Pharaoh's Daughter: A Novel of Ancient Egypt

by Julius Lester

Book Overview

Born into slavery, adopted as an infant by a princess, and raised in the palace of mighty Pharaoh, Moses struggles to define himself. And so do the three women who love him: his own embittered mother,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0152018263
• ISBN13: 9780152018269
• Release Date: February 2000
• Publisher: Harcourt Brace and Company
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.7" x 8.5"
• Age Range: 12 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 7 and higher

Customer Reviews

The Pharaoh's Daughter ( a Story that was never revealed bef

I got to read the book by reading its cover and I thought it was interesting so I bought the book and after I read it, I was amazed about the other part of Moses's family that no one else shared to the world. The Pharaoh's Daughter was about Moses's sister, Almah, and she had always wished to be royal, without worrying about chores and babysitting her little brothers and sister. Then, the Egyptian soldiers planned on taking away all of the Hebrew baby boys and planned on feeding it to the alligators. Almah's family's only baby son, Yekutiel, wasn't planned on getting fed by alligators, so when the Egyptian soldiers started to evade the houses, Almah's family ran to hide Yekutiel in the safe bushes. Almah ran to look for a good hiding place and that was when her life changed. She had ran into an Egyptian princess and had dragged her into her Hebrew home and the princess's gratitude changed her Hebrew life. Princess Meryetamun decided to keep Yekutiel and named it after a god,Thutmosis, to protect Moses from the evil Queen Asetnefret. That was when, ALmah was addicted to royal and palace life. She met the king and was welcomed as a second daughter in the palace. Then, Almah actually became the daughter of King Ramesses and Princess Meryetamun became the daughter of Abba and Ima, Almah's parents. I liked the book because it had another part of Moses's story that no one knew about and when I read it, I was so involved in the story that I read it more than 3 times! It was a brave and challenging story and that was what made me so inspired to read it more, I couldn't stop because I was too addicted pause at least one second!

A neat adaption to the story of Moses.

Pharaoh's Daughter is "a story of ancient Egypt". Actually, it retells the story of Moses. More so, it focuses on his sister, Almah. Unlike most Habiru (Hebrews), she speaks Khemetian (the language of Egyptians). She doesn't really fit into her family and her God-worshipping society, having been bored by her mother's stories. Almah meets the Egyptian princess, Meryetamun, one day by the Nile river, just after Pharaoh Ramses II issues for newborn Habiru boys to be killed. Meryetamun faints when she sees a crocodile strike at one of the baby baskets, and Almah takes her to her home and Meryetamun finds out about Almah's own litte brother. Later she visits again and saves Almah's brother before the guards can get rid of him. She names him Mosis and passes him off as the gift of the goddess Eset (Isis). Almah and her mother enter the palace as well, and there, Almah finds her true happiness. She admires the Khemetian ways, though scorned by her mother. When Meryetamun's mother, the queen Nefertari dies, she is drawn to Almah's mother and the Habiru God, while Almah learns to love the Egyptian pantheon and the heartaching Pharaoh.The second part of this story is narrated by adolescent Mosis, in which he observes the differences in his wide family and is pressured to choose which religion he prefers. Then the Pharaoh, his "Grandfather", issues a proclamation for all Habirus to work as slaves on his new temple, and suspicions are drawn to Almah, Mosis, and Meryetamun. Mosis is forced to act.This novel provides a great insight to the world of ancient Egypt while enlightening us on the biblical story. The author's hard work and thoughtfulness are revealed in the writing as well as in the introduction and Author's Note.

A must read book about the early life of Moses!

I loved the historical details of the time when Ramses was Pharaoh of Egypt. Julius Lester does a wonderful job of giving both sides of the story of the baby Moses who was hidden in a basket, found by the Princess, and raised at court as her son. The struggle Moses has to resolve between Jewish beliefs and those of the court have to be solved by Moses, his real mother and sister, and the Princess. The story is familiar to us all, but the way with which Mr. Lester builds his characters reveals more than just the political facts. The result is a well developed novel with realistic, complex characters. The Glossary helped reacquaint me with the correct Hebrew and Egyptian names. Mr. Lester's Author Note should not be missed for the insightes on how he developes the story from idea to completion.

A Great Book!

The Pharaoh's Daughter is a book about a Hibru girl, Almah, who goes to live with her brother, Moses, in the house of the Kemetan pharaoh. It is about her life and Moses' and their feelings about living with the pharaoh. The first half of this book is told by Almah, and the second half is told by her brother Moses, so it is a bit confusing, but don't let that stop you from reading this book. The Pharaoh's Daughter is a fun and exciting way to learn biblical history. If you liked the Pharaoh's Daughter, then you will also like a book called The Royal Diaries: Cleopatra.