Just finished reading this to L. Based in the reign of Pharaoh Akhenaten, it is the story of a boy who becomes a potter in Akhetaten for the royal family, and how his father tries to hatch a plot to kill the Pharaoh - with unexpected consequences. Nice links to actual artefacts, inc the bust of Nefertiti.
This is a book that would benefit from some parental input, given that the boy has another religion and we may not agree with him, particularly his conclusions about religion in the final chapter.
It's a brilliant depiction of the choices people have to make when faced with two religions, one of which is imposed. Some Christian homeschool writers seem to take Akhenaten's decision to worship 'one god' as somehow a step towards worshipping the Lord. This book (without preaching) shows clearly that the Aten, just the sun disk itself, is as much an idol as any other and bears no resemblance to the Lord.
This is richly written, not too long (so great for a history project where there's not really time for a 300 page read-aloud), and probably best suited for 7 up.
10/10
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