Read this while looking for Egypt or Israelites 'living books' so thought I might as well review it, since it doesn't seem to be on many booklists.
There may be a reason for that! Ok, it's not so bad, but it's not a page-turner. It follows the eponymous heroine through the Exodus and up to the return of the spies and God's judgment on the Israelites about who will see the Promised Land.
I like books with surprises. This had none. To be fair, that's partly because one knows the main story, but a better author could have made that work. It felt like the main characters were sitting watching 'The Ten Commandments', only live action, and commenting on what happens; God judges the Israelites - 'Oh how scared I am'; God blesses them - 'Isn't Yahweh good'. The author makes the poor mother have a pregnancy that lasts over a year, otherwise I didn't spot factual bloomers (but wasn't actively looking...)
The good thing about this book was a great family at its centre, which makes it a decent read, and there were some good scenes to enrich understanding of the Exodus account.
It struck me that, if you set comprehension questions on books, this might be a good one to use; there are lots of issues - obedience to family, God; relationships, justice and judgment, racism etc. Otherwise, watch 'The Ten Commandments' instead.
6/10
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