With her always hungry sidekick, Finnegan (the dog), Freja explores the ancient city, discovering the world and who she is. She learns to make friends, to embrace the things that make her unique and to be brave.
This is a lovely book that moves at a beautifully gentle pace. It’s filled with messages of love, hope and courage, but it’s also an adventure story.
Filled with numerous mysteries, both big and small, I found the book hard to put down. I craved to know the truth, and I just couldn’t wait to uncover the answers to all the questions raised throughout the story.
Like who exactly is Tobias Appleby? Why are the priests in Rome after him? And what's in the special box Freja's mother left with her?
Fans of the Clementine Rose and Alice-Miranda series by Jacqueline Harvey will love this book. Freja is a charming and curious girl who does amazingly brave things even while she believes she is the opposite of brave. The mysteries are addictive and divine, and the story centres around adventurous, independent Freja taking the lead and kicking butt.
The first book in a brand new series by Katrina Nannestad, The Girl, the Dog and the Writer in Rome is the start of something wonderful. And you are going to want book two as soon as you finish book one, because not all the questions are answered in this magical first instalment.
Author: Katrina Nannestad
Publisher: ABC Books, $16.99
Publication Date: 23 October 2017
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780733338175
For ages: 8+
Type: Junior Fiction
