The Thieves of Ostia (Caroline Lawrence)

Summary: Flavia Gemina is a natural at solving mysteries.  The daughter of a ship's captain living in Ostia, the port of Rome, in AD 79, she and her three friends, Jonathan, a Jewish boy (and secretly a Christian); Nubia, an African slave girl; and Lupus, a mute beggar boy, must work together to find out who is beheading the watchdogs that guard people's homes, and why.  (from amazon.com)

Where can I find it?: Boston Public Library: Copley and North End branches

Tags: Detective and mystery fiction; Dogs; Dogs--Fiction; Fiction; History; Juvenile works; Rome (Empire); Theft