Five centuries before the birth of Christ, Athens defied King Darius of Persia and brought down upon all Greece the wrath of the mighty Persian Empire. In this fascinating book—the first written for children by the world-famous author of THE BULL FROM THE SEA—Mary Renault shows how the Greeks faced incredible odds, and prevailed.

The Persian Wars were a momentous turning point in history; for had the despotic Persians been triumphant, our lives today would be staggeringly different. Instead, the Greek victories at Marathon and Salamis made possible the flowering of Greek thought in the Age of Pericles.

Mary V. Gaver, Professor of Children's Literature at the Graduate School of Library Service, Rutgers University, says: "THE LION IN THE GATEWAY is worthy to stand beside Genevieve Foster's and Gerald Johnson's historical studies for young people. Mary Renault . . . has produced a wonderfully appealing account of the Greek contribution to our ideals of liberty."

10 and up.

From the dust jacket