Pharaoh's Daughter: A Novel of Ancient Egypt.

Pharaoh's Daughter: A Novel of Ancient Egypt by Julius Lester Hartcourt, February 2000, $17.99, ISBN 0-152-01826-3

This engaging novel by the author of the Newbery Honor Book, To Be A Slave (Scholastic, 1985), is a fascinating rendition of the story of Moses. Lester's narrative is alternately told through the eyes of Moses' older sister, Almah, who has left her family and tradition to become a dancer for the priestess Hathor; his birth mother, Yocheved, who constantly admonishes Moses to return to his people and culture; and Pharaoh's daughter, Batya, who saved him from death when he was a baby.

Lester provides readers with plenty of mental fodder as this tale of Moses and ancient Egypt unfolds. What is the "terrible act of violence" that Moses participates in that will forever change the course of his life and history? There is much to appreciate in this sensitively drawn picture of ancient time. Many subplots, all woven in great detail, mesh with the main narrative to create a complex, insightful look at ancient Hebrew and Egyptian societies.

Lester has brought together another fine collection of characters based on the Bible and fermented in his imagination, that which will be treasured by young readers interested in history and religion.

Malikah Dada Lumumba is Library Media Specialist at Franko School in Mount Vernon, New York.