Just right for kids

A brave Roman soldier searches for a precious seal; a little girl wants a puppy but gets goldfish; and a ballerina steps into an enchanted world.

4 min readMay 28, 2011 01:29 AM IST First published on: May 28, 2011 at 01:29 AM IST

Rosemary Sutcliff,a British writer,wrote lovely adventure stories for children in the 1950s. There were tales of King Arthur and Robin Hood. She also wrote books like The Eagle of the Ninth Puffin,Rs 250 that were set in Britain when it was invaded by the Roman Empire. Now a movie,The Eagle,based on the book has come out. And the book,which was so loved by children many decades ago,is also back in bookstores.

It takes you to 117 AD when Roman Commander Flavius Aquila leads 5,000 soldiers of the Ninth Legion to deal with an uprising of Scottish tribesmen. But Aquila and all his men disappear without a trace. The Eagle of the Ninth Legion,a cherished military seal that Aquila carried with him,is also gone. Twenty years later,a young Roman soldier called Marcus comes to Britain to find out what happened to the lost legion. He also wants to regain the reputation of his father,Aquila,by finding the eagle seal. In a plot that moves along vigorously,Marcus finds out that the Ninth Legion was killed by Epidaii,a tribe in Western Scotland. The only way he can get the eagle standard is by stealing it from the warrior tribe. This action-packed book was written in 1954,but it still packs a punch with its heady mix of history and action.