March 19th 2019 by Candlewick Press
E ARC from Edelweiss Plus
After Rumbling with the Romans and Battling with the Britons, Julius and his menagerie of friends are back, having routed Septimus and sent him on his way. Julius, however, would like to catch him, so sets off on his ship, only to be tossed about by a storm and washed up on a beach. Glad to be alive, the group is less glad when soldiers arrive. Luckily, the Egyptians mistake Julius for the horse god Heter, and gladly take him to the palace to install him as pharaoh. Brutus, Julius' wayward brother shows up as well. As usual, Julius gets himself in all manner of scrapes and misunderstandings. Heading to Memphis for his installment, his plan is almost derailed. Luckily, the group is close enough to home that their savior comes from a surprising source, and they are alive to head off on new adventures.
Strengths: There is a lot of fairly accurate information about the ancient world, and it's amusing to have a humorous novel incorporate the topics that are covered in a rather dry way in 6th and 7th grade social studies.
Weaknesses: I have trouble keeping the large cast of characters separate, even though they are different types of animals, and there are pictures of them. Perhaps character development is a bit lacking? Shocking in a goofy notebook novel, I know.
What I really think: The fact that these are published in Great Britain let me imagine for a little while longer that the Classics are still an important part of the British educational system, even though I have some serious doubts about whether Latin and Ancient Greek are still taught to tweens anywhere on the planet. (Nota bene: I was a Latin teacher 25 years ago!)
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