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Caroline Lawrence Biography, Books, and Similar Authors

Author Biography  | Interview  | Books by this Author  | Read-Alikes

Caroline Lawrence

Caroline Lawrence

Caroline Lawrence Biography

Caroline Lawrence is an English American author, best known for The Roman Mysteries series of historical novels for children. She was born in London, England. Her American parents returned to the United States shortly afterwards and she grew up in Bakersfield, California with her younger brother and sister. Her father taught English and drama in a local high school and her mother was an artist.

When she was twelve, Caroline's family moved to Stanford University in northern California so that her father could study Linguistics. Caroline inherited her father's love of words and her mother's love of art. She subsequently studied Classics at Berkeley, where she won a Marshall Scholarship to Cambridge. There, at Newnham College, she studied Classical Art and Archaeology.

After Cambridge, Caroline remained in England, and later took an MA in Hebrew and Jewish Studies at University College, London. She then taught Latin, French and art at a small London primary school.

In 2000 she wrote The Thieves of Ostia, the first in a series of children's adventure stories set in Ancient Rome. The Roman Mysteries combine Caroline's love of art history, ancient languages and travel.

Her other passions include cinema, jazz and London. Caroline has a son Simon, from a previous marriage, and she now lives by the river in London with her husband Richard, a graphic designer.

In 2009, Caroline won the Classical Association Prize for her Roman Mysteries series.

Caroline Lawrence's website

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Interview

Caroline Lawrence answers a multitude of questions asked of her by students during her hundreds of school visits. Includes everything you could possibly want to know about the Roman Mystery series, including the names and publication dates of books yet to be published!

My book is signed by you, and has something written in a foreign language. What does it mean?
I try to sign each of my books or short stories with a different Latin motto. Here's what they mean:

  • Cave canem in The Thieves of Ostia means 'Beware of the dog'
  • Fortes fortuna iuvat in The Secrets of Vesuvius means 'Fortune favours the brave'
  • Volare! in The Pirates of Pompeii means 'to fly!'
  • Lacrimae rerum in The Assassins of Rome means 'events have tears' or 'sad things happen'
  • Morbo medeor in The Dolphins of Laurentum means 'I am healed of my disease'
  • Pater noster in the short story Bread and Circuses means 'Our father'
  • Carpe diem in The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina means 'Seize the day' or 'Go for it!'
  • Fiat lux in the short story The Case of the Missing Coin means 'Let there be light'
  • Ars longa... in The Enemies of Jupiter means 'the skill lasts a long time...'
  • Uri, vinciri, verberari... in the short story Jonathan vs Ira means 'to be burned, fettered, flogged...'
  • Habet! in The Gladiators from Capua means 'he's been hit!'
  • Hectora credas in The ...

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Books by this Author

Books by Caroline Lawrence at BookBrowse
The Enemies of Jupiter jacket
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Read-Alikes

All the books below are recommended as read-alikes for Caroline Lawrence but some maybe more relevant to you than others depending on which books by the author you have read and enjoyed. So look for the suggested read-alikes by title linked on the right.
How we choose read-alikes

  • Karen Hesse

    Karen Hesse

    Karen Hesse is the award-winning author of several outstanding books for young readers, including Letters from Rifka and Phoenix Rising. She lives in Williamsville, Vermont.

    Karen grew up in Baltimore, Maryland and began ... (more)

    If you enjoyed:
    The Enemies of Jupiter

    Try:
    Stowaway
    by Karen Hesse

  • Brian Jacques

    Brian Jacques

    "I sometimes think it ironic for an ex-seaman, longshoreman, truck driver, policeman, bus driver, etc., to find success writing children's novels," says Brian Jacques (pronounced "Jakes"). Yet it is all too true. With ... (more)

    If you enjoyed:
    The Enemies of Jupiter

    Try:
    Castaways of The Flying Dutchman
    by Brian Jacques

We recommend 4 similar authors

View all 4 Read-Alikes

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Top Picks

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    Graveyard Shift
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    Following the success of her debut novel, If We Were Villains, M. L. Rio's latest book is the quasi-...
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    The Kim sisters—Minah, Sarah, and Esther—have just learned their father is dying of ...
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    From an infant's first attempts to connect with the world around them to the final words shared with...
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    At the start of Maame Blue's The Rest of You, Whitney Appiah, a Ghanaian Londoner, is ringing in her...

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    In this whimsical mystery, a grumpy pony must clear his beloved human's name from a murder accusation.

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