Delta and the Lost City – at a glance
The School Reading Lists’ five word review: Heroic wolfdog witnesses historical catastrophe.
Children’s book title: Delta and the Lost City.
Children’s author: Anna Fargher.
Children’s author: David Dean.
Genre: Children’s historical fiction.
Published by: Macmillan Children’s Books.
ISBN: 9781529046892.
Recommended for children aged: 9-11 year-olds.
First published: Paperback July 2024.
This children’s book is ideal for: Supplementing KS2 history lessons.
To see the latest price or order, click on the book cover image.
Our review:
It’s AD 79. Delta is a loyal wolfdog living in Pompeii alongside her friend Bellona, a wise eagle. Driven by Delta’s narrative and Bellona’s support, both animals bear witness to a tragic event. Unable to intervene or help their beloved humans, the friends are forced to escape.
The plot thickens in morality as the reader is exposed to the emotional and physical abuse inherent in Roman life. Despite the content, Fargher presents this adversity with sensitivity through an animal’s perspective and supplements this with Bellona’s insights into Roman slavery, farming and mythology.
It is a marvel to witness how Fargher seamlessly weaves Roman society’s culture, history and social norms into each scene, avoiding the usual conspicuous didacticism usually found in children’s historical fiction. It is not only the content that enthrals the reader but the language too; the actions and emotional responses of each character are meaningfully written and realistically individual.
Arguably though, the best attribute of this story is the imagery; there is this sense that we are witnessing each scene unfold on a theatre stage. By the time Mount Vesuvius erupts, the reader has become invested in the characters, and so the plot morphs into a tense race against time – can Delta find and save her loved ones before it’s too late?
Our verdict:
Aimed at children aged 9-11, this book is perfect for KS2 history, lovers of animal narratives and general natural disaster enthusiasts. We think this is a brilliant opportunity to inform the younger generations of a real historical disaster because, by backdropping this event with an emotional story that promotes loyalty, bravery and social justice, Pompeii’s devastating conclusion remains ingrained in our memory.
Many thanks to Macmillan Children’s Books for the review copy.
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If you like Delta and the Lost City by Anna Fargher you might also like: The Fire Cats of London by Anna Fargher, A Wolf Called Wonder by Rosanne Parry and Monica Armino, Escape From Pompeii by Christina Balit and Roman Diary by Richard Platt and David Parkins.
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