Down with the Romans!

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A Meek Boudicea? - Rated
This novel is a fairly interesting overview of Queen Boudicca's revolt against the Romans in the first century A.D. The language used is reasonably challenging for a 7 year old, and the added glossary at the back further expands the vocabulary. My son enjoyed the story and the 'strange names' of the Celts and Romans, and as an introduction to Roman and early British history, the novel worked well.

My main gripe with the novel was the rather 20th century, politically correct view of Boudicca towards a massacre of the Romans - she wanted fairness and mercy, qualities I certainly would never have associated with an ancient Celtic woman who was obviously gutsy enough to rule over a tribe of Iceni warriors. (Naturally,the wishes of the Iceni warriors won out, and massacred the Romans certainly were).

An author's license is all very well, and granted, there are few enough details for the author to want to add his own and pad out a sketchy story, but must all history be rewritten to suit the slightly more anxious palattes of modern parents? Enough airbrushing - let the children get to grips with heroes and heroines who weren't all lily-livered do-gooders.