Bringing History Back to Life

Professor Chris Jackson and Tom Hiddleston discuss the events at Pompeii from atop Mt. Vesuvius (photo credit: National Geographic/Paolo Verzone). 

Nearly 2,000 years ago, people in Pompeii lived ordinary lives. They worked, cooked, and spent time with family. Then Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 A.D., burying the city in ash. Now, centuries later, the stories of Pompeii and the people who lived there continue to capture the imaginations of kids around the world. 

Connecting Experiences Through Time 

Pompeii is famous because ash preserved much of the city. Archaeologists have found bakeries, artwork, tools, and even writing on walls. These discoveries provide a glimpse into daily life in ancient times. 

A new National Geographic docudrama, Pompeii: Out of Time with Tom Hiddleston, explores the disaster through a fusion of cinematic scripted drama and investigative documentary storytelling. Hiddleston guides viewers through the series and Kevin R. Wright serves as an executive producer. 

For kids, the show makes history feel less like memorizing dates and names, and more like a story being told about real people in ancient Rome. 

“If you read a great [fiction] book, you feel less alone in the world,” Hiddleston said. “I believe that the study of history is exactly the same. The only difference is that you are looking into the hearts and minds of real people as opposed to fictional people … What you discover is that their experience is very similar to your own, and it makes you feel connected to the common experience of being alive that we all share, and it makes [you] feel less alone in the world … it invigorates your empathy, it inspires your compassion and your understanding of human experience on this planet is richer and deeper.” 

The 10th book in Lauren Tarshis's I Survived series follows protagonist Marcus who must escape his city when Vesuvius erupts (photo courtesy of Scholastic). 

Pompeii from a Kid’s Perspective 

Author Lauren Tarshis, Senior Vice President and Editor-at-Large at Scholastic, knows what it takes to bring a historical event to life. The books in her New York Times bestselling I Survived series are packed with drama and action, allowing kids to experience historical events through the perspective of another child. The 10th book in the series, I Survived the Destruction of Pompeii, 79AD, follows protagonist Marcus who must escape his city when Vesuvius erupts. 

Tarshis traveled to Italy, to the ruins of the city of Pompeii, to research for the book. She describes her writing process as “messy”. It involves reading countless books, searching for more personal belongings like diaries, and traveling to the parts of the world that she writes about. Tarshis explained that the most important part of her research is building connections with people who have been affected by the events or disasters she documents to understand their perspectives. 

This human connection was important to Wright and the team working on the series as well. They focused on details that would help viewers remember the real people who were impacted, not just the eruption. 

“We were playing with facts and documentary and Tom working with experts and getting information directly, and then we’re trying to bring it to life with drama,” Wright said. “I think what was most important, and the way that we were able to find the right balance of how to integrate those things and to figure out what was on screen was [deciding] ‘What is the most clear and honest way to tell this person’s story.’ That idea of constantly reminding yourself … this was a real person who really experienced this, and wanting to get their story right.” 

Personal Stories Driving an Understanding of History 

The series, like a book, is striving to share a story with the audience. 

“I think human beings are hardwired for story. We just love them,” Hiddleston said. “All of us have a unique story to tell … My role in Pompeii, as I saw it, was to be the storyteller for the lives of ordinary people who lived in this extraordinary moment and to allow their stories to live so that we could connect with who they were. We take three people, a young teenage boy … a mature and responsible businesswoman … and an elite soldier … and I try to tell those three stories with as much detail as I can so that the audience can connect to them. So that their stories, which existed so long ago, can live as if they happened yesterday. And hopefully you see yourselves in them and their stories resonate with you.” 

Scholastic Kid Reporter Evy Bingle interviews actor Tom Hiddleston and executive producer Kevin R. Wright about their new docudrama Pompeii: Out of Time with Tom Hiddleston.

Historical storytelling proves why ancient places still matter, reminding kids that history is about people, not just buildings or battles. Hiddleston said these stories also speak to the present, because disasters and challenges can connect people across time. 

“I think we can learn a lot from the past. People made a lot of mistakes in the past and we can learn to not repeat those mistakes … This Earth that we live on has been home to billions of people who have all lived in different ways, in different times, and faced different challenges and this happens to be our time, but there were times before, and there will be many times after. It makes us more connected to each other. It makes us realize we’re all in this together,” Hiddleston said. 

Tarshis hopes her readers will ask, “What do I want to learn next?” after reading her books. “The more things you’re interested in, the more interesting life is,” Tarshis said. 

Pompeii: Out of Time with Tom Hiddleston premieres on National Geographic on July 22 and will stream on Disney+ and Hulu the next day. To read I Survived the Destruction of Pompeii, 79AD, visit your local library, bookstore, Scholastic Book Fair, or the online Scholastic store. Tarshis’s 26th book in the series, I Survived the Night of the Lions, 2025, will hit shelves September 2026.