Short description
Orphan of the Sun is a story.
Long description
Thirteen-year-old orphan, Meryt-Re, lives with her uncle's family in the ancient Egyptian village of Set Maat, the home of the pharaohs' tomb-builders. Under pressure to marry Ramose, a dull, plodding stonecutter, she resists, and begs for guidance from the gods, but she's unable to decipher the message behind her vivid dreams. When her cousin falls gravely ill, her uncle accuses her of turning the gods against him and banishes her from the house. Meanwhile, Meryt discovers other strange and suspicious activities going on in the village: Why is Userkaf, a boisterous draughtsman, trying to cause trouble by making accusations against one of the foremen? And why is his servant girl stealing precious and holy gold amulets from the embalmers? Meryt's worried too, that her aunt Tia seems to think that her father has not gone peacefully to the Next World, and when she discovers Tia is not the only other person to have been making offerings to him in his tomb, she is even more puzzled. It is not until she meets Teti, the village wise woman, that Meryt can begin to unravel the meaning of her dreams and in so doing, solve the mysteries surrounding her.
Review
A spirited girl with a gift for predicting the future unravels secrets plaguing a village in ancient Egypt. As an orphan, 13-year-old Meryt-Re occupies a precarious position in Set Maat, a village housing craftsmen who build the royal tombs of the New Kingdom. Tormented by her cousin Baki, Meryt never feels welcome in her uncle Senmut's crowded house. Senmut is eager to see Meryt married to a plodding stonecutter she barely knows, especially since her ability to foretell events has many villagers wondering if she is under the power of Sekhmet, goddess of pestilence and destruction. When Baki becomes gravely ill, Senmut blames Meryt and banishes her. Haunted by strange dreams, the homeless Meryt turns to Teti, the village rekhet, who teaches her to use dreams to find the truth. With the welfare of her family and friends threatened by mysterious events, Meryt follows her instincts and eventually solves the puzzle. Harvey deftly weaves historically accurate details of daily life in sun-scorched Set Maat into an intriguing plot. Fascinating fodder for budding Egyptologists. (glossary, maps) (Historical fiction. 8-12) (Kirkus Reviews)