The Pharaoh's Secret

by Marissa Moss

Overview

Filled with intrigue, surprises, and the author’s original illustrations, this novel skillfully weaves history with a personal story full of heartache and family tensions that will entice and enthrall readers.

 

When Talibah and her younger brother, Adom, accompany their father to Egypt, they become involved in a mystery surrounding an ancient, lost pharaoh—a rare queen ruler. Someone has tried to make it appear as if she never existed! The queen needs Talibah to help her and her high priest, Senenmut, reclaim their rightful place in history. 


Exotic locales, mysterious strangers, and a sinister archaeologist round out an adventure that is full of riddles, old tales, and, most surprisingly of all, a link to Talibah’s and Adom’s mother, who died mysteriously.

F&P level: W

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781613120125
Publisher:	ABRAMS
Publication date:	12/31/2010
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

Marissa Moss is the bestselling author of the multimillion-copy bestselling Amelia series, as well as the award-winning Barbed Wire Baseball and the critically acclaimed Nurse, Soldier, Spy. She lives in Berkeley, California. www.marissamoss.com.

Editorial Reviews

A spring break trip to Egypt becomes more intriguing when 14-year-old narrator Talibah discovers a mystery regarding Egypt's only female pharaoh, Hatshepsut, which turns out to involve Talibah's family. Not that she's initially thrilled about this turn of events: “My goal for this trip is to lie by the pool and get a great tan, not run errands for some Egyptian ghost, even if that ghost could be my mother,” Talibah quips (her mother died five years earlier). Talking sphinxes and gods, as well as time travel back to Egypt's 18th dynasty set Moss's (the Amelia's Notebook series) thriller in the realm of fantasy, as Talibah attempts to solve the mystery and put souls to rest. The villain, in the guise of a family friend and tour guide, is largely one-dimensional, though Moss fills the Egyptian setting with evocative imagery. The family dynamics between Talibah, her younger brother and her grieving scholarly father prove to be one of the most compelling aspects of the story. Talibah's b&w sketches support the narrative with pen-and-ink images of obelisks, hieroglyphics, maps and family trees. Ages 9–13. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Talibah, fourteen, and her brother Adom, ten, have come to Egypt with their father. Upon arriving, Talibah receives a unique bracelet and a small model of a building. She also begins to have strange dreams and hears "Find him." While Talibah and Adom visit Egyptian sites, it is clear they are also dealing with their mother's death, in spite of her being gone for five years. In an Egyptian museum, Talibah discovers Egypt's only female pharaoh, Hatshepsut, and notices Hatshepsut's servants wear the same bracelet she received on arrival. She also meets Rashid Khalfani, a family friend. Rashid takes Talibah and Adom to his excavation site in spite of misgivings. At the site, Talibah discovers that evidence of Hashepsut is being destroyed and she must figure out who is doing this. This mystery has many things to recommend—a curious and talented heroine, a younger, eager sibling, ancient Egypt as a setting, and historical information. However, things take very long to develop and the history becomes very dense. Anyone without some background in ancient Egypt may feel overwhelmed. Talibah's drawings of various objects are a wonderful addition and help keep one interested. Young adult readers, especially teen girls, may be intrigued with Talibah's story but must be willing to endure the swift ending and possibly confusing history. Reviewer: Elizabeth Fronk

Children's Literature - Elizabeth Fronk

Talibah means "seeker of truth," and her name frames the plot of this tale of intrigue and adventure set in modern Egypt. Talibah and her younger brother Adom accompany their Egyptologist father on a research field trip. While there, the teen heroine becomes tangled up in a mystery surrounding an unusual queen who ruled as a pharaoh. She seems to be disappearing from the ruins around Luxor along with her high priest protector. Talibah and Adom combine wits and ingenuity to overcome ancient curses, curious relics, near drowning, a poisonous scorpion, and a deadly cobra, along with an evil uncle as they help the female pharaoh resume her place in history. At the same time, the two discover a link with their Egyptian mother, who died mysteriously. The author includes notes that detail her interest in ancient Egypt and the grief of losing a loved one. Reviewer: Judith A. Hayn

Judith A. Hayn

Gr 5–8—From the moment they arrive in Cairo, 14-year-old Talibah and her 10-year-old brother, Adom, feel connected to the land of their Egyptian ancestors and are swept up in an ancient mystery involving the disappearance of the pharaoh Hatshepsut's chief architect, Senenmut. Talibah even hears a voice saying "Find him!" But is it the voice of the ancient queen or the voice of her mother, who died mysteriously five years earlier? With a sinister "old family friend," they travel to Luxor and explore tombs and temples. Talibah receives a variety of messages, and her brother buys her an antique bracelet with magically protective powers. Talibah's sketches are included—pictures of carvings, tomb paintings, and hieroglyphs. Moss has a good sense for what might interest middle school readers about Egyptian culture, and her protagonists are believable. Their improbable adventure will leave readers with the feeling they have toured the Valley of Kings themselves, with an able and patient guide.—Kathleen Isaacs, Children's Literature Specialist, Pasadena, MD

School Library Journal

There's no reason an author can't step away from a successful formula to try something new. This time, however, the experiment doesn't pay off. Moss, author/illustrator of the highly graphic Amelia series, mixes historical intrigue, family issues and a brief episode of time travel, but the disparate elements never quite jell in this full-length, lightly illustrated novel. Talibah, 14, is visiting Egypt with her widowed father and younger brother. Immediately odd visions plague her and mysterious figures press unusual gifts into her hands. Convinced that a long-dead (female) pharaoh seeks help in locating her lost love, Talibah follows physical clues and vague hints to determine what became of the ancient architect Senenmut. With her brother Adom's help she solves the mystery, provoking a deadly attack and reconciling with her grieving father. The author's interests in Egyptian history and in exploring the impact of the loss of a parent is made clear in a concluding note. Unfortunately, the first-person narration varies from stilted to overly adult and never quite brings Talibah to life, a flaw that the busy plot just can't overcome. Disappointing. (Fantasy. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews