The Secret of the Red Silk Pouch Author:Ruth Thompson This is an adventure for young teens, set in the remains of the Roman Empire of the Fifth Century, A.D. Marcus Avidiacus Magnus is a 14-year old pearl diver who lives outside Constantinople. His dying grandfather entrusts him with a red silk pouch to take to King Theodoric the Great in Rome. Unaware of the contents of the pouch, Marcus sets... more » out on his own for the first time. One thing leads rapidly to another, and soon Marcus' seemingly simple task becomes a long and dangerous adventure that takes him to the Island of Bahrain in the Persian Gulf.« less