ALA Booklist

As their reed boat sinks into the Nile and hungry crocodiles approach, narrator Tutmose, his brother Ibrim, and father Harkhuf are rescued by the pharaoh, Akhenaten. Akhenaten insists that the boys become royal apprentices and bestows honors on Harkhuf. The boys thrive in the royal setting, but Harkhuf continues to worship the traditional gods rather than the pharaoh's single god, Aten. When Harkhuf conspires to kill the pharaoh to restore traditional religion, Tutmose must choose between his father and his pharaoh. The frightening first chapter inserts the reader right into the adventure, and establishes the vivid, well-drawn setting. Graceful black-and-white sketches elucidate the narrative and engage the reader. Maps are embedded on the title page in the text but a glossary and annotated list of further readings are appended. Packed with intrigue and burnished by the lure of antiquity, this slender, suspenseful novel is also an excellent resource for ancient civilizations studies.

Horn Book (Thu Apr 01 00:00:00 CST 2004)

Setting her tale in ancient Egypt during the reign of Ahkenaten, who tried to replace Egypt's numerous gods with one sun god, McCaughrean weaves a suspenseful story of a son who believes in the new god and his conflict with a father who believes in the old ones. Ludlow's illustrations, except for the distracting human figures, add to the well-told story by supplying visual flavor.

Kirkus Reviews

Much-honored storyteller McCaughrean views the court of Pharaoh Akhenaten through the eyes of an awed young artist. Rescued from the Nile's waters and crocodiles after a shipwreck by Pharaoh's own barge, Tutmose and his brother Ibrim find themselves in the presence of a living god, who kindly offers them dream jobs as, respectively, an apprentice artist and a musician in his bustling new capital city. Tutmose's joy is tempered, though, by fears of his devoutly traditionalist father, Harkhuf, who sees Akhenaten's monotheism as a ticket to eternal misery after death, or even no afterlife at all. Complemented by Ludlow's realistically modeled figures, McCaughrean fills her tale with period detail, and winds it up to a tense climax in which Harkhuf's attempt to assassinate Pharaoh with a ceramic cat filled with asps nearly causes Ibrim's death instead. The author's thoughtful consideration of belief systems in conflict adds depth to Tutmose's lively account of life in Pharaoh's entourage, and the development of his own religious convictions. (glossary, bibliography) (Fiction. 10-12)

School Library Journal

Gr 4-6-The most famous image of Nefertiti is a carved bust attributed to the sculptor Tutmose. This is the story of the artist as a child, son of Harkhuf the animal dealer. Tutmose and his brother, Ibrim, who is blind, go to live with the pharaoh Akhenaten, and Harkhuf receives honors such as being made a "Man of Gold." The boys love their new life; Tutmose studies sculpture and Ibrim learns to play the harp. But Harkhuf is a devout follower of the old gods, and Akhenaten has declared Aten, the Sun God, as the only true god. Tutmose is torn between his father's beliefs and those of the pharaoh. He is finally convinced that the pharaoh is right, and becomes a devotee of Aten. His father, however, turns fanatical and decides that Akhenaten must be destroyed, insisting that Tutmose help him. McCaughrean has told a fine story, and though the themes and vocabulary may be advanced for the intended audience, readers will most likely just enjoy the story. The characters are lively, and the plot moves nicely. Budding Egyptologists will savor this title with its historical references and detailed backdrop.-Angela J. Reynolds, Washington County Cooperative Library Services, Hillsboro, OR Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.