Surviving Vesuvius - by Christopher Harrisson (Hardcover)

About the Book

This narrative non-fiction book brings to life the powerful story of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and the destruction of Pompeii, based on the first-hand account of Pliny the Younger. The year is 79 AD. Seventeen year-old Roman student Pliny the Younger is at his home across the bay from the bustling town of Pompeii, where people are going about their daily business. The tremors that sometimes shake the ground are coming more frequently than usual, but all are unaware of the cataclysmic event that is about to unfold. Meanwhile, underground, pressure is building beneath the mountain that looms over the surrounding towns and villages. What follows is one of the most extraordinary and frightening natural distasters in recorded history. This dramatic retelling is based on letters written by Roman historian Pliny the Younger after the event, and is reimagined featuring characters from the town of Pompeii who are known to have existed, such as the businesswoman Julia Felix and politician Julius Polybius. The story describes the various stages of the eruption, as well as detailing how the history of Pompeii was later uncovered by archeologists. A timeline and glossary provide extra information, ideal for history enthusiasts.

Book Synopsis

This narrative non-fiction book brings to life the powerful story of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and the destruction of Pompeii, based on the first-hand account of Pliny the Younger.

The year is 79 AD. Seventeen year-old Roman student Pliny the Younger is at his home across the bay from the bustling town of Pompeii, where people are going about their daily business. The tremors that sometimes shake the ground are coming more frequently than usual, but all are unaware of the cataclysmic event that is about to unfold. Meanwhile, underground, pressure is building beneath the mountain that looms over the surrounding towns and villages. What follows is one of the most extraordinary and frightening natural disasters in recorded history.

This dramatic retelling is based on letters written by Roman historian Pliny the Younger after the event, and is reimagined featuring characters from the town of Pompeii who are known to have existed, such as the businesswoman Julia Felix and politician Julius Polybius.

The story describes the various stages of the eruption, as well as detailing how the history of Pompeii was later uncovered by archeologists. A timeline and glossary provide extra information, ideal for history enthusiasts.

Review Quotes

"Older readers who enjoy history, especially ones that truly draw the reader into the time period, will be entranced...."

--Children's Literature

"A solidly researched account of a long-ago tragedy."

--Kirkus Reviews

"This dramatic, illustrated retelling of the eruption of Vesuvius is based on the letters of Pliny the Younger, the lawyer and author who witnessed this monumental historical event."

--The Bookseller

About the Author

Christopher Harrisson is a writer, artist, and animator living in Bristol, UK.

Beth Waters is an illustrator and printmaker originally from Yorkshire now living and working in Cambridge, UK. She is a graduate of the MA in Children's Book Illustration at Cambridge School of Art, her first book, Child St Kilda, was nominated for the Kate Greenaway Medal.