Synopses & Reviews
When Akhenaten, Egypt's new pharaoh, decrees that only one god shall be worshipped from now on, life is thrown into chaos for Tutmose, the young son of a dealer in rare animals meant for the temples of the traditional gods. Tutmose's happiness at living at the pharoah?s court is darkened when his father, maddened by the pharaoh's rejection of the gods, plots a deadly revenge. Back matter suggests further reading.
Synopsis
In this authentically detailed illustrated story of ancient Egypt, award-winning author Geraldine McCaughrean draws the reader into both the court of the great pharaoh Akhenaten and the heart of a troubled boy, Tutmose. Tutmose and his blind brother, Ibrim, and their animal-collector father, Harkhuf, are delivering a shipment of animals to the new pharaoh when their boat capsizes in the Nile. Their rescuer is none other than Akhenaten himself. The pharaoh finds places for all three in the royal court -- Harkhuf will continue to collect animals, Ibrim will play his lyre, and Tutmose will learn to be a sculptor. But Akhenaten turns out to be a new kind of ruler who rejects the traditional Egyptian gods. When Harkhuf discovers this, he plots a deadly revenge, putting not only his own life but also those of Ibrim and Tutmose in mortal danger.