We were recently asked to review A Cry From Egypt.  This is a historical fiction book that takes place during the time of the plagues in Egypt.  The events in the book are historically accurate and recorded in the bible, however the characters and their relationships are fictional.



My son loved this book!  He is 12 years old and this book had everything he looks for in a good story.  He could not put it down.  He read it every opportunity he had.  He took it on a trip with him to read in the car, and read it at home too.



He wants to let everyone know that this is the best book he has ever read!  That is a lot coming from him as he loves to read a good story.  I tried to get him to space the reading out in between other school work, chores, and other life events.  But he would quickly finish his chore and sneak back to reading this book.  He would excitedly exclaim “Mom, your not going to believe what just happened…Mom, this is such a great book!…”

He can’t wait to get the next book in the series. It was hard for me to explain to him that the next book is in progress and not yet available.  He is begging that we get him the next book as soon as possible!

Finally, he is through the story and I can pry the book from his fingers and share a few details with you….I don’t want to spoil the whole book for you with too many details, so I will just give you a taste to wet your appetite!

 

A Cry From Egypt is about Jarah and her family.  They are Hebrew slaves in Egypt.  The book takes us through Moses’ arrival to free the Hebrew slaves, all the 10 plagues endured, and following Moses, his family, and all the Hebrews out of Egypt when the Pharaoh allowed the slaves to leave.  The book leaves off at the point of following Moses on the journey to the Promise Land.  The next book in the series will continue the story.

Throughout the story, we get to know Jarah, her family, and friends.  Jarah and all the characters are believable and the reader is totally drawn into the details of their lives and relationships.   Through out the book, Jarah and everyone around her is learning about God.  Though many of the Hebrew slaves believe in the Egyptian god’s, including Jarah’s mom, they learn about the true God of all as he answers their prayers, controls the plagues, and frees them from the grip of Egypt as he leads them out of slavery. Jarah learns about the Hebrew God Yahweh and learns to trust him by the end of the story.

The story is 176 pages.  The whole book is 193 pages and also includes a section on research with internet links, and includes a preface to the next book in the series.


            The story chapters include:
                    Rameses
                    Jarah’s Question
                    What Happened at the Nile River?
                    Triumphs and Trial
                    Frogs?
                    Thank You
                    Whose God is Real
                    A Hardened Heart
                    Ada
                    Will We Ever Be Free?
                    Broken HEarts
                    Back In The Palace
                    Trapped In The Darkness
                    Before The Pharaoh
                    The Passover
                    The Promised Land


This is the first book in the Promise Land Series written by homeschool graduate Hope Auer.  She is an accomplished story teller, author, playwright, teacher, and musician.  You can read more about her life and accomplishments at   A Cry From Egypt.com .

 

This book is published by Great Waters Press.  It is currently available for purchase online. It retails for $12.50    Hopefully soon will be in more curriculum stores and a book store near you too.  I hope this book series becomes popular around the world! 

I plan to have my son write a story map, a short book report, and fill in a map of Egypt and Israel to further the learning with book.   This is such a great book, I would encourage you to include it in your studies about the bible, Israel, world history, Egypt, science, weather, plagues, faith, and more.

Want to know more about books for boys that are interesting and build character?  I would encourage you to check out the Raising Real Men website too.

 

Be sure to check out what others on the Schoolhouse Review Crew had to say about this product.
On the main page, there is a short introduction, but click on the linky at the bottom of the page and it will take you to a list of homeschool families who reviewed this book with their families.