In the latest book in her Time Travel Diaries series, Caroline Lawrence has again brought the ancient world vividly to life and invited readers to immerse themselves in the sights, sounds and smells of Athens in the fourth century BC.

Alex and Dinu have returned to school after their adventure in Roman London and they are embracing their talent for ancient languages when their commentary over a video game on YouTube turns them into unwitting celebrities. This new-found fame takes them on the trip of a lifetime to modern day Athens but, all is not what it seems, and they soon find themselves back in the presence of the mysterious benefactor who orchestrated their previous journey to the past. Once again he wants them to step back in time but their latest mission is to meet with the ancient philosopher Socrates.

Lawrence is a children’s author who uses her own background as a Classics scholar to bring history to life. Her Roman Mysteries book series was televised by the BBC (and is currently available to watch on Amazon Prime) and this latest book embraces the excitement of a city in which new ways of thinking are being created and war with Sparta is on the horizon. She is completely unafraid of the grubby and unpleasant parts of the past and entwines copious amounts of information about ancient Greece into the narrative of this thrilling adventure story.

Alex and Dinu are engaging and relatable heroes whose teenage anxieties about girls, school and their own friendship fit nicely into their historical adventures. The boys have the very smart linguistic ability to speak ancient Greek and the author’s passion for classical languages really shines brightly. Those languages don’t seem dead or difficult when they are such an important part of our heroes’ survival skills.

This fun and informative book is a perfect way to learn about ancient Greece while enjoying an adventurous trip back in time. Young readers don’t need to have read the first book in the series to enjoy Adventure in Athens but by time they’ve finished it, they will definitely want to spend more time in the company of these intrepid heroes.

You can buy Adventure in Athens from your local bookshop or through bookshop.org.

You can find out more about Caroline Lawrence, her books, activities related to The Time Travel Diaries books, and events at carolinelawrence.com

Thanks to Piccadilly Press for sending me a review copy.

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