The Ides of April, by Mary Ray
29/25 | Started 09.20.21 • Finished 10.15.21
"It is a story about a murder that happened that a slave and senator try to find out who did it. Hylas the slave discovers his master dead. When he sees it he hides due to soldiers rounding up the slaves for a certain reason. Camillus, a friend of him, helps try to figure out who did it before it's too late. The games were happening so the other slaves wouldn't be tortured until they were over. Camillus turns out to be a secret Christian. Hylas knows it wasn't any of the slaves. They both find out multiple people helped in the murder of Caius Pomponius. The only way to save the others was to have an audience with Emperor Nero. They got one and were able to save the slaves. Afterward Hylas becomes Camillus's slave."
Timothy, age 13
"Hylas is a slave. He ventures into the town one day and finds Amanis in the way of a man falling off a ladder. He pushes the man out of the way. The next day, Hylas's master dies. He decides to find out to prove that it wasn't a slave. If he fails, all the slaves will be killed because of an 'infection' that would spread throughout the slaves, and it must be killed. He finds an ally, who happens to be Camillus, the saved guy in my picture. They suspect Decianus, the son of Caius Pomponius, who was Hylas's master. Hylas finds a scroll that will tell them who it wasn't. Camillus used to believe slaves were lowlifes, but now knows that they are just regular people. He also wants to free Hylas now. Hylas is once called 'Hylas, son of Pycades,' when means that he is free. The murder was made by a few people."
Neph, age 10