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The Eagle of the NinthRosemary Sutcliff
The Eagle of the Ninth
by Rosemary Sutcliff
Invalided out of the Roman army, Marcus travels north beyond the Wall in disguise to recover the lost standard of his father's legion.
A story about a grown-up hero, adventurous and thoughtful in tone. We would put it with children of 10–13, and at a reading age of about 11 for reading alone.
Worth knowing before you buy
- Battles and fighting
- Mild peril
None of this makes it a bad book — often the opposite. It is here so you can decide whether it is right for your child now or in a year or two.
Our take on this book
Marcus is a young Roman officer whose first command ends in a wound that invalides him out of the army, and whose father vanished years before with the entire Ninth Legion somewhere in the wild country north of the Wall. With his freed slave Esca, Marcus travels north in disguise to find out what happened and to recover the legion's lost eagle standard. Rosemary Sutcliff is one of the great historical novelists for children, and this is her masterpiece: the Roman world is solid and lived-in, the friendship between Marcus and Esca is drawn with real depth, and the landscape of northern Britain is almost a character. There are battle scenes and danger, handled seriously rather than sensationally. For a strong reader of ten to thirteen it is demanding but hugely rewarding — a proper adventure with a grown-up sense of loss, loyalty and honour running underneath it.
If they like this, try these
Chosen by matching age, reading age, tone and subject — not by what is selling.
Waiting for AnyaMichael Morpurgo
Alone on a Wide Wide SeaMichael Morpurgo
Goodnight Mister TomMichelle Magorian
The Machine GunnersRobert Westall
Young Sherlock Holmes: Death CloudAndrew Lane
GhostJason Reynolds
Or let them write their own.
Nothing gets a child reading like a story they invented themselves. Your child plans the characters and the plot, and we write, illustrate and print it as a real book with their name on the cover as the author.
Find another book
Tell us the age, the reading age and what they like, and we will suggest a handful.