The Ugly Goddess

Rating:
Summary: Ancient Egypt comes alive
Review: An orphaned Egyptian servant boy, Bata travels to the Sacred City of Thebes with Hector, a Greek mercenary, to rescue the princess Meret and save Egypt from provoking a war with powerful Persia. In the process friendship crosses class and cultural barriers, Bata�s faith in the traditional gods of Egypt is challenged by his Greek friend�s commitment to reason, and all of them find that their lives will not be what they expected.

This lively adventure puts plaster and paint on those Egyptian ruins you have read about and brings to life the people who once lived there with their customs, beliefs, conflicts and concerns. Some elements of the story may be taken as fantasy or as an endorsement of ancient religion. They will certainly provoke discussion, which Ms Marston encourages with questions on her website. I enjoyed the story simply as a story, but it will no doubt be especially appreciated by upper-elementary teachers looking for historical fiction set in ancient Egypt.

Rating:
Summary: Ancient Egypt comes alive
Review: An orphaned Egyptian servant boy, Bata travels to the Sacred City of Thebes with Hector, a Greek mercenary, to rescue the princess Meret and save Egypt from provoking a war with powerful Persia. In the process friendship crosses class and cultural barriers, Bata's faith in the traditional gods of Egypt is challenged by his Greek friend's commitment to reason, and all of them find that their lives will not be what they expected.

This lively adventure puts plaster and paint on those Egyptian ruins you have read about and brings to life the people who once lived there with their customs, beliefs, conflicts and concerns. Some elements of the story may be taken as fantasy or as an endorsement of ancient religion. They will certainly provoke discussion, which Ms Marston encourages with questions on her website. I enjoyed the story simply as a story, but it will no doubt be especially appreciated by upper-elementary teachers looking for historical fiction set in ancient Egypt.