Detectives in Togas

Title: Detectives in Togas
Author: Henry Winterfeld
Major Themes: 1st century, Ancient Rome, Historical Fiction, Children’s Mystery
Synopsis: When the Xanthos school is broken into, and the teacher almost killed, the students must act quickly to find and expose the culprit—before Rufus is locked behind bars forever.

When Mom first read Detectives in Togas to me, we had borrowed it from the library. And as soon as we had finished it, I wished we owned a copy ourselves. Sadly, I had to wait about five years until that day came. But now, we do own a copy and that makes me happy!

In Detectives in Togas, we meet a school. Xantippus, the teacher, is both stern and wise—and his pupils know it. No one is allowed to be caught breaking the rules—if they do, they will face severe punishment. The Xanthos school had only seven students, each from wealthy Roman families. When Caius—the class trouble-maker—makes Rufus, one of the other students mad, he doesn’t know what he’s getting himself into. In revenge, Rufus writes “Caius is a Dumbbell” on his slate, and hangs it in a place the whole class can see. When Xantippus finds out what has happened, he expels Rufus from the school.

The next morning, when the boys get to school, Xantippus is not there. Then, they realize the writing tablet with “Caius is a Dumbbell” is gone—and when they walk into Xantippus’s private rooms, they realize someone had been there. Nothing was in its place—even the sheets on the bed were ripped. Then, a groan sounded from the wardrobe, and soon they found Xantippus—tied and gagged. Someone had tried to murder their teacher—but who? And why would they want the wax tablet with “Caius is a Dumbbell” on it?

Henry Winterfeld is an amazing author. Through this hilarious mystery, we not only get a solid storyline and true-to life characters, but we also get a wonderful glimpse into the Ancient Roman’s day-to-day lives. My brothers and I both love Detectives in Togas, and I think your family will, too. It’s a fun way to learn history, and the story alone makes the book well worth your time reading.

WARNING: Chapter 5: a man says a boy ought to have both hands cut off, description of people being drowned. Chapter 6: by the gods, someone lies. Chapter 9: the gods be thanked. Chapter 13: heavenly gods. Chapter 16: boy lies, go to the devil, you idiot, another lie. Chapter 18: a boy steals something. Chapter 19: I’ll swear, Jupiter knows, by Pluto. Chapter 20: talk about casting spells. Chapter 21: I would rather have killed myself, threatening someone with a sword, the gods be praised, by Jupiter, man is killed by a fall. Chapter 22: offerings of gratitude to the household gods