Nov Reads

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1. Nefertiti by Michelle Moran
 I read this book mostly in October to get myself in the mood for making Blockette's Halloween costume.  It was written through Nefertiti's sister's point of view.

I don't know much about Egyptian history, so I can't vouch for the historical accuracy of the plot.  It was, however, a very well written, intriguing story.  I liked it so much that I went and checked out:






 2. Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran
 This was a sequel of sorts, in that it was the story of Nefertari, supposedly Nefertiti's niece. Another great read if you are in the mood for Egyptian historical fiction.  I really like the voice of this author.  The library carries another book by Michelle Moran, and that is on my immediate to read list as well.


3. Shadow Spinner by Susan Fletcher
 After reading two "grown up" books in a row this month, I lightened things up by reading a juvenile fiction book with a middle school target audience.  This story is an interesting twist on the tale of Shahrazad.  The premise is that she has run out of stories, and it is Marjan's mission to obtain new ones.  This involves subterfuge that could get her killed.  Another great author, so I checked out:


4. Alphabet of Dreams by Susan Fletcher

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Like Shadow Spinner, Alphabet of Dreams was also set in the ancient Middle East.  This girl and her brother were noble, but from a family who tried to over throw the King.  The main character and her brother are forced to go into hiding, where she lives, disguised as a boy.  The girl's little brother develops this ability to divine the future of a person by sleeping with an item of their clothing.

To my surprise (the jacket, back flap, and cover picture of the book from the library gave no indication of this) this story turned out to be one about the journey of the Magi!  I think this book is a great way to get teens engaged and thinking about the Christmas story.