Be a Scribe! Working for a Better Life in Ancient Egypt

by Michael Hoffen, Christian Casey, Jen Thum

An immersive story of daily life in ancient Egypt.

This extraordinary translation of a tale by Michael Hoffen, a 16-year-old young author, will acquaint readers with the life of a teenage boy in ancient Egypt and show readers that working for a living has never been easy!

Sail up the Nile with an ancient Egyptian father and son and discover what daily life was like along the way. Experience the wonderful world of ancient Egypt with the help of countless artificats and paintings. Delight in four-thousand-year-old humor and immerse yourself in the choices facing a teenage boy in Egypt then.

Genres: Nonfiction, Childrens

96 pages, Hardcover

Published April 9, 2024

Reviews

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book. This is an actual piece of writing from ancient Egypt, the Instruction of Khety, translated from the original papyrus version and beautifully presented, with gorgeous illustrations. A fascinating read, and a great gift for a young person facing the same issues young Khety did nearly 4,000 years ago.

[CharlotteReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book is a delightful read, a translation of an Egyptian text, advising a young boy to become a scribe for various reasons. The book has great images from museum collections, explanations of hieroglyphics, pronunciation keys, commentary, and a fair bit of humor. Totally recommend it. The visuals are a nice break from Mc Dowell's Village Lige in Ancient Egypt. I'm not certain on the target age group.

[Holly Merrin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I preordered this book and waited a while for my copy, but wow! So worth it! It contains so much history, with a fictional glimpse into this mysterious and ancient world. I bought it for my nephew, as it’s pitched for younger readers, but I’m getting a second copy for myself. Beautiful images and interesting information told in an enjoyable and completely readable way. Kudos to the authors.

[Meredith Spidel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is ridiculously impressive, especially considering it was written by a 16-year-old! Packed with facts and information about life in ancient Egypt, it's excellent organization and style of parceling topics in two-page spreads makes it easy to digest and study for young readers. Loads of images for each topic help illustrate and make history REAL. Incredible work I predict will be oft-used as a teaching and instructional tool. Thanks for sending an ARC my way, Callaway! Well done, Michael and team!

[R.R. Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great, easy read full of fascinating details about living and working in Ancient Egypt. Well illustrated with maps and photos of models, tomb items, statues, tomb paintings, etc, that give vibrant context to the text. And a simple breakdown of some key hieroglyphs. The over-arching story of a father advising his son to seek a better a life as a scribe shows that good parenting has not changed all that much!

[Antoinette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing translation of an ancient Egyptian papyrus. Khety takes his son Pepi on a journey up the Nile to enroll him in a school to learn how to be a scribe. Well-illustrated with lots of interesting information about life in Egypt's Middle Kingdom era. Perfect for any reader, young adult, adult, even a senior like me.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredibly informative and well-illustrated translation of a 4,000-year-old "wisdom text". An Egyptian father, travelling with his teenage son, urges the boy to become a scribe in order to escape drudgery. Will surely fascinate youngsters who are interested in ancient Egypt. I learned a lot!

[Lesli · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I love mythology and this book is really good, it reads like an encyclopedia. Shouldn't even our non-fiction be interesting and engaging?

[Debbie Topf · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much information, so understandable.