Ancient Rome  •  Peter Connolly HISTORY •  2001 •  HARD COVER  • 64 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) Journey back to ancient Rome to learn about its people and culture, from aspects of daily life to famous archtitecture and historical figures. (ITL832, $21.95)
Ancient Rome, Cultural Atlas For Young People  •  Mike Corbishley HISTORY •  2007 •  HARD COVER  • 96 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) Offers a wealth of lively information about the geography, society, religion, and politics of Ancient Rome. (ITL854, $35.00)
Are We There Yet?  •  David Levithan LITERATURE •  2007 •  PAPER  • 224 PAGES • YOUNG ADULTS Levithan makes the most of an excellent setup in this novel which places two brothers, 16 and 23, on vacation with their parents in Venice, Florence and Rome. Told in alternating chapters, the novel shows the changing relationship between the two very different youths, one which is complicated when both brothers fall for the same girl. Geared for young adults. (ITL611, $8.99)
Berlitz Kids Italian Language Pack  •  Berlitz Multimedia LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS •  2003 •  PAPER • YOUNG READERS (Age 4-8) This Italian language set, all packed in a red-handled box, includes a 64-page storybook, flashcards, a 200-word picture dictionary, audio CD, parent's guide and certificate. For kids ages 4 to 8. (ITL270, $26.95)
Bodies from the Ash, Ancient Pompeii  •  James M. Deem ARCHAEOLOGY •  2005 •  HARD COVER  • 50 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) Deem recreates the life and destruction of Pompeii on that terrible day in A.D. 79, geared for ages 9-11 with evocative photographs of buried Pompeii and its inhitants and interviews modern-day archaeolgists. (ITL861, $17.00)
Cathedral, The Story of its Construction  •  David MacAulay ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1973 •  HARD COVER  • 77 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) In this illuminating book for young readers, master draughtsman MacAulay presents text and innovative drawings that detail the planning and construction of a 13th-century Gothic cathedral. It's a masterpiece. (EUR24, $18.00)
Dante's Daughter  •  Kimberley Heuston LITERATURE •  2003 •  HARD COVER  • 302 PAGES • YOUNG ADULTS A historical novel for young adults richly set in the poet's 14th-century Florence. (ITL708, $16.95)
Daughter of Venice  •  Donna Jo Napoli LITERATURE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 274 PAGES • YOUNG ADULTS A young adult novel about a high-spirited, determined teenage girl in 16th-century Venice. Prevented by Venetian custom from walking about her own native city, Donata dresses herself as a boy and sets out to see the sights. Lots of period detail. Geared for ages 9-12. (ITL343, $6.50)
The Diary of Melanie Martin: Or How I Survived Matt the Brat, Michelangelo, and the Leaning Tower of Pizza  •  Carol Weston LITERATURE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 144 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) Ten-year-old Melanie tells all about her family's summer trip to Italy, writing it all down in her dear diary, A hit on the middle-school market, it packs in a lot of cultural information while being very of-the-moment. Ages 8-10. (ITL438, $5.50)
Discovering Cultures Italy  •  Margaret Gay Malone CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2002 •  HARD COVER  • 48 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) An overview of the people, and history of Italy for kids ages 7-9 in the series Discovering Cultures. (ITL704, $28.50)
Eyewitness: Ancient Rome  •  Simon James  •  Nick Nichols HISTORY •  2008 •  PAPER  • 72 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) A visually rich survey of ancient Rome, this book in the excellent Eyewitness series explores daily life and history in Rome and the outlying empire. It covers the caesars, warfare, politics and myth. Geared for kids ages 9-12. (ITL337, $15.99)
The Genius of Leonardo  •  Guido Visconti LITERATURE •  2000 •  HARD COVER • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) A picture-book biography of the master's later years, geared for ages 7-12. (ITL706, $16.99)
Getting The Boot  •  Peggy Guthart Strauss LITERATURE •  2005 •  PAPER  • 224 PAGES • YOUNG ADULTS This young adult novel features 17-year-old Kelly Brandt and her adventures in Rome on a summer abroad. Kelly's love for trouble threatens to get her kicked out of the program, but the beauty and culutre of Italy just might bring her around. It's the second in the S.A.S.S. (Students Across the Seven Seas) series. (ITL707, $6.99)
High Dive  •  Tammar Stein LITERATURE •  2008 •  HARD COVER  • 208 PAGES • YOUNG ADULTS A tale of travel for young adults with depth and a deft hand. Struggling with her father's death and her mother's recent deployment to Iraq, Arden travels to Europe with carefree college girls, but her adventures and parties are overshadowed by loss. All the while she dreads going to Sardinia, to close her beloved vacation home for good. A tale of travel for young adults with depth and a deft hand. (ITL963, $15.99)
Into The Volcano, A Volcano Researcher at Work  •  Donna O'Meara NATURAL HISTORY •  2007 •  PAPER • YOUNG READERS (Age 4-8) In this riveting, illustrated account (pyroclastic flows, lava bombs) volcanologist O'Meara describes her adventures in science at Kilauea in Hawaii, Arenal in Costa Rica, Pacaya in Guatemala, and Stromboli off the coast of Italy. Geared for grades 5 to 8. (GEO39, $9.95)
Italy, the People  •  Greg Nickles CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2001 •  PAPER  • 32 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) A vibrant and informative cultural portrait of the Italian people, both northern and southern, well illustrated with color photographs and filled with interesting facts and information. A wonderful introduction to the country for middle schoolers and the entire family. (ITL335, $7.95)
Kids Italian Picture Dictionary  •  Inc. Berlitz International LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS •  2004 •  PAPER  • 128 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) 1,000 words central to a child's everyday life -- animals, flowers, people, colors, numbers and activities -- teach even the youngest readers Italian. Each word is illustrated and accompanied by a phonetic transcription and phrase. (ITL449, $12.95)
The Last Girls of Pompeii  •  Kathryn Lasky LITERATURE •  2007 •  PAPER  • 192 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) Intoxicated by Pompeii even as a child, Kathyrn Lasky sets her dramatic tale for ages 11 and up on the streets and byways of ancient Pompeii in the days just before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The rich, crippled Julia and her beautiful slave Mitka struggle to discover new meanings of beauty and freedom, even as the world seems to be collapsing around them. (ITL819, $15.99)
Learn Italian Together  •  Living Language LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS •  2006 •  BOXED • FAMILY These multimedia boxed sets feature CDs, games, stickers and adorable illustrations to help kids and parents pick up a new language together. (ITL761, $22.95)
Leonardo Da Vinci  •  Kathleen Krull BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2005 •  HARD COVER  • 124 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) An illuminating biography in the Giants of Science series, geared for grades 4-8. (ITL705, $15.99)
Leonardo's Horse  •  Hudson Talbott  •  Jean Fritz BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2001 •  HARD COVER  • 40 PAGES • FAMILY Crackerjack children's writer Jean Fritz here presents an intriguing dual biography: first, of Leonardo da Vinci, who labored for years on a giant bronze sculpture of a horse, never finished; and secondly, of Charlie Dent, an American who in 1977 vowed to complete what Leonardo began. Dent, too, died without seeing the horse finished, but his wishes were honored and the giant horse became a gift to Italy from the United States. Today it's on display in Milan. The book is illustrated, handsome and appropriate for a wide range of readers, from 7-year-olds to adults. (ITL344, $18.99)
Leonardo, Beautiful Dreamer  •  Robert Byrd BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2003 •  HARD COVER  • 40 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) An oversize, beautifully illustrated introduction to the life, work and ideas of Leonardo, organized thematically with text, brilliantly colored paintings , sidebars and other gems. Aimed at 7-10 year olds, the book will appeal to the whole family. (ITL487, $17.99)
Pompeii, Lost & Found  •  Mary Pope Osborne ARCHAEOLOGY •  2006 •  HARD COVER  • 40 PAGES • YOUNG READERS (Age 4-8) Gorgeous, fresco-like illustrations give this introduction to Pompeii an authentic sense of antiquity. Osborne offers an enticing account of this fascinating city, long ago buried in the ash of Vesuvius. The main focus is on life in Pompeii before the volcano erupted, including the art, markets, architecture and entertainment. (ITL803, $16.95)
The Road to Damietta  •  Scott O'Dell LITERATURE •  1988 •  PAPER  • 307 PAGES • YOUNG ADULTS The story of the young St. Francis of Assisi, narrated by Francis's teenage neighbor, who longs to marry him -- but whose plans are foiled when Francis takes vows of celibacy and charity. Another winner of a book by the prize-winning writer of fiction for young adults. (ITL319, $6.99)
The Roman Colosseum, A Wonders of the World Book  •  Elizabeth Mann CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2006 •  PAPER • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) (ITL789, $9.95)
The Roman News  •  Philip Steele  •  Andrew Langley HISTORY •  1999 •  PAPER  • 32 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) "Caesar Stabbed!" reads the headline on the front page of this fictitious, Daily News-style tabloid. This volume collects the best journalism (and cartoons) of an imaginary ancient Roman newspaper, spanning the years 753 B.C. to 476 A.D. and reporting on all the major events of the Roman era, right up to the sack of the city by northern invaders. It's a fun approach to Roman history for readers ages 10 to 14. (ITL339, $6.99)
Rome Antics  •  David MacAulay HISTORY •  1997 •  HARD COVER  • 80 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) The incomparable MacAulay depicts Rome, ancient and modern, in this illustrated book told from the point of view of a wayward pigeon. For readers of all ages. (ITL64, $18.00)
Rome, A Fold-out History of the Ancient Civilization  •  Leigh Grant HISTORY •  2005 •  HARD COVER • FAMILY This full color books folds out to reveal a foot-tall and four-foot-long 3-D portrait of ancient Rome. It's designed accordion style with detailed color panels and descriptive information on the reverse. (ITL674, $17.95)
Rome, In Spectacular Cross-Section  •  Andrew Solway  •  Stephen Biesty HISTORY •  2003 •  HARD COVER  • 64 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) One in a series of books featuring the wonderfully detailed drawings by cutaway master Stephen Biesty, this one conveying daily life in ancient Rome. The story follows the adventures of a young Boy, Titus Cotta Maximus, on his travels through the city. Geared for ages 9-12, the whole family will appreciate the vivid double-page panormas. (ITL538, $18.95)
Starry Messenger, Galileo Galilei  •  Peter Sis BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2000 •  PAPER  • 40 PAGES • YOUNG READERS (Age 4-8) A beautifully illustrated homage to Galileo for children ages 6 to 8. In simple prose, Sis chronicles Galileo's life and evokes the Renaissance world. It's a memorable introduction to science and Italy for young readers. A Cadecott Honor Book and winner of the Scientific American Young Readers Book Award. (ITL331, $6.95)
This Is Rome  •  Miroslav Sasek CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2007 •  HARD COVER • YOUNG READERS (Age 4-8) A facsimile edition of the original Sasek picture pook. (ITL822, $17.95)
This Is Venice  •  Miroslav Sasek CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2005 •  PAPER  • 60 PAGES • YOUNG READERS (Age 4-8) A classic portrait of Venice for children. First published in 1961, this is a facsimile edition of Sasek's charming original. Famous architectural structures and the famous Venetian waterways are depicted here, as well as quirkier attractions like street vendors and the city's abundant pigeons, in bright, stylized illustrations. Ages 4-8. (ITL627, $17.95)
The Town of Hercules, A Buried Treasure Trove  •  Joseph Jay Deiss ARCHAEOLOGY •  1995 •  HARD COVER  • 184 PAGES • YOUNG ADULTS Jammed with color photographs, site plans, photographs of artifacts and frescoes, and with quotes from Pleny the Elder and other eyewitnesses, this handsomely illustrated book reconstructs life in the first century Roman town. A popular author, Deiss doesn't skimp on the drama of eruption of Mount Vesuvius one morning in A.D. 79. (ITL860, $19.95)
You Wouldn't Want to Be a Roman Gladiator!  •  John Malam  •  David Antram HISTORY •  2001 •  PAPER  • 32 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) One in a clever educational series, this book discloses the gory details of life in the Roman arena. Light-hearted and crammed with facts -- as well as amusing illustrations -- this is a good choice for readers ages 8 to 10. (ITL340, $9.95)