Curses and Smoke: A Novel of Pompeii by Vicky Alvear Schecter

Faced with an unwanted marriage to a man forty years older than her, Lucia feels trapped in her home.  Things begin to change, however, with the return of a house slave, Tag, a childhood friend who has obviously grown up in the three years he had been in Rome to train as a medic for Lucia’s dad’s gladiator school.  As the earth begins to tremble, Lucia and Tag are faced with decisions in a desperate attempt to find freedom.

Content Notes:

While there isn’t any sexual content other than kissing, “virginity” is mentioned several times.  There is no bad language.  Even though the setting is at a school for gladiators, the violence is minimal.

 

Teacher Notes:
The only thing that made me a little uncomfortable for my middle school students was the infrequent talk of virginity.  Other than that, this was a good romance book that was essentially “G” rated in nature.  I would recommend this book for Jr. High students and up.  One thing to note is that the chapters are written in alternating points of view (Lucia & Tag) so a reader who has trouble keeping characters straight may struggle with this book.