ORPHAN OF THE SUN
by Gill Harvey
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)