Detectives in Togas

by Henry Winterfeld, Charlotte Kleinert (Illustrator), Clara Winston (Translator), Richard Winston (Translator)

Overview

In these two delightful history-mysteries, seven boys in Ancient Rome solve strange crimes . . . thanks to some help from their cranky teacher, a little bit of logic, and a lot of amusing misadventure.

Yes, Rufus wrote CAIUS IS A DUMBBELL on his tablet at school, but no, he did not break into the schoolroom, did not tie up his teacher, and certainly did not paint his slur about Caius on the Temple of Minerva (even if it is in Rufus's own handwriting). Rufus is doomed unless his six classmates can find out who is really responsible. Every hour seems to bring a new, confusing clue . . . until the boys finally stumble upon someone who is not what he appears to be.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780152162801
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	11/01/2002
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	152,790
Product dimensions:	5.12(w) x 7.62(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Henry Winterfeld (1901-1990) was born in Germany. He began writing for children in 1933, when he wrote Trouble at Timpetill to entertain his son, who was sick with scarlet fever. He went on to write a number of children's books, which have been published around the world.
 

Editorial Reviews

"An original and humorous mystery story . . . tied neatly into a plot that has continuous suspense. . . . The boys are real in their mischief and eager deducing, and the historical details are so naturally a part of the story that the whole has a liveliness that the pictures suggest."—The Horn Book
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From the Publisher

A quartet of novels by German author Henry Winterfeld comes to light once more. Detectives in Togas (1956), illus. by Charlotte Kleinert, trans. by Richard and Clara Winston, is set in ancient Rome and stars young Rufus, guilty of insulting his classmate Caius, but not of all the other crimes attributed to him; it's up to his friends to track down the truth. In the sequel, Mystery of the Roman Ransom (1971), illus. by Fritz Biermann, trans. by Edith McCormick, Rufus and company present their teacher with a servant on his birthday but, as it turns out, the man is really a courier with a message requesting the murder of one boy's father, a Roman senator. PW called Detectives "delightful and witty" and said of Mystery, "Glorious fun abounds on each page, making this a most welcome sequel indeed." Castaways in Lilliput (1960) and Trouble at Timpetill (1965), both illus. by William M. Hutchinson and trans. by Kyrill Schabert, star friends Jim, Peggy and Ralph. In the first, the three are relieved when they drift ashore on a tiny island after hours at sea on a rubber raft, and soon discover the miniature people who live there. How can the islanders possibly help the trio get back home? In Trouble, the children of Timpetill are so bad that the adults skip town. It's fun at first, but it gets a lot harder when they have to fight the gang that started the trouble. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Publishers Weekly