[ TIRZAH ] BY Travis, Lucille ( Author ) Apr - 1991 [ Paperback ]

by TRAVIS LUCILLE

Tirzah’s people, the Israelites, have been in slavery to the Egyptians for many years. Tirzah and her lame brother, Oren, help gather straw to make bricks. She observes the suffering of her people and the injustices that are done to them by the Egyptian police. Moses begs Pharaoh to let them go, but Pharaoh makes them work harder.One night, when the plague of death strikes down Pharaoh’s own son, he allows the Israelites to flee on foot, only to pursue them with horses and chariots. He believes he will have them trapped between the mountains and the sea, but God miraculously delivers them. The Israelites celebrate with a song of hope and victory. Tirzah befriends a young Egyptian girl who has fled with them, even though others treat her badly. In spite of hardship and disappointment, Tirzah and her family keep trusting Yahweh to carry them through.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Christian, Biblical Fiction, Christian Fiction, Childrens, Historical

Paperback

First published April 1, 1991

Reviews

[Peter Mead · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just read this to my children, but I also loved it. Historical fiction following a family from enslavement in Egypt to the 12 spies fallout – the value here is to imagine what we know as biblical fact all dressed up in real lives. This is immensely helpful for preachers to be able to describe biblical realities and narratives better. Easy read, but very touching.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

My kids enjoyed it and the book followed biblical details accurately. They enjoyed it more because we have just finished studying the book of Exodus in our family worship, so picking out the real from the fictional was easy and it was a fun way to see what children like themselves may have experienced during such a time. My favorite part was the awe expressed by the main character when gazing upon the cloud of Yahweh’s glory. While this is not high literature by any means, it is a beautiful story of God’s providential care for His people, the high cost of disobedience, and redemption.

[Shari · Rating 4 out of 5]

We read this book during our study of Exodus. A wonderful living historical fiction story which really helped put us right there with the Israelite people as they witnessed the miracles of Yahweh during their exodus from Egypt.

[Victoria Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember really enjoying this book, though I don't usually like bible stories through fictional eyes.
But this one was enough removed from actual biblical things that could be skewed and it followed the historical facts. I think it is a good read.

[Christy Whitsell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book made me consider more deeply what it would have been like to go through the Exodus. Specifically how scary it would have been. It helped the grumbling and rebellions we see in the Biblical account make more sense to me as well. It showed the high death toll as the Israelites worked through obedience to and rebellion from God.

The writing was sometimes a bit stilted, and especially the second half read more like a series of vignettes than a unified story.

I will be studying Exodus in several months with the student ministry at church, and I think this book will have been beneficial to read before that deep dive.

[Ashley]

Gosh, I wanted to like this one. I really did! We made it halfway through before I decided to abandon it. I can't pinpoint what I didn't like, other than it was making me dread read aloud time. 😬

[Ebookwormy1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This insightful historical fiction about the exodus was helpful to me in illuminating the Biblical text. The author respectfully tries to flesh out what the obedient and disobedient among the tribes of Israel may have been thinking/ feeling during these tumultuous events. The narrative was challenging to me personally, as I kept feeling a strong identification with the unfaithful and not as strong an identification with the faithful.

It is not amazing writing, and some of the character development is a little rough, particularly at the beginning. Also, I found the ending extremely unsatisfying, as the author doesn't resolve much of the tension created in earlier chapters. I suppose she ends where she does because that is where the Biblical book of Exodus ends, but at least use an epilogue to sketch where our characters end up!

Nonetheless, a valuable read. Highly recommended. An excellent home school library selection.

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the perspective of the children of Israel. Not my favorite writing, but the kids enjoyed it and it was eye-opening.

[Selina Bloomfield · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple story about the children of Israel leaving Egypt. Read it with my boys as part of our homeschool curriculum. They enjoyed it.

[Challice · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was ok. It felt hard to get through at some times but it was an interesting perspective on the exodus of the Israelite nation. While the story is centered around the Jew Tirzah, and her family, my real interest was actually in the Egyptian Merrie, which seemed like a Ruth inspired story.
I also found really interesting, almost to the point of puzzlement, how of often the author pointed out blue eyes, red hair, and the differences between the Jewish and the Egyptian look. In the end, I liked how it was portrayed through the eyes of the young who don't always see or a part of the adult world. However, I think if I was using this in our homeschool, I would read the Bible account of The Exodus, and use another source like, G. A. Henty for our historical fiction which gives different cultural viewpoints.

[Aimee Fuhrman · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are looking for a good fictional retelling of the Israelites' Exodus from Egypt, this book is a wonderful option. It follows the Biblical narrative very closely while helping children imagine what it was REALLY like. Through the eyes of a Jewish girl about the age of 12 or 13, readers understand better the fears, frustrations, and internal conflict this people must have been feeling. It also sheds light into what daily life might have been like for the fleeing nation.

Because of one scene where an Egyptian girl is being prepared for sacrifice to the gods, I have given this book a PG rating. To know more about my parental rating system, visit my website SmudgePages.net.

[Bill Stutzman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good effort here at undertaking a tricky task, namely writing historical fiction around an event in Scripture. Travis does a nice job of bringinig in both texts and details from the Bible's exodus account, but that's also the dicey part, because every decision, added thought, or motive ascribed beyond the text is an interpretive decision. Still, it's a great way to get kids into the shoes of the Jewish people fleeing Egypt, especially the children who were there and would ultimately inherit the Promised Land. This book is great for interacting with children in a way that further brings the details of the Bible to life.

[Hilary Forrest · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second book we did as a read aloud for studying the Ancients in history this year was Tirzah. We really enjoyed this one over the first one we read. This one takes place as the Isrealites are nearing the end of the plagues and through the time when they were told not all of them would be able to enter the Promised Land due to their sin. The writing style of this book was much better and it made us consider parts of the Isrealites story that we had never really stopped to dwell upon.

[Tirzah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting book based on the Hebrew's Exodus from Egypt and their journey towards the Promised Land. Tirzah and her family learn about trusting God and having hope even during dark times. I recommend it to those who enjoy Biblical historical fiction, specifically late elementary-middle school children.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a sweet tale of an Hebrew girl traveling with the Israelites as they leave Egypt. It touches on key events in Exodus up until the 12 spies go into Canaan. It was interesting and well written. It keeps you wanting to read, and perfect for my 10 year old who is reading it for part of our Ancient Egypt unit in school. I would recommend it for ages 10-14.

[Brianna Osborne · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a good idea to have historical fiction at this time in history, from the point of view of the title character. But the writing was confusing as the narrative voice switched from character to character with no warning. And the title character's only interesting quality seemed to be that she was faithful.

[Marci Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this too my children, it was a nice account of the Exodus and first years of desert wandering, I think more biblical detains could have been added. My children didn’t appreciate the love interests between the tween and teen characters.

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Middle school age historical fiction about the Israelites being led into the desert by Yahweh to get to the Promised Land. The story makes the historical account more accessible, but it was a little slow.

[Meagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

My son and I read this as a history read aloud for school, and we both really enjoyed it! Some school read alouds can be boring and hard to get through, but this one was very engaging and we looked forward to reading it each day.

[Esther Bouchillon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sweet middle grade story that goes from a few plagues before the Exodus to the first group of spies in the Promise Land. It does a good job of personalizing what the experiences of the Isrealites life might have been like.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an engaging piece of historical fiction! It really made the Exodus come to life for my son and I. One recommendation: maybe write out a family tree as you go. There are lots of characters and it would help to keep everyone straight.

[Jaclyn Hinrichs · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am reading this book to my daughter as a part of our 4th grade homeschool curriculum. It is an excellent book that really helps you imagine what it would have been like for the Israelites during that time in their history. Both she and my 2nd grader (who is listening voluntairily) love it.

[Alonda | Let's Talk Bible Study · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story line is phenomenal! Follows very closely to Scripture but allows for some creative backstories. While I loved the story line, the author's writing was hard to navigate. The sentences didn't flow as easily as I was expecting. None the less, a great read!

[Danielle Wilkinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked that it took a Biblical story and put a fun, fictional spin on it. Told from the perspective of one of the Israelites, we walk the journey of faith to the Promised Land. The story is intended for children.

[Bristi Menchi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This historical fiction chronicles a middle age girl who was an Israelite when God rescued them from Egypt. It brings to life what we could imagine everyday life was like for the Israelites during this biblical time.

[Cristine Braddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

My son loved this as a read aloud. It brought the Exodus to life.

[Amber Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This brought to life the Biblical account of the Exodus in a way I've never read before. My 8 year old and I both loved it!

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this to my first grade son as part of his school curriculum. It was fine as a piece of historical fiction but did not rise to the level of great art. It was okay.

[Nankinga Atwooki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice touch to the biblical story

[Nedreika]

Characters where good and i thought the author did very good sticking to the human mind and that humans do. She also stuck close to biblical truth.