Pharoah's Secret

by Marissa Moss

Great book.

Genres: Fantasy, Mystery, Middle Grade, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Adventure, Childrens

308 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2009

About the author

Marissa Moss has written more than seventy books, from picture books to middle-grade and young adult novels. Best known for the Amelia's Notebook series, her books are popular with teachers and children alike. Her picture book Barbed Wire Baseball won the California Book Award gold medal. Moss is also the founder of Creston Books, an independent children's publishing house.

Reviews

[Laura Smith · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is floating around grade school libraries and shouldn't be. I loved the Egyptian history, lore and mystery, but the story itself was difficult to follow with multiple names for many of the characters, intricate implied plots and a maturity level too high for grade schoolers. This book is better suited for the high school set due to sexual triangles between pharaoh's and their advisors, resulting in illegitimate children, evil nightmares with haunted images, vicious dead pharaoh's curses, hearts being swallowed and bleeding walls. However, I wouldn't recommend it to teens either - again the plot is disjointed and characters hard to keep track of. The mystery itself is interesting, and tying in ancient Egypt with modern day is exiting. The clues, gifts and tombs are fascinating and make for a good story. I think the editor should have smoothed over hard to understand phrases and awkward narratives, either gearing this story to a more acceptable PG level or ramping it up to a full- fledged thriller. As it is, it sits in-between without an appropriate audience.

[Raechella · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of this book pretty much reminds me of Rick Riordan’s Kane Chronicles. Centers on Egypt. Siblings—a boy and a girl. Dad’s an Egyptian scholar. Mom died a few years back. Dad takes the siblings to a museum where it will all begin. Girl’s a whiny little thing. Boy’s a certified geek.

To be honest, the very reason why I picked up this book is because of its appealing cover. Yes, I have a weakness for pretty covers. A sanguine disposition naturally envelops me every time I see them—they seem to taunt me with their intriguing charm and eventually draws me in. Hence, I couldn’t help but devour their pages once I get a hold of them.

So, pretty cover… but was it pretty inside?

The Egyptian context in this book was largely intriguing, given the fact that almost everything was well-researched and based from pure history. The love affair between the sole female pharaoh Hatshepsut and her architect Senenmut was all-consuming, that I was completely compelled to investigate the said claims. And as it turns out, there really are records in history that attest the intimacy between them; otherwise, how do you explain Senenmut becoming one of the most powerful men in the country with his ignoble blood? Or was it his natural talent that caused this rise to power?

Although engaging most of the time, still, it was boring at times. I greatly prefer the historical framework rather than the story itself. There weren’t any cloak and dagger schemes that will make every reader quiver with trepidation and desperately heave as each cryptic fact unfolds. The protagonists weren’t even distinguishably memorable; I don’t feel anything for them. They were simply paper cut-outs stuffed inside the story to create darling characters.

And what was that with the antagonist? He isn’t as creepy as Talibah describes him. He doesn’t even draw much attention to become noteworthy of fear. If the siblings were paper cut-outs, then he’s merely a sketch on a pad.

The verdict? Possibly if I have read this when I was younger, preferably in my elementary years, I would have terribly enjoyed this. The premise was really catchy, but the seemingly mundane storyline snatched it from its effulgence. However, the derivative Egyptian backdrop compensated for the missing facets that still made it a fairly acceptable read.

[Alicia Alonso · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is one of the awesomest books in all time!
This book is amazing!
It is a mix of adventure, mystery, and ancient egyptian history.

[Shannon O'Flynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually liked this book with all the history in it. Im very into Egyptian history so that might have something to do with it. The only thing that really really annoyed me about this books (and the reason I only gave it 3 stars) is because everything that happened seemed so much like a coincidence. The kids literally had to do NOTHING to solve the mystery of what happened to Senenmut.

For example:
The two kids were trying to figure out how to break into the tomb when Adom mentions he could just pick the lock (a normal thing every young kid knows how to do right?). Then, Talibah goes into the bathroom for some reason and spots a scorpion and runs down to the front desk with Adom to complain to the hotel. Then, the decide to get dinner and magically get a key to the tomb served to them along with their meal. Like wowww! Could it get anymore set up?

[Kathie Yang · Rating 4 out of 5]

great fun book for kids, maybe 10 and up. there's some violence and heavy themes about parent death (not a spoiler) so watch out for that. fun tie in's with ancient egypt, and i liked the drawings throughout showing different landmarks or cartouches. one slightly transphobic comment, which felt very random and out of place. ending was a bit rushed. but overall i found myself rushing through the pages to find out what happens next, both as a kid and now.

reminiscing reading challenge #4 (hopefully more to come much sooner/faster)
rating: 4 stars

[maya]

the kane chronicles had nothing on this

[Tessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A small fun read. Not to complicated and a simple story.

[Ofilia · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first I was a bit thrown by how similar this book is to Riordan's The Red Pyramid--at least in premise: a brother and sister who have lost their mother and their dad is a professor of Egyptology. They get caught up in ancient magic and end up having to set things right. I liked this book more than I liked Pyramid, but it still drags a bit towards the end. It is a natural choice for kids who really enjoyed the new Riordan book and does have quality moments of adventure and intrigue. Lots of info on ancient Egypt specifically Hatshepsut and her court. Sometimes the info can get a bit overwhelming, but I like the way Moss interweaves info about the artifacts to support her fiction. I really liked the drawings that were included throughout, that really enhanced the narrative. I also appreciated the author's note at the end where she explained what was true and what was not. There is also a very emotional element to this in that these two kids are still mourning their mother and their father is quite distant when it comes to this subject at first. By the end there is a lovely healing moment and they have all grown from their pain. I felt that some details were repeated to the point of annoyance for example I cannot count how many times Talibah mentions that she cannot stand being touched or around Rashid. And we hear about how snake like he is a lot. But overall, it is a grand adventure that is very informative, yet fun.

[Aurora · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is by no means a Rick Riordan book, but, if you're looking for something similar that involves ancient Egypt, or you're just into all things Egypt (like half my family), then this book is definitely for you. It's not as action-packed as The Kane Chronicles, definitely not as long, and it's not as intense either, but it's still a pretty good read and involves information about one of Egypt's greatest pharaohs and the first female, Hatshepsut. I seriously have never heard of her until now, and I must say, my curiosity is peaked. So now I'm off to find more about Egypt's great female pharaoh, but I also wonder, will this book fill you with a desire to know about the great queen?

[Gail Carriger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Present tense narration not withstanding, and infodumps navigated with some difficultly, I was still left with a pleasant taste in my brain after having read about a modern girl with Egyptian heritage visiting Egypt for the first time. There Talibah and her little brother get involved in a plot to expunge Queen Hatshepsut's name from the record books.
If you are considerign this for a young reader who has interest in Ancient Egypt you might also try Mara, Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw, which is a long time favorite book of mine.

[Denise · Rating 2 out of 5]

S'ok. Meh. A lot of telling you what's going on, instead of showing. The saving grace is the neat-o Egyptology stuff.

[Olivia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably 3*. I don't know.

The Pharaoh's Secret has to do with a pair of siblings, Talibah and Adom, and their search to unravel a, well, secret of Hatshepsut.

I think that the book makes the actual history of the early-ish 18th Dynasty of Egypt interesting and gives actual emotional content to the lives of Hatshepsut; Neferrure, Hatshepsut's daughter; and Senenmut, Hatshepsut's royal steward. That's the good.

Of the not-so-good, well, Talibah's father writing Cleopatra off as a weak puppet of Rome certainly doesn't help, but largely what I didn't like was the contrivance. There are these people known as the Servant of Hatshepsut that show up at crucial moments to deliver just exactly what the kids need to achieve their goals.

The actual secret is kind of a letdown as well. We find out that not only were Hatshepsut and Senenmut having a physical relationship, but that said relationship began while Hatshepsut was still Great Royal Wife of Thutmose II and that Senenmut was the real father of Neferure. I can't even.

I'm basically giving this a higher rating than I might otherwise think it deserves partially for the historical information on Hatshepsut and company and also for the B plot, which is a family still reeling from the loss of their wife and mother five years later, which was handled very well indeed.

[Marina K · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the coolest thing I've read in ages. The sketches are awesome and the idea of the book is tremendous. Everything about the book is magical, the talking sphinxes, the moving obliques, the drawings on the temple wall that suddenly come to life, all was amazing that feeds the imagination. I was amazed by the true details she knew about Egyptians that I felt she was Egyptian.
There are only two things I didn't like in this book:
1- Her exageration about the dust made me feel offended as an Egyptian
2- The names of the two main heroes aren't named in Egypt at all. Talibah and Adom??? What are these names? Even if the meaning of Talibah's name was the the truth, it isn't even a name. What about Adom? I think she meant the name Adam but she misheard it when she was in Egypt. Adam is a common name in Egypt. The rest of the names like Rashid and Anwar are common but Talibah and Adom weren't a good choice.

[Sahara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a pretty good book. I really enjoyed how much history and mystery Moss incorporates into the book. She makes it easy to follow the events, and adds many twists. However, I feel like the first few chapters are choppy, making it hard to get into the book, but overall it is a good middle school book.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun book that I would have loved to have read in middle school. I enjoyed it now as a quick read. Also, as one who lost a mother at a young age, the author really got it right about it hitting hard again when you are a teenager and feeling guilty about upsetting your father trying to talk about it.

[Caroline Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books. I'm 27 now and it it's still on my bookshelf. Strong themes of family, connection to a past and figuring out who you are. This is a book that will spend the time. Readers who like mythology who like a little bit of fantasy with their history will adore this classic tale. I promise you your kids will thank you.

[Jeimi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Pharoah's secret is a really good book. It has been four years since I read this, but it is really good.
I was about eight when I read it, it was a little creepy at times, but it was very awesome!

[Twyla · Rating 3 out of 5]

It didn't really seem very interesting until the end, and even then it wasn't as good as I had hoped. My favorite part was when Talibah and Adom escaped the tomb alive. My least favorite part was when Rashid trapped them down there with a cobra.

[Cat Moreschi · Rating 5 out of 5]

it definitely didn’t hit as hard as it did when i was a kid, but it was still a fun read. plus, it’s got a fairly accurate depiction of hieroglyphs and egyptian customs that a lot of modern stories featuring ancient egypt don’t have

[Mary Fatima · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am more surprised by the fact that the story could be the possibility of what really happened to the characters Senenmut and the Pharaoh.

I'll give this story a good 3.8/5
The writer's way of writing the story 5/5.
Enjoyable book.

[Lori · Rating 1 out of 5]

i tried so hard to like this. I am a huge Ancient Egypt need, but this for me was like pulling teeth.

I got 4 chapters in and was not impressed,so I went to the end and started reading it forward to see if it gets better at any point.

[Kelly Carey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I only read this book because it was about Ancient Egypt. It reminded me of the Theodosia and the Staff of Osiris series.

[Belva Shelor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read, little like reading a history book more so than a story. In other words dry and preachy but still enjoyed

[Cassandra Westover · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great adventurous book for younger readers! I loved it in middle school!

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing! I love how they are part other people! In this story they are trying to learn about their mom.

[Amira Azmi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learn lot of things regarding Hatshepsut, the woman Pharaoh. I always love Egytian history, so I like this book.

[Clare · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an alright book, it did have a better premise then execution however.

[Tony Tagialuchi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Totally unsuitable for young kids.

[Pascale · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one very much... until I found out how the author explained everything that happened. That disappointment ruined it for me.

[Xemrah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Family, Bereavement, Female lead, Mystery, Egypt, Historical

I love all things Egypt and unfortunately, I really didn’t enjoy this book.

The biggest thing i loved about it was the fact that it was based on actual historical people and events with fiction weaved in as well as addressing family issues during tough times and how each family member may struggle. In this regard, it was a very awesome book!

What really ruined it for me were to big things: the clunky narrative and the reasoning for hating the villain. The narration felt very choppy, trying to be witty and draw attention to obvious things, but it just didn’t quite hit the mark. In the book, the main character instantly dislikes who we MUCH LATER find out is the villain but there is no real reason why. That wouldn’t necessarily be a problem because that “feeling” is explained appropriately in the end. However, for the vast majority of the book, the lead says horrible things about the character among other over-the-top negative reactions and until the end, I really just couldn’t make myself agree. I figured he was gonna be the bad guy because it was thrown in my face that I must hate him for some reason, but he didn’t actually do anything for me to personally agree with that sentiment. In the end, his short-lived villainy felt forced and with the nature of why he was a villain, i almost felt bad for him.

I liked it for the exciting historical bits and all the pieces of the the puzzle coming together in a mysterious adventure, but the above noted things were too forced to make it a fantastic read.