I pre-read this book for use in my first and second grade classroom. Scholastic book wizard marks this book at a Fountas and Pinnell level M (DRA 24). I think the rating for the story is pretty accurate. There are some higher vocabulary terms related to ancient times in this book, but I think students at this level (especially those with an interest in ancient civilizations and/or the Olympics) would be able to use context clues to determine meaning.

The story itself was put together in an easy to follow format. Jack and Annie, our two main characters, travel back to the times of Ancient Greece during the Olympic Games on a mission to bring back an ancient text. While in Ancient Greece, they learn about the first Olympic Games, some facts about daily life, a little about the government, and about different injustices of the time. Our bold little Annie is arguably upset about the different treatment of girls than boys. This leads to a little bit of problem and some action (though not the same amount of action that they had during their trip to Pompeii).

After reading, I'm happy with level, structure, and content to incorporate this book in my classroom with guided reading groups during our social studies unit on ancient civilizations.