Demiana’s Book Review on "Maia of Thebes"

Maia of Thebes

By: Ann Turner

Published: by Scholastic Inc.

Published in: 557 Broadway, New York, NY, USA, in 2005

Pages: 169

Found in: Christian Heritage School Library

Story Review: 

       Truth, justice, knowledge, and respect were the foods she craved while living with her mischievous and brutal aunt and uncle! However, because of that hunger and her love to her caring brother, her whole life changed and so did her destiny! She shined brighter than the Lighthouse of Alexandria, but in her case, she was the lighthouse of Thebes. She was a hero to some but to others, she was a poisonous snake to their power! Her name was Maia. Thirteen-year-old Maia lived in Thebes, Egypt, 1463 B.C., in the time of Queen Hatshepsut, hence the title, “Maia of Thebes”. Author Ann Turner wrote and painted a picture of Maia living in a time when Ancient Egypt was in all its glory! Themes of mystery, love, courage, and urgency are conveyed throughout Maia’s story. Enjoy!

      Maia wanted what her brother Seti had, knowledge. She begged him to teach her how to read and write Hieroglyphics, which was forbidden for girls to learn! But, she was a girl of courage and was willing to take the risk. She wanted to do something with her life, other than being a servant in her own house and being treated like an animal. Seti agreed, emphasizing to her that no one must know and that this was their secret.

      One night, her new skill did come in handy! While sleeping on the flat roof, she heard a strange sound. She got up and her uncle wasn’t there, but when she saw him come back, she secretly went to the storage room. There, she tried to read with only little light the clay seal of the bags of grain she found. She assumed her uncle just brought the bags because they weren’t there before. The clay seal would tell her where the grain is from, and it said, “ I belong to the temple of Karnak.” Her uncle was a thief! He, one of the priests of the temple, stole the grain from there to gain profit!

      It was the big day! It was the day of celebration at the Karnak temple, where the Queen was! Maia was very excited, but one thing kept gnawing at her the whole time there, the truth. She kept hearing the voice of Amun, the god of truth, inside of her about what she discovered the night before. She felt an urgent need to tell the truth. She couldn’t! Why? Because she knew the punishment for a priest stealing from the temple is terrifying, and it wouldn’t just fall on the thief but on his whole family! She thought of her brother. What would happen to him? Truth and love were fighting inside of her but truth won! She wasn’t in control of herself anymore!

       She gave her uncle up! As a reward, Hatshepsut gave her a gift for telling the truth, but that didn’t mean she is safe. The priests were planning the worst of the worst for her because by accusing a priest, she ruined their reputation! She had to escape because one of the priests threatened her! Maia fled with Nefert, a noble woman who she knew well, and Meret, her daughter and Maia’s friend, to their home in an estate south of Thebes. Maia was safe there. On top of that, instead of being treated like a servant, she was treated like a noble. She was taken care of and loved, but there it was again, that feeling of urgency!

          The thought of her brother kept gnawing at her. Not only the fact that he was away from her, but that he was in trouble and in need of her. Then, there was the truth! The trial was still happening in Thebes, and there, they needed a witness whom she wanted to be. She wanted justice and would do anything to get it! She also wanted her brother and would do anything to see him. After days passed by, she couldn’t take it anymore so she had to leave. Since she knew Nefert would never allow that to happen, she escaped early in the morning by boat back to Thebes!

         Hurrying to the temple, she opened the doors to find her terrified aunt, uncle, brother, some guards, and the priests of the temple, who were deciding on what should be done to her family! She was ready to say the truth until she saw his bother. She knew that justice was that her uncle deserved punishment, not her brother, but the priests didn’t know that! If she told the truth, justice wouldn’t be done. She looked into her brother’s eyes and didn’t know what to say. She always valued the truth, and she was always courageous. She learned to write, revealed the thief, fled back to Thebes on her own, and at that moment she had a choice! Will she please Amun, the god of truth, who always protected her, or will she not for her brother whom she loved?

      

Christian Perspective:

               This book clearly was not written from a Christian Perspective because the time was 1463 BC, therefore it was before Christianity. Also, the characters believe in the ancient Egyptian gods, like Amun Raa. However, Maia did have some Christ like values. I find her courageousness is admirable! I love how much she craved truth and justice, and how much she loved her brother to the point that she fled on her own to see him! In Psalms 89:14, it says, “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you.” The only thing was that she couldn’t admit the whole truth when the priests were judging her family. As Christians, we could go through a similar trial where we have to choose between defending family, maybe also ourselves, or telling the truth. But we always forget one thing! We search for the truth not to prove we are right but to prove we love God! So really, truth and love don’t go against each other like we sometimes think. All we can do is be honest, ask for mercy, and God will do the rest! This is about trust in him! On the other hand, if the fault is from our family, we should try as much as we can to show them the true way of God before it gets to something worse. In 1 Corinthians 5-6, it says, “…. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers? ^{6 ” Asking God for guidance is the greatest solution in both cases!}But instead, one brother takes another to court—and this in front of unbelievers!

My thoughts:

                I chose this book because I am from Egypt, and I wanted to see what other people imagine ancient Egypt to look like! I’ve read a book from this series, “The Life And Times”, before about ancient Greece. I like the series at least from what I’ve read in these two books. I love this book because the author painted a picture of ancient Egypt in all its glory, which I enjoyed imagining now that it’s all gone! It brought me back home, and I could actually remember not just imagine the things that the author described! I recommend this book to people interested in history, especially Egyptology, and yes there’s such thing! This will give you a closer look into ancient Egypt, and the historical notes at the end of the book will really help. I recommend this book to everyone in the classroom because we learned about ancient Egypt. We flew through thousands of years, however, this book will take you through an everyday journey in Egypt! Have fun reading!

Meredith's Book Review

Title: Orphan at My Door

Author: Jean Little

Publisher: Scholastic Canada Ltd.

Place and Year of Publication: Markham, ON, Canada, 2001

Number of Pages: 199

Where You Found The Book: CHS library

Story Review:

This is the diary of a young girl named Victoria Cope.  Victoria lives in Guelph, Ontario, with her family and the story takes place during the 1980’s.  Victoria receives a diary on her eleventh birthday from her mom.  She promises that she will write in it until every page is full, and she does just that. 

The Cope Family has a girl named Peggy helping them with the housework, but when she turns in her notice that she’s leaving, the Cope family receives a home girl from France to take her place.  Her name is Mary Anna Wilson and she’s twelve years old.  Her little brother, Jasper, was also taken in by another family to work as a home boy, and Mary Anna is determined to find him.  Will he, as the orphan, show up at their door as the title suggests?

The family by which Jasper is taken in is very cruel to him, and all he wants is to run away and find his sister.  This is a story full of secrets, friendships, hard times, and a sister’s unfailing love for her brother.  Will Mary Anna find Jasper?  And if she does will he be able to stay with her?  Victoria finds herself writing about what seems to be the most exciting year of her life, as a nail biting story unfolds before her eyes.

Christian Perspective:

I believe that this story was written from a Christian perspective because in the story the characters go to church, pray regularly, and are very strict about the “Sunday Rules.”  Victoria’s family often deals with conflict in a godly way, although the people that have custody over Jasper don’t.  This story taught me that God will always help us persevere through our troubles, and that we need to be kind and show love to others.  It also taught me that I shouldn’t judge someone by appearance before I get to know him or her.

My Thoughts:

I thought that this book was really well written and it kept me engaged throughout.  At first I was unsure about reading a historical fiction book because I don’t particularly enjoy history.  This book, however, was very good, and I think I’ll read more books similar to it.  I chose this book because I had to read a historical fiction book and I’ve seen classmates read this series.  I liked it because it felt like I was in the story and the plot was very real.  It gave me a sense of what life was like back then.  I would recommend this book to middle school students who are looking to read something other than fantasy or mystery, because it was really interesting and I really enjoyed it.

HARD TIMES

Title: Hard Times

Author: Charles Dickens

Publisher: Peter Haddock Publishing

Place and Year of publication: United Kingdom, 1854

Where I found the book: At home

Number of Pages: 196 pages

In this book, the unforgettable Charles Dickens paints a timeless picture of a classical English town with the themes of facts, honesty and betrayal. He creates two parallel storylines in nineteenth century England, using the title " Hard Times" to illustrate the lives of rich and poor through the harshness and injustices of life. Dickens then begins the story with introducing the main character Thomas Gradgrind with selfish authority as he sees himself through a mirror of pride. Teaching children not to dream but to delete their imagination in return for facts.

Later on, his daughter Louisa marries a rich man to protect her brother Tom. Tom becomes an alcoholic who wastes his every penny on being drunk behind his father's back. But, when a politician named James Harthouse falls in love with Louisa and steals her heart, Tom realizes that everything that he once depended on had turned to dust. He feels so betrayed by his sister to the point that he decides to solve his problems by stealing the money that he needs from the bank and framing an innocent poor man named Stephen Blackpool.

Nevertheless, his plan fails miserably when Stephen Blackpool dies in an accident claiming to be innocent. Tom then pays for his crime by spending the rest of his life in exile while leaving his divorced sister and miserable father to live in the shame of his actions. In exile, he regrets what he did but never gets to get in touch with his family and apologize to his father before his death.

Yet, to Mr. Thomas Gradgrind this is where it all ended. He realized that the philosophy he used to bring up his children was not right. He paid a very high price for his mistake and will continue to regret the way that he raised his children and destroyed their futures until he reaches his last breath. He realizes that even facts bow down to honesty and betrayal. That not even facts can be the only thing in the world. There are feelings and truths that are worth far more than all the world's facts combined. For a child to have his or her imagination and innocence is far more important than any science or knowledge that this world could offer them.

CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE:

This book was written in a Christian perspective, since most of the characters displayed christ-like behaviour by either regretting things they have done or always trying to follow God. Throughout the book, the author used a lot of moral virtues from the Bible to convey his ideas. In addition to that, the story takes place in a time where Christianity was a wide spread religion and a place where most people tried to live a life devoted to God.

MY THOUGHTS:

In my opinion, this is a book that displays great moral virtues. The reason that I chose to read this story was because I was interested in learning more about the era that the book was written in. I also really enjoyed reading it because it opened my eyes to that time of history and made me realize how similar and different it is from our time. I would recommend this book to any reader who is a lover of history and great stories.

Demiana's Book Review on "Pandora of Athens"

Pandora of Athens
By Barry Denenberg
Published by Scholastic Inc.
Place of publication is 557 Broadway, New York, NY, USA
Year of Publication: 2004
125 pages
Found in Christian Heritage School Library

Story Review

She didn’t feel like her soul was in her but rather in a shell. It was a forgotten soul that still carried within the one precious Athenian jewel, Pandora! This book presents the struggles of a 13-year-old Athenian girl named Pandora, hence the title, “Pandora of Athens”. She lived in Athens 399 B.C.E. Pandora waited with dread for her fourteenth birthday, as she was forced to marry a man whom she hated, her cousin. However, she didn’t realize that in one day her life could change just in a trip to the Fountain House to get water! Although written as a fiction, this book contains true aspects of Greek culture. It is conveyed through themes of mystery (of the Wise One), rebellion (against unfairness), urgency (to save a loved one), love (that is forbidden), and matters of life and death!

Pandora grew up in a very man-biased society. Women were treated very poorly to the point that they were viewed as “lowly creatures” that weren’t smart or intelligent and didn’t deserve education! Pandora’s father, Alcander, was a man who very much agreed with this belief. He, himself, once said, “Teaching a woman is like giving more venom to a snake!” The worst thing about him was that he arranged for his daughter to marry Meander whom she viewed as a horrible and careless man. However, Pandora’s stepmother, Charis the Spartan, was the complete opposite. She grew up in Sparta where women had more freedom and rights. Charis was Pandora’s role model whom she considered mother and best friend. They were the only two who understood each other the most and kept each other’s secrets!

One day, Pandora was taking a trip to the Fountain House to get water. She was surprised by the large crowds there at a place of no gatherings and was about to see with her own eyes the Wise One, Socrates. He was unlike all philosophers. Once Pandora saw him, she knew he was different and was blown away by his just thoughts and critical thinking! He actually supported women! His rebellion against unreasonable thinking was bravely shown and was a mystery to her. But more importantly, she was mystery to him, especially her name! He told her the story of the first Pandora who opened the box that the gods had commanded her never to open! She was the most beautiful girl the gods had ever created, but at the same time was cursed by her disobedience and let all the curses in the box escape to fill the earth. Pandora was proud to carry her name at the beginning of the story, but by the end she felt shame, felt a burden on her shoulder! The Wise One insisted that she would meet him again at the same time next week which Pandora was glad to accomplish but just in secret!

The last thing that Pandora wanted was for anyone to be suspicious about her meeting with the wise one. She waited for him for a long time at the Fountain House, but he never came. She decided to leave before she was questioned about anything that can get her in a tornado of trouble. On her way home, the most amazing thing happened that she considered a “sign from the gods”. A young man named Phoenix, one of Socrates disciples and the man whom Pandora eventually had fallen in love with, told her that Socrates invited her to a party. He thinks she will benefit greatly and grow in wisdom from the discussions there. This sounded unrealistic to Pandora, because only men were allowed to attend. To make this work, Phoenix told her about a plan to get her to out of the house and cut her hair to look like a boy!

She got away with out! Her father never found out about anything except about the haircut which he was extremely angry about. Pandora was now a new person and changed more as she spent more time with Socrates and Phoenix. Socrates almost considered Pandora his daughter and knew that she thought differently than the rest of the society who was against him. He kept emphasising to Phoenix whenever Pandora was there, that he should be very careful and glad because he was standing with a precious jewel. Phoenix, Socrates, and Pandora were so tight that they would give up their lives for each other, specifically the Wise One! For the Wise One may die but his wisdom never died out in their hearts. First, the death penalty by the government was for his teachings (they thought that by teachings of rights and independence he was destroying young lives) but then death finished him before the time of the penalty! After all this chaos, there were only Pandora, Phoenix, and silence between them. As a disciple of Socrates, Phoenix could not remain in Athens. He had to go. “We must go...” said Phoenix, “There is too much to lose, I can’t contemplate being without you. Please say yes.” Will she be willing to face all dangers and risks just for love? In this plan she could get caught and lose her life? Would she flee knowing she’s with him or let him go being dragged away by the wind?

Christian Perspective:

This book was definitely not written from a Christian perspective, because the story is within the time period before Jesus’ birth. Also, the characters believed in Greek mythology, for example, the story of the first Pandora. A very man-biased society is definitely not a Christ-like one. In the bible, it is very clear that men and women are equal. In genesis it is mentioned that we were created in the image of God, and it was written, “… male and female he created them.” Therefore Alcander was surely mistaken, especially in forcing his daughter into marriage without her having any say. Jesus never forced but gave advice, which were two things Alcander did not understand the difference between. God gave all of us free will. That would be everyone, including women! Pandora shouldn’t have kept secrets either, but instead should’ve stood up for what is right without sneaking around and getting herself in trouble! When Jesus was growing up, it is written that he was obedient yet bold, which would’ve been a great solution to her problem with Alcander! If the characters’ actions were more Christ-like, there would’ve been a drastic change in the story!

My Thoughts:

I chose this book, because I am very interested in learning about Greek culture, especially the struggles of living in such place and era. I personally loved this book. I thought it was very well-written and the author left a lot of parts in there for the reader to picture, especially the last scene when Pandora had to make her final decision. It was very dramatic and also full of mystery! I recommend this book to the students in our classroom since we just learned about Greek History. I recommend it to history lovers, because it is not just the content but also the everyday life you get to picture. If you are one of those people you will not be able to stop yourself!