In Vineto – An intermediate Level Latin Reader full of adventure

Other Level E Titles:

In Vineto by Laura Shaw offers much needed in depth reading for the intermediate level student based in the ancient world. The reader meets Fabia immediately and follows the Roman girl through her life on a Roman farm. In the beginning of the text sentence structure is simple but adds depth with ablatives of place, frequent adjectives, complementary infinitives and descriptive Latin to hold the intermediate level reader’s attention. Bellovesus, a slave from Gaul on Fabia’s family’s farm, enters the story early, who creates tension within the plot as it explores Fabia’s view of non Romans and is a readable introduction to an AP theme for intermediate students at the end of year 2 or in year 3.

Although Fabia seems to not care for Bellovesus’ company, the two end up walking through the farmstead with one another. Bellovesus completes a surprising action that forces Fabia to explore how he and she view the world differently. This tug and pull in the plot between the two characters encourages engagement of the intermediate level Latin reader. As the tug and pull between characters continues there are time frame changes based in the simple sentence structure that both challenge the intermediate reader with appropriate support in repetition.

The story continues based in simple sentence structure while adding depth with time frame changes and occasional new descriptive language. As the story unfolds, Fabia finds herself in an unexpected state with Bellovesus there to help. This twist in the plot continues to expand the tension between not only the two characters but also the two views of the world.

This frequent tension keeps the reader involved in a story that introduces AP level themes with the support an intermediate requires for comprehension. I plan to use In Vineto as a class novel in level 3 to approach the complexities of world view and how the Romans viewed non Romans. Even as a SDR or FVR title, In Vineto belongs in your library for those established intermediate level Latin readers who are prepared for the challenge of the text.