The Secret of Delphi

By Craig Sodaro

$12.00
Order Code: 1248
Class sets 10 or more paperback books: $10.00 each
Class set order code: 1248S

Sisters Panora and Kyra are thrilled when their father, Davos, is chosen to be the lead actor in a play by Sophocles for the annual theater competition in ancient Athens. But Davos suddenly disappears. Alarmed, the girls investigate, traveling to Delphi to visit the Oracle for guidance. What happened to Davos? Did one of the other playwrights have him kidnapped to sabotage Sophocles’s production? And what will happen at the festival if the girls can’t find him in time?

Description

Panora and her sister Kyra are thrilled when their father, Davos, is selected to be the lead actor in a play by Sophocles, which is set to be performed at the City Dionysia, an annual theater competition that is the highlight of the year in the city of Athens. The problem is that conventions for women in ancient Greece are restrictive, and the girls’ mother frowns on the idea of letting them attend the festival. But that problem is quickly overshadowed by one far graver: Davos disappears, and all of the evidence points toward foul play.

Alarmed, the sisters decide to investigate, directly defying their mother’s stern commands. Their journey to find the truth is a dangerous one. At only ten and eleven years old, the girls are ill-prepared for the perils that await them, but their determination to find their father leads them to take the extraordinary measure of traveling to Delphi, where they believe that the Oracle can give them the guidance they need. The Oracle only speaks in riddles, however, so even if they can complete that task, they’ll still need to decipher the Oracle’s prophecy. What could have happened to Davos? Did one of the other playwrights have him kidnapped in an attempt to sabotage Sophocles’s production? Is he even still alive? And what will happen at the festival if the girls can’t find him in time?

This novel takes place in 468 B.C.E. in Athens and surrounds the events of the theater competition at the City Dionysia. That year, a young Sophocles was competing against the established favorite, Aeschylus. Victory in this competition was so important that even 2,500 years later, we know who won and who lost. The competition was intense, and the stakes were high. The novel is filled with accurate historical terms and details and includes several images of ancient Greek artifacts that help to give readers insight into the daily lives of a people whose society had an enormous influence on Western culture today.

Details

Ages
9, 10, 11, 12, 13
Grades
4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Subjects
Novels
Pages
255
ISBN
978-1-63856-124-8
Order Code
1248

Reviews

A deftly crafted and solidly entertaining novel…an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to both school and community library historical fiction collections. – Children’s Bookwatch