Moses in Egypt

by Lynne Reid Banks

A spirited retelling of the biblical story of Moses includes an insert with scenes depicting characters from the forthcoming animated feature film. By the author of The Indian in the Cupboard. Original. Movie tie-in.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Childrens, Christian, Ancient

128 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1998

About the author

Lynne Reid Banks is a British author of books for children and adults. She has written forty books, including the best-selling children's novel The Indian in the Cupboard, which has sold over 10 million copies and been made into a film.
Banks was born in London, the only child of James and Muriel Reid Banks. She was evacuated to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada during World War II but returned after the war was over. She attended St Teresa's School in Surrey. Prior to becoming a writer Banks was an actress, and also worked as a television journalist in Britain, one of the first women to do so. Her first novel, The L-Shaped Room, was published in 1960.
In 1962 Banks emigrated to Israel, where she taught for eight years on an Israeli kibbutz Yasur. In 1965 she married Chaim Stephenson, with whom she had three sons. Although the family returned to England in 1971 and Banks now lives in Dorset, the influence of her time in Israel can be seen in some of her books which are set partially or mainly on kibbutzim.

Reviews

[Wayne Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Subtitled “A novel inspired by The Prince of Egypt and the Book of Exodus,” this book is more than just a junior novelization of the well known DreamWorks film. We saw the movie and checked the related novelized story book by Jane Yolen out of the library. Author Lynne Reid Banks is best known for her books about The Indian in the Cupboard. Moses in Egypt is intended to cover the life of Moses from his birth, through his youth as a prince of Egypt, his running away, and his years in the wilderness, to his return to Egypt, his call for Pharaoh to let Israel go, and the Exodus. If one is looking for a well-written story that blends some elements of the Biblical account into a fictional setting, this is it. Banks says, “In creating the story of The Prince of Egypt, certain historical and artistic license was taken. Such creative liberties have been taken here as well. This novel is not intended to be identical to the film in all matters of character, dialogue, and themes, nor is it intended to be a literal depiction of the biblical story. The author brings her own artistic vision to the work, and has used this vision to develop her own interpretation of the story.”

I understand that. However, the problem with books like this is that in spite of such warnings, a lot of low-information readers will still conclude that “this must be the way it really was.” One person called it “a powerful, in-depth version of Moses and his leading the people of Israel out of enslavement to the Egyptians.” Uh, not really. Yes, a few of the events described actually happened, but the vast majority of the “in-depth version” is purely the author’s imagination. Some of these imaginations are within the realm of possibility, but others are in direct conflict with the account of Scripture. For example, the book pictures the incident where Moses kills the Egyptian as purely an accident. When Moses leaves Egypt, the book has him a reckless teenager or at most an immature, young twenty-something, whereas the Bible gives his age as forty years old. The book says that he was in the wilderness for fifteen years, but it was actually forty years. And the book describes Aaron as initially hostile after Moses returns to Egypt, while in the Bible Aaron actually goes out into the wilderness to meet Moses and returns with him as his biggest supporter.

Also, one reviewer wrote, “The book uses words I wouldn’t want a child to read.” I assume that this is referring to passages such as the following. “She would be his first woman, and it was time for that, but still he felt unready. He wished she had been the usual thing, some little slave girl for whom he need feel nothing but casual desire.” And I would agree with the objection. Furthermore, this statement refers to the captured Midianite whom he later meets again in the desert following her escape, another scene which is wholly without any Biblical foundation, and who ultimately becomes his wife. There are also references to drinking wine and beer, and in one scene Pharaoh is tipsy if not drunk. If a person is interested in a highly fictional book that is very loosely based on the life of a Biblical character written in exciting, page-turning fashion, this may be all right. However, it is important to keep in mind that it is NOT necessarily a completely factual story. The biggest benefit to reading the book is that it does reiterate the Biblical themes of God’s love for His people, His faithfulness to His promises of mercy for those who serve him above all others, and His insistence on absolute obedience. However, some may well look askance at taking such artistic license with a Bible story.

[Sofia Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was just as good as the movie. I just love this story.

[Charlie Easterson · Rating 2 out of 5]

The content of Prince of Egypt with none of the charm. Reads like a half remembered summary.

[Mallory Duffy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had no plot

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Moses in Egypt by Lynne Reid Banks is a retelling of the story of Moses and the Exodus based partly on the Book of Exodus and the animated film Prince of Egypt.

As a disclaimer, this review will be pretty much focused on the character of Rameses as I was only interested in reading this for what other reviews called an even more sympathetic take on Rameses. He was my favourite character in Prince of Egypt and pretty much the only reason why I love the movie.

I would disagree with the claims that the Rameses found in Moses in Egypt is more sympathetic than that found in Prince of Egypt. Rameses, in Prince, was depicted as a tragic figure – a man who wasn't evil, who was on the whole a decent man, but also a blind man with fatal flaws and a man who was conditioned to the situation. In the Bible, the character of the unnamed pharaoh is less detailed and crueller. In trying to balance the two sources, Banks' Rameses ends up as a tyrant who constantly breaks his word and has people flogged. He is the villain of Banks' retelling, rather than being neither hero or villain.

However, Moses is also less sympathetic. He's much, much more of a prat. As a young prince, we're told how he deliberately gets a brooding Rameses in trouble. He abandons his Egyptian family almost immediately finding out that he is Hebrew (interestingly, Moses stops thinking of Rameses as his brother, but Rameses continues to count Moses as his brother). And, oh yeah, upon seeing Rameses' dead son, a child who was/could have been his own nephew, Moses has this thought:

That boy who had jumped about crying, "Our gods are better!" had his answer now.

Like, it's totally okay this child is dead because now he knows the might of the Hebrew god? Because he believed in the gods he had brought up with and believed in their superiority? Spare me. It's gross and the fact that it's in a children's book makes me feel sick.

I'm sure that this book has or will be received better by people wanting a more traditional retelling of the Exodus, but it's not for me. I'll stick with the Prince of Egypt version of Rameses and Moses, thank you.

[Sabrina Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

After finally watching Prince of Egypt, I picked up this movie-to-book adaptation. I thought it looked sort of boring (I mean, if you read the original story in Exodus and watch the movie, what more is there to tell?), but I decided to actually read it when I saw it was written by Lynne Reid Banks - author of the Indian in the Cupboard series. Having loved those books, i figured I'd like to see what she would do with this story. I was a bit disappointed, however. While she adds details to the story, she fails to add many of the biblical details. I did enjoy the continuing "fleshing out" of Moses' and other's emotional state - the book goes much further than Exodus in making it a very personal account, and the format allows the author to dwell on those details and explanations as opposed to the limited, action-packed animated feature film. Perhaps necessarily because of the intended audience (this is a children's book) and length (165 pages), I found most of the characters rather flat. Moses certainly develops, but I actually enjoy the portrayal of Ramses the most - a tragic figure if there ever was one. I would love to read a novel from his perspective, though I must remember that he was a brutal taskmaster and likely murderer. From a theological standpoint, he is also fascinating, because of the implication that a "hardened heart" can have. There are many valuable lessons and warnings to be learned from his story. In any case, the book was a fun read, but I wasn't overly impressed. This would be wonderful for children to get a taste of a more realistic bible narrative, but I would caution parents interested in precise biblical accuracy to do their homework and read the book together with their child (or have the child do the necessary comparisons... that would be a fun homework assignment!).

[Gale · Rating 3 out of 5]

TO TRUST AND OBEY THE GOD OF ISREAL

This fast-paced YA novel provides easy and entertaining reading for kids of all ages, with its insightful blend of scriptural accounts and a modern animated movie. Although the dialogue and many plot details are fictionalized, Lynn Reid Banks clearly reiterates a Biblical theme: that of God's love for His people, His faithfulness to His promises of mercy and protection for those who serve him above all others, and His insistence on absolute and willing obedience. His stepbrother, Ramses, raised with Moses at the palace, rules Egypt as
the great Pharaoh at the time of the (unnamed) Exodus of the Hebrew slaves.

After generations of cruel burdens and misery the Hebrews have accepted Moses--former shepherd and former royal prince--to lead them out of their hateful bondage. Even mighty Pharaoh learns to his horror the futility of resisting the will of the one, true God of Isreal. Moses is aided in this monumental task by the loyalty of his wife, Tziporrah, his brother, Aaron, and his musical sister, Miriam. She it was who never faltered in her simple faith and firm belief that God would rescue them all. For it was Miriam who first realized that God had saved Moses's basket in the Nile as part of a mighty plan--that Moses would ultimately save an entire nation. The story relates God's steadfast purpose and how He uses chosen individuals to achieve it.

(November 26, 2010. I welcome dialogue with teachers.)

[Darlene · Rating 1 out of 5]

There is nothing wrong with this book, or the writing. For someone raised in church, there six days a week and twice or more on Sundays, this is a story I know. Not a bad story. I especially like the guile it took for the sister to lie to the Pharaoh's wife and Moses' mom to stand in as nursemaid. I can understand the reasons for doing it, lying to save lives seemed to happen often in the Bible.

Anyway, that is all I have to say. This is a BookCrossing copy, BCID 635-7295521. Now available.

[Eleni Pessemier · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was pretty good, but if you have seen The Prince of Egypt it is literally the written form of the movie. Nearly everything is exactly the same as in the movie, so if you are like me (I have seen it many, many times throughout my childhood) it may bore you a little. It seems to be geared more towards elementary school level readers; I would recommend it to readers at about a fourth grade or younger level.

[Meaghan · Rating 2 out of 5]

i read this in grade 7 for a book report. i chose a book that was for a young reading level purposely because i had to read it in one night.I procrastinated a lot in grade 7... Anyway, it wasn't as bad as i thought it would be and now i know the story of moses and the burning buch and the 10 commandments and all that stuff.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughters are currently obsessed with the movie The Prince of Egypt. This is the novelization of the film. The language is very difficult; I'm not sure what age group the book is targeted toward. I read it to my six year old, who enjoyed it.