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You Wouldn't Want to Be a Roman Gladiator! (You Wouldn't Want To¿)

You Wouldn't Want to Be a Roman Gladiator! (You Wouldn't Want To¿)

List Price: $9.95
Your Price: $8.96
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: An eye-opening education for wannabe Gladiators
Review: The title for this book is too long for the heading, but in total it is "You Wouldn't Want to Be a Roman Gladiator! Gory Thing You'd Rather Not Know." If you have seen "Gladiator" and wanted to hearing the cheering crowds of the Roman Colesium, and have seen "Spartacus" and still want to be a gladiator when you grow up, then writer John Malam and artist David Antram are here to set you straight. In this diverting book we are introduced to a big redheaded "Galla comata" (Latin for hairy Gaul) who stands in for the reader who aspires to be a gladiator. In the opening chapter "you" are captured and taken off to Rome where you will be turned into a civilized Roman gladiator, which is seen as being better than being down in the mines or a galley slave. The book follows "you" through your training and then your big day before the cheering crowd (fair warning, you are not as good as you think that you are). The artwork tends towards the comic, so do not expect a lot of gory stuff, whatever the book's subtitle might suggest. Young readers will learn a lot about the "ludus gladiatorius" (gladiator school), where the "unctore" massages your tired muscles, and the various types of gladiators who fought with different types of weapons and wore different amounts of amour. There are also "Handy Hints" on each two-page spread, that explain why it is a good idea to always wear your slave collar and the correct way to stand before the emperor and do your salute. By the time you finish the book you will probably be surprised at how much you learned since you were detracted by the fun way in which all this information is provided by Malam and Antram. "You Wouldn't Want to Be a Roman Gladiator!" is a very enjoyable education in saving young readers from a fatal choice of "future" occupation. Other volumes in this fun little series look at the downsides of being an Egyptian Mummy, a Slave in Ancient Greece, and a Viking Explorer (only the last of which would have any appeal to me, but I tend to be picky about such things). However, I would be surprised if they were as much fun as this particular volume.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Shawn's Review
Review: This book is like you are being told what will happen at gladiator school. That is what makes it funny. Even though it is funny, you learn things. For instance, did you know that you would have to eat barley grains and roasted beans for dinner and ash for dessert? Another reason I like this book is the illustrations. The illustrations also make the book funny because they make the people look weird. You may have read another books in the "You wouldn't want to" series. As you know they are really good books.

By Shawn


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