, too. I learned a lot from the talk about your artifacts and assembly..
Thanks for coming, Michael P

I really learned a lot such as the sponge on a stick, the wax tablet, what they wore, how they lived, about your books, and about you!... I loved having you come to our grade and teaching us that amazing stuff. I really really enjoy reading your books right now I am reading The Secrets of Vesuvius and I can't wait to start the next.
Yours truely, Kathleen

My favourite character is Nubia (Shepenwepet) because I like animals, too. I'm glad your writing 18 books.
Love, your interested reader + fan, Emily

Dear caroline,
I injoyed meating you and I thought it was fun. I also went to your website and ancered all of my questions. I hope to read more roman mistries and I am excited about reading your new books.
Sincearly, Adrian

Thank you for coming to my school. I really enjoyed your vist and loved seeing your artifacts. I thought it was interesting to see what they used the sponge on a stick was used for. To wipe your bottoms with. "Please miss is it a drumstick to use for a drum?" I think your books are so good no, great!!!!!!!! I love how you have real information woven into your books.
From Katie, 4th grade ASL (American School in London)

Thank you so much for coming to our school... I also learned that I think you had to write The Secrets of Vesuvius forty-three times. What I found interesting and funny was what the little children thought about the sponge stick.
From Marea

To Caroline Lawrence
I wanted to thank you for your brilliant visit on Thursday. I had fun listening to you teach us exciting roman facts...Now I know the 5th story is called The Dolphins of Laurentum. I also think it is interesting that the 6th storie Flavia Gemina and the twelve tasks is Flavia's book. I learned and picked up a lot of interesting facts from you. Thank you a whole lot once again. I loved getting to know you and your career. Now I'm reading The Secrets of Vesuvius. Thank you,
Love, Your fan, Emlyn

I think your Books are great. I think they are great because I like History and they have a lot of history. I never new that they had light houses in the roman times.
from Nathan

It was very fun meeting you in person and I really enjoyed reading the first book. When I was reading the first book I learned a lot about Rome. Some things that I learned more about are, the baths and what you do in the baths, and what the style of a rich person's house is, what they ate, and what type of clothes they wore.
From your book lover, Gabriella

My name is Vivek. I would like to thank you for coming to see us 4th graders. I really liked your presentation, especially the Litreme Stick! I am right now on the Pirates of Pompeii(after reading The Thieves of Ostia and The Secrets of Vesuvius) and I am enjoying it. I also have some questions.
1. Are the next few books going to take place in other places than Italy?
2. Have you ever lived in Rome?
3. Do you classify your books as Historical Fiction?
4. Have you ever seen Mount Vesuvius?
5. Was anyone else apart from Admiral Pliny really alive when Mount Vesuvius erupted?
6. Where did you get inspiration for The Roman Mysteries?

Thanks for those interesting and intelligent questions, Vivek! Here are my answers:
1. Some of the next few books are going to take place in Rome and Ostia, but our four friends will also travel to Rhodes, Symi, Morocco, Egypt, Greece and Roman Britain!
2. I have never lived in Rome, but I have visited it several times!
3. Yes, I classify my books as Historical Fiction.
4. Yes, I have seen Mount Vesuvius several times, though I'm sorry to say I haven't been right up to the rim yet!
5. Apart from Admiral Pliny, we know a man called Tascius and a woman called Rectina were alive when Mount Vesuvius erupted. We know this from Pliny's seventeen year old nephew who was also alive. We will meet Pliny the Younger, (as he is now known), in book five: The Dolphins of Laurentum.
6. The original idea for The Roman Mysteries comes from my younger sister Jennifer, though she claims not to remember it!

from Mrs Buttery's 4th grade class at the American School in London:

Dear Mrs. Lawrence,
I wanted to thank you for coming to visit our school last week. The students in my fourth grade class absolutely adore your books. We read Thieves of Ostia as a class 'read aloud' and now they can not stop reading the rest of the series. You have definitely found a fan base at A.S.L. I admire the knowledge you have of your subject matter and greatly appreciate the time you gave to our students. They wer truly inspired by your visit. Again, thank you very much for sharing your ideas and your passion with us.
Sincerely, Megan Buttery (4th grade teacher)

It was nice of you to waste all your time with us kids... I am reading The Secrets of Vesuvius. It's a great book. I really like in The Secrets of Vesuvius is uncle Gaiuses farm. Thank You for coming.
Your friend, Michael

On Sunday I went to the mall and I went to Waterstones to get the Pirates of Pompeii but they did not have it but they had your other books. Anyway I am your biggest fan and when I grow up I want to be like you... My class did a fashion show and we were inspired by your first book the thieves of Ostia and I was Nubia and my spokesperson was Anne...
From Jasmine
p.s. pleas just pleas send me a copy of ten tasks of Flavia Gemina. PLEAS!

I really want to thank you for coming to ASL. You were a lot of fun. I loved your presentation about the sponge-stick, I was laughing the entire way! Your books are funny, too. One thing I wanted to ask you, but didn't get to ask you it, was if you naturally write action.
Your best fan, Alex (grade 4, ASL)

Salve, Alex! I don't have too much trouble with action. Once I've got the plot down I just watch what happens in my imagination and try to write it down...

Thank you for coming to ASL and for telling us about the books your writing...
From Elena
P.S. I love your books!

I hoped that you enjoyed the Readers Theatre as much as I did. I have a question that is a comment. In the first book you have Flavia, Nubia and Jonathan trappedwith the slave dealer's helpers, and then you go to Lupus following someone. Why do you do that? I also like that. It kept me wondering!
Sincerely, Anne

Salve, Anne! I think you just answered your own question. I do that to keep you wondering! You can do that too in your stories. It's a simple but very useful technique!

I am so HAPPY that you came to ASL. I loved your first book. I'm in the middle of the second book I really like it so far. My too favorite characters are Nubia and Flavia. I'm really looking forward to reading your other 14 books.
From Katherine

Thank you for signing my books. I can't wait to read your other books.
Sincerly, Loren

Thank you for the books. I like having them to show my friends in the U.S. I'm glad you liked our play. I can't wait to read 'The Dolphins of Laurentum'. I love all the people in it. Who will Flavia get married to? Is it Jonathan or Aristo?
Your fan, Kelsey

Neither! ;)

...I like how you get your ideas by playing with artifacts. I am a big fan of yours and I am looking forward to reading the next 14 books.
Sincerely, Kevin

My favourite part was when you showed the props. My favourite was the earscoop. We saw those on our field trip to Verulamium. I look forward to reading some of your books because I know they will be exciting...
Sincerely, Clayton

I thought all of the ideas for the drumstick were hilarious! I loved the words like "Volare" and "cave canem". I love your books soooooooooooo much! Thank you for autographing my copies. Did you like the play of the scene where Nubia is bought? (I was Alma, Venalicius, and Nubia's narrator.)
Love, Benjy

I loved the play, Benjy!

... I really like your books. I'm so glad you are writing 18 of them. I have read all four that are out and am waiting for the fifth. Please keep writing!
From, Will

...I'm on the 2nd. You were verry funny. "Please miss... Please miss..." I also have a question for you. How many times did you have to write over 'Pirates of Pompeii'?
Sincerely, Tegan

Not as many times as 'Secrets', Tegan! Only about ten or twelve. I loved writing 'Pirates'...

...I feel so lucky that I have had a Roman mystery author come to my school... Thanks for also spending your time signing books, talking to us, meeting us in the library, and showing us the wax tablet. and the bottom wiper in Roman times.
Best wishes, Roxanne

from Mrs Patel's 4th grade class at the American School in London:

Hi Caroline
We really enjoyed your visit to A.S.L. You are such and engaging and knowledgable speaker. It was incredible to watch connect so quickly with our students...Hope that you enjoy these thank you letters from the students in our class...
Respectfully, Trupte Patel (4th grade teacher)

It was an amazing experience acutally meeting an author like you in person...I was counting the seconds until I got to go & get my books signed by you. A message written by Caroline Lawrence, wow!
Sincerely Carolyn

I have read all 4 of your books. I had some questions. How do you pronounce Nubia's real name? Is Clio still alive in the book The Secrets of Vesuvius? Did Venalicius cut Lupus's tongue out?
from Sammy

Salve, Sammy! You pronounce Nubia's real name like this: Shep in Wep it. You find out Clio's fate on page 193 of The Assassins of Rome. You find out who cut out Lupus's tongue in The Dolphins of Laurentum, due out in February!

I have two questions, one why did you choose two girls and two boys as main characters? And why write mystery books?
Thanks, Elise

Salve, Elise! I chose two boys and two girls so most kids would have at least ONE character they could really identify with. As to why I write mystery stories... I think any historian is a detective because they search for clues about the past. That's why historical fiction lends itself to the mystery genre so well!

The whole fourth grade or, as far as we know, our class LOVES your books! If you were to walk into our class at reading time you would see at least 15 people reading your books, they are so well written!
from Mike

Salve, Caroline Lawrence
We really enjoyed your NO TOILET PAPER lecure in the assembly. It was hilarious & amazing...
from Brendan

So far I can't tell which book I like most The Thieves of Ostia, The Secrets of Vesuvius, or The Pirates of Pompeii because they are all really good books.
Bethany

I loved your first book. I think you should make a new character named Nicholas...Well that's all I have to say good bye!
From Nicholas

We wanted you to know that we are doing a project based on your book The Thieves of Ostia. Some of our ideas are a publicity poster of Lupus, a group of the eight main events, a fashion show of the characters, and a diorama of the cemetary scene.
I have an idea for the last book... Flavia moves to Briton, becomes a slave and her father dies. Nubia is beaten and taken back to Rome. Jonathan is killed because he joins the Roman army...Lupus on the other hand is an Anglo Saxon and treated very well.
Why didn't you pass around the sponge stick?
Annyway we loved the cover of The Dolphins of Laurentum.
Thanks again!
Jackie, Emily, Nick R, Catalina

We are writing to thank you for coming to ASL, teaching us about Roman times, Talking about your books and many other reasons that we could not fit on this piece of paper!
from Brian

We would like to ask you some questions... what will happen to Libertus from The Thieves of Ostia? Second question: Why did you make Pliny die in The Secrets of Vesuvius. What are you going to name Miriam's child if she has one? Are you going to add more main characters?
Ismail

Excellent questions, Ismail! I think Libertus might come back from the mines of Sicily to get revenge on the pesky kids who exposed his crime! Pliny the Elder really DID die in the eruption of Vesuvius! I have to wait until Miriam has a baby, (if she does), before I name him or her. I will have some more main characters but no more kids will permanently join Flavia, Jonathan, Nubia and Lupus...

I think you should stick to The Roman Mysteries and not write any other series...
Sincerely, Marijke

In the books could you make the Latin words in bold print so that the readers know the meanings in the glossary?
from Max

Good suggestion, Max. It's hard learning all those new words, isn't it?

Thank you so much for coming to ASL and taking your time to put our minds in a time machine to travel back to the Roman times... All of us luxuriate in your books (especially 4th graders) Our suggestions for the future are:
Maybe one of the characters meets their family. done it!
Maybe Nubia becomes a freedwoman done it!
Maybe you could use Greek mythology in your books done it!
Maybe they can meet a friend and then he or she moves away OK
Our question for the day is... (drum roll)
What are the titles of all eighteen of your books?
Thank you for spending time with us and for talking to us... We love your books, again we love your books.
Yours sincerely
Erica, Casey, Kathleen and Ben
P.S. We love your books
P.P.S. Thank you again.
P.P.P.S. Are we annoying you??

No, Erica, Casey, Kathleen and Ben, you are not annoying me, and to prove it I'll answer your Question for the Day. Here are the titles as far as I can tell of all 18 books in the series to come!
Book 1: The Thieves of Ostia - the friends meet and solve their first mystery
Book 2: The Secrets of Vesuvius - a riddle and danger as Vesuvius erupts!
Book 3: The Pirates of Pompeii - who's kidnapping kids from the refugee camp?
Book 4: The Doctor from Babylon - Jonathan's search for his mother takes him to Rome
Book 5: The Dolphins of Laurentum - sunken treasure and Lupus's past!
Book 6: The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina - romance and mystery in Ostia
Book 7: The Enemies of Jupiter - plague and fire in Rome, early AD 80
Book 8: The Gladiator from Capua - opening of the Colosseum, March AD 80
Book 9: The Colossus of Rhodes - the four friends take a cruise in May...
Book 10: The Fugitive from Corinth - ...and then they travel around Greece
Book 11: The Siren of Surrentum - back to Surrentum for more romance & mystery
Book 12: The Charioteer of Delphi - a famous racehorse goes missing
Book 13: The Girl from Jerusalem - back in Ostia, maybe to Judaea
Book 14: The Beggar of Volubilis - Morocco and Carthage
Book 15: The Scribe of Alexandria - Nubia's search for her parents takes the friends to Egypt
Book 16: The Lawyer from Comum OR The Prophet from Ephesus
Book 17: The Legionary from Londinium - the friends go to Britannia
Book 18: The Man from Pomegranate Street - a dramatic end to the series!

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