Mark of the Thief

By Jennifer A. Nielsen

Reviewed by: Jakob Bowen

Book Review: Fall 2016

11/10/16

-REVIEW: Mark Of The Thief by Jennifer A. Nielsen

-ISBN#: 33305236335596

-THE STORY:

The book is about a slave boy named Nicolaus Calva. In the beginning of the story Nic is a slave working in the mines in the Roman empire. He is asked to find Julius Caesar's magical bulla. It has a pretty powerful magic inside it and is guarded by a griffin. The story keeps changing directions from the main plot most of the time. After he gets the bulla he escapes the mines and is found then taken back to the mines. Once back to the mines he is then sold to Felix from Rome where he is then transported. Once there he starts working in the amphitheater, where people come to see prisoners or crooks fight animals. Nic is blamed for stealing items in Rome and is thrown in tied to a horse. He finds out that Caela, the griffin, is also in the amphitheater and he looks for her to try to escape. He is also hunted by the bestiarius, the person who hunts and kills anyone that is left for enjoyment. Later Nic uses the bulla and the entire amphitheater crumbles down to the ground. Nic escapes with Caela and gets shot in the arm by a roman soldier and he falls outside Rome and hides in the sewer to escape the guards, and his wound gets infected and he gets lost down there for two days and then Aurelia finds him and she brings him to where she stays down in the sewers and Nic passes out. She puts some ointment on his infection and then bandages it and then Nic wakes up and she gives him some food. (262)

-MY OPINION:

This book is pretty good and I would recommend this book to a friend and say “Yo dude you should read this book, it is really good and you should read it sometime when you get the chance, it is also magical. Some strengths are is that it is really suspenseful, and almost no hint of foreshadowing though which makes it more suspenseful. The age group that I would recommend is 7th graders to 8th graders. The word choice is also really good, and it has a lot of history in it which would connect to the theme. I would rate this book a nine out of ten stars because it is that good.” If I went back in time I would read this book again and recommend it to more and more and more people! I will then have those people that I recommended the book to, to tell everyone else till the world knows about the book. Then it will go in a never ending loop till everyone is told about it and read it more than two times. Then the whole world will become attached to the Mark Of The Thief book. I say this so people don’t try to do this. (204)

5x5’s

Part ⅓

1.What is the setting of the story? (pg.any: I am serious)

1a.The Roman Empire

2.What is the main setting in the first few chapter? (pg.1)

2a.In the mines south of Rome

3.What name does Nic give to the griffin? (pg.25)

3a.It is Caela

4.About how valuable were bulla’s? (pg.21)

4a.About two handfuls of gold

5.Who buy’s Nic after the mines?(pg.55)

5a.His name is Felix

Vocab

1.bulla

2.griffin

3.venatio

4.caravan

5.amphitheater

Part ⅔

6.How much days is Nic in the roman sewers? (pg.134)

6a.Two days

7.What is the condition of the arrow wound? (pg.140)

7a.It is infected

8.What did Aurelia keep/steal from Felix? (pg.171)

8a.The manacles

9.Why is Aurelia sorry? (pg.164)

9a.She lost the key to the manacles

10.Where did Nic and Aurelia hide from the soldiers? (pg.179)

10a.Inside Caesar's temple

Vocab

6.manacle

7.bypass

8.waterlogged

9.skeptical

10.forum

Part 3/3 ← can’t change sadly

11.What did Nic’s mother mean by it would be safer in the mines as a slave? (pg.228)

11a.Trick question it isn’t told till either the end of this book or the next book

12.What does Crispus say that his father hopes he will be one day? (pg.229)

12a.His father hopes he will be emperor one day

13.What does having a name mean? (pg.229)

13a.It tells your status in Rome so others know that you are very important or not important at all

14.What God/Goddess controls the bulla’s magic? (pg.239)

14a.The Goddess Diana

15.Who does Aurelia and Valerius want to win the battle? (pg.I forgot and I am really really sorry if there is a next time I won’t forget)

15a.They want Nic to win

Vocab

11.treatment

12.cowardly

13.exposure

14.motivation

15.arrogance