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Boy of the Pyramids: A Mystery of Ancient Egypt
Boy of the Pyramids is the heartwarming story of the unlikely friendship that forms between an Egyptian nobleman's son, Kaffe, and Sari, a slave girl from the Sinai region. Together, they come to understand each other’s cultures, learn the traditions and farming methods of the people who live along the Nile, uncover foul play during a bullfight, find themselves in danger while seeking adventure, understand Egyptian beliefs about the afterlife, and ultimately solve the mystery that is woven throughout the tale. This is an engaging story of family love, compassion, sacrifice, bravery, loyalty, and adventure!
100 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1952
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 113 reviews
September 6, 2019
I started reading this with my kids because they're studying ancient Egypt right now. When the story first started it was a bit slow, but it became more interesting as we read on.
Kaffe and Sari, the main characters, have much to learn about each other and their cultures. Kaffe is a ten-year-old Egyptian boy and Sari is the family's slave girl. Together they experience adventure with a bull fight, harvest feast, and they even uncover a mystery as some jewels go missing from a pyramid.
The story contains themes of family, love, compassion, and has plenty of adventure. The author does a great job giving the reader an idea what it was like to live during this time period by sharing aspects of the culture including foods, celebrations, farming, clothing, and what the climate was like.
Not only did we read the physical book, but we listened to the audio on Audible as well. The narrator was good, but a few of the words were switched up. It's certainly a quick read. Overall, we enjoyed it.
4****
Kaffe and Sari, the main characters, have much to learn about each other and their cultures. Kaffe is a ten-year-old Egyptian boy and Sari is the family's slave girl. Together they experience adventure with a bull fight, harvest feast, and they even uncover a mystery as some jewels go missing from a pyramid.
The story contains themes of family, love, compassion, and has plenty of adventure. The author does a great job giving the reader an idea what it was like to live during this time period by sharing aspects of the culture including foods, celebrations, farming, clothing, and what the climate was like.
Not only did we read the physical book, but we listened to the audio on Audible as well. The narrator was good, but a few of the words were switched up. It's certainly a quick read. Overall, we enjoyed it.
4****
August 19, 2023
What a delightful surprise! It was both engaging and fun, while being a good source for learning about ancient Egypt.
Kaffe, and his slave girl, Sari, have all kinds of daring adventures together. But none are as exciting as the last one.
Your family will enjoy reading this aloud together! Just think of the book as having little adventure stories and less mystery though - I thought the title was a little misleading.
Geography: Egypt
Ages: 5 - 13
Cleanliness: mentions some Egyptian traditions and gods.
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Kaffe, and his slave girl, Sari, have all kinds of daring adventures together. But none are as exciting as the last one.
Your family will enjoy reading this aloud together! Just think of the book as having little adventure stories and less mystery though - I thought the title was a little misleading.
Geography: Egypt
Ages: 5 - 13
Cleanliness: mentions some Egyptian traditions and gods.
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! And be sure to check out my bio page to learn a little about me and the Picture Book/Chapter Book Calendars I sell on Etsy!
September 2, 2022
Perfect living book to introduce my 1st grader and pre-k to ancient Egypt. They got a sense for how people lived, what people ate, family and societal dynamics, etc, all through the eyes of nine and ten year old kids they could relate with. They were riveted by the half-chapter we read each night before bed. The lack of pictures was stretching for them in a good way.
February 25, 2017
I knew this was a children's book, but the target audience was younger than I expected.
It's a nice little story and older kids can pick up a few tidbits of Ancient Egyptian history in the reading, but it's better read aloud to younger kids ( ages 5 - 10) and the olders just reading it themselves.
It's a nice little story and older kids can pick up a few tidbits of Ancient Egyptian history in the reading, but it's better read aloud to younger kids ( ages 5 - 10) and the olders just reading it themselves.
May 9, 2022
Reading this story during our study of Egypt with the kids helped bring to life the ancient world we had been learning about in a fun way.
October 14, 2022
An unexpected gem! This was the perfect read-out-loud for my boys (8 & 6) for our study about Ancient Egypt this school year. It was engaging, fun, and living book that reinforced what we have been learning about Egypt. It also started some really good conversations about kindness, selflessness, and slavery.
September 5, 2013
I wasn't going to read this book. I was simply going to let my daughter read it for her history lessons. However, after reading a paragraph for her dictation, I became interested. This was a shorter book and I was able to read it in just a few hours, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
October 30, 2020
Read-aloud wuth my kids and we all enjoyed it!
October 30, 2023
Read this with Gwen as we study Ancient Egypt, and she really loved it. A fun, short little story that includes some good tidbits about life in Ancient Egypt and a bit of mystery flavor thrown in.
February 3, 2016
I read this in third or fourth grade, enjoyed it and then mostly forgot about it. Then lo and behold, I discovered it again. Originally published in 1950, it was reissued in 2007. And it has held up wonderfully.
Oserkaf, called Kaffe, is a ten-year-old boy who lives in ancient Egypt, in the time of the great Pharaoh Khufu. Kaffe's father, Socharis, is a great nobleman, a personal friend of Khufu's from childhood and now in charge of the making of the fine objects Khufu will be putting in the great tomb he is building for himself. Kaffe is a child of much privilege, but he already has responsibilities, and as the story begins he is looking forward to a trip to the city of Memphis with his father. Kaffe is proud that he has fourteen copper rings to spend as he wishes; these are the earnings from the two wheatfields his father gave him.
The first stop in Memphis is the slave market where Socharis wants a new field hand and a woman to work for Kaffe's mother. Kaffe dislikes the slave market, especially the sight of slaves being separated from their families, so when a shifty character named Anhotep leads them to a family of "Sand People" (Socharis explains that they come from Sinai, unlike the more common Nubian slaves) and announces he plans to buy the daughter to be trained as a dancing girl, Kaffe makes up his mind that this family will not be separated. Socharis plans to buy the parents, but is hesitant to anger Anhotep by bidding against him for the child, but Kaffe insists on using his own money to preserve the family.
Anhotep is furious but is clearly unable to pay very much, and Kaffe succeeds in purchasing the little girl for thirteen of his precious copper rings. With the extra one, he buys her a doll.
And so begins Kaffe and Sari's adventures. Sari quickly learns the language, and she and Kaffe, though master and slave, become fast friends. Kaffe is an only child and Sari is a welcome playmate, and the children enjoy playing ball, exploring, and learning about each other's homelands.
At harvest time, Socharis hosts a lavish party, and as a gesture of goodwill, invites Anhotep to attend. Anhotep accepts and brings his fine new bull to fight Socharis's famous bull, Red Boy. Socharis is surprised that Anhotep, who couldn't go beyond thirteen copper rings for a slave girl, can afford a fine bull like the one he has just bought. The fight (meant only to be a shoving match) quickly gets out of hand when Red Boy is unexpectedly injured, and the party breaks up. Sari's father Ben proves to have a gift for caring for animals, and is able to calm Red Boy down and treat the injury, which was caused by the other bull's sharp horn. And it's Ben who finds the wooden ball that had fallen off the bull's horn, and Ben who points out to Socharis the fact that the ball had been previously cracked, raising the possibility of sabotage on the part of Anhotep.
Kaffe and Sari are intrigued, but soon they have more exciting things to think about. Fascinated by Sari's descriptions of the Sand People's nomadic, herding lifestyle, so different from his own, Kaffe suggests that they pretend they are herding cattle to a new oasis, and Sari readily agrees. The children pack a lunch and set off across the valley toward the cliffs that mark the edge of the desert, which seem quite near. They have so much fun imagining and pretending that it's late in the day when they realize the cliffs are much farther away than they seem, and decide to turn back toward home.
Unbeknownst to them, the annual Nile flood, which the Egyptians depended on to fill their irrigation ditches, has begun, and soon Kaffe and Sari find themselves stranded and unable to cross the last deep ditch that will lead them onto the high road. Things look pretty grim, until suddenly they see a litter being carried toward them. In the litter is Anhotep, who is as surprised to see the children as they are to see him, but has his tallest slave cross the rapidly filling ditch and bring the kids across, and gives them a lift home. The kids sit on a large chest at the foot of the litter, and Anhotep seems in a hurry, leaving the kids at the gate to their villa without coming in to speak with their parents.
Soon after this, Socharis must make a trip to Memphis to visit the Pharaoh and check on the progress of his own tomb. He takes Kaffe and Sari with him, and the children are awed by Khufu's magnificent pyramid and the work of the slaves completing it. They are just as impressed with Socharis's tomb, especially the beautiful paintings that are being applied to the inner walls, depicting all manner of scenes from everyday life and the stories of the gods and goddesses.
Next stop is a lapidary where Socharis is having some jewelry made for his wife, and while he is choosing the stones to set in them, Kaffe and Sari look around the shop. Sari accidentally knocks over a basket of stones, and as she gathers them up, she finds an unusual green malachite carved with a hawk's head. The stone is chipped on one side, and when Socharis sees the stone, he immediately recognizes the stone, and hurries to Khufu's palace. Sure enough, Khufu confirms that the stone came from a ring owned by and entombed with his own father Sneferu, and there is only one conclusion to be drawn: Sneferu's tomb has been robbed!
Khufu assigns Socharis to investigate, and Socharis agrees and plans to travel to the tomb at night. Kaffe and Sari are sent to bed, but they want very much to go along to the tomb, perhaps encounter the robbers and see a fight. So they slip out and hide under the cushions in the litter and thus stow away to Sneferu's tomb. Unluckily, a feather from a cushion causes Kaffe to sneeze, and Socharis is highly displeased to find them hiding in his litter, but he cannot send them back to the palace at this late stage. He promises them that they will be punished first thing in the morning, and he warns them that they are to behave themselves and stay with the litter carriers and guards while he inspects the tomb.
So it is that Socharis carries a torch into the tomb and disappears, and after a long wait, the kids spot his torchlight, returning along the tunnel. As it draws nearer, however, they see it is not Socharis at all, but the tomb robber, and Kaffe, acting on instinct, headbutts the man and knocks him to the ground, just before a wounded Socharis makes his way out of the tomb. He just has time to recognize the tomb raider before the man bolts and flees.
And so Kaffe's and Sari's disobedience is absolved, and Khufu is delighted that his father's tomb is safe. The raider has escaped but as Socharis explains, he will have to leave the country and never come back, for robbing from the dead is an unforgivable offense for which a man will be put to death. Khufu rewards Kaffe, his parents and Sari with valuable gifts, and announces that it is time for kaffe to begin his education at the palace, with the Pharaoh's own children. Kaffe is excited and honored, but wonders about what will happen to Sari, and his mother assures him that she will educate Sari at home and teach her the things a girl should know how to do. This is also a rare honor bestowed upon a slave, and both children are delighted.
The book is rich in descriptions of everyday life in ancient Egypt, from farming to festivities and the bustling life of the city of Memphis, and the characters are vivid and well-drawn. At first glance, it seems a bit simplistic, but as an adult you see the complexity of some of the relationships portrayed. Khufu and Socharis grew up together as friends, and they remain so, even though Khufu holds the power of life and death over Socharis and everyone else in Egypt. Sari is Kaffe's slave, but Kaffe cares for her almost like a sister, and she returns his affection.
A wonderful story of friendship, intrigue and adventure, all playing out in one of the most highly developed and vibrant of ancient cultures.
Oserkaf, called Kaffe, is a ten-year-old boy who lives in ancient Egypt, in the time of the great Pharaoh Khufu. Kaffe's father, Socharis, is a great nobleman, a personal friend of Khufu's from childhood and now in charge of the making of the fine objects Khufu will be putting in the great tomb he is building for himself. Kaffe is a child of much privilege, but he already has responsibilities, and as the story begins he is looking forward to a trip to the city of Memphis with his father. Kaffe is proud that he has fourteen copper rings to spend as he wishes; these are the earnings from the two wheatfields his father gave him.
The first stop in Memphis is the slave market where Socharis wants a new field hand and a woman to work for Kaffe's mother. Kaffe dislikes the slave market, especially the sight of slaves being separated from their families, so when a shifty character named Anhotep leads them to a family of "Sand People" (Socharis explains that they come from Sinai, unlike the more common Nubian slaves) and announces he plans to buy the daughter to be trained as a dancing girl, Kaffe makes up his mind that this family will not be separated. Socharis plans to buy the parents, but is hesitant to anger Anhotep by bidding against him for the child, but Kaffe insists on using his own money to preserve the family.
Anhotep is furious but is clearly unable to pay very much, and Kaffe succeeds in purchasing the little girl for thirteen of his precious copper rings. With the extra one, he buys her a doll.
And so begins Kaffe and Sari's adventures. Sari quickly learns the language, and she and Kaffe, though master and slave, become fast friends. Kaffe is an only child and Sari is a welcome playmate, and the children enjoy playing ball, exploring, and learning about each other's homelands.
At harvest time, Socharis hosts a lavish party, and as a gesture of goodwill, invites Anhotep to attend. Anhotep accepts and brings his fine new bull to fight Socharis's famous bull, Red Boy. Socharis is surprised that Anhotep, who couldn't go beyond thirteen copper rings for a slave girl, can afford a fine bull like the one he has just bought. The fight (meant only to be a shoving match) quickly gets out of hand when Red Boy is unexpectedly injured, and the party breaks up. Sari's father Ben proves to have a gift for caring for animals, and is able to calm Red Boy down and treat the injury, which was caused by the other bull's sharp horn. And it's Ben who finds the wooden ball that had fallen off the bull's horn, and Ben who points out to Socharis the fact that the ball had been previously cracked, raising the possibility of sabotage on the part of Anhotep.
Kaffe and Sari are intrigued, but soon they have more exciting things to think about. Fascinated by Sari's descriptions of the Sand People's nomadic, herding lifestyle, so different from his own, Kaffe suggests that they pretend they are herding cattle to a new oasis, and Sari readily agrees. The children pack a lunch and set off across the valley toward the cliffs that mark the edge of the desert, which seem quite near. They have so much fun imagining and pretending that it's late in the day when they realize the cliffs are much farther away than they seem, and decide to turn back toward home.
Unbeknownst to them, the annual Nile flood, which the Egyptians depended on to fill their irrigation ditches, has begun, and soon Kaffe and Sari find themselves stranded and unable to cross the last deep ditch that will lead them onto the high road. Things look pretty grim, until suddenly they see a litter being carried toward them. In the litter is Anhotep, who is as surprised to see the children as they are to see him, but has his tallest slave cross the rapidly filling ditch and bring the kids across, and gives them a lift home. The kids sit on a large chest at the foot of the litter, and Anhotep seems in a hurry, leaving the kids at the gate to their villa without coming in to speak with their parents.
Soon after this, Socharis must make a trip to Memphis to visit the Pharaoh and check on the progress of his own tomb. He takes Kaffe and Sari with him, and the children are awed by Khufu's magnificent pyramid and the work of the slaves completing it. They are just as impressed with Socharis's tomb, especially the beautiful paintings that are being applied to the inner walls, depicting all manner of scenes from everyday life and the stories of the gods and goddesses.
Next stop is a lapidary where Socharis is having some jewelry made for his wife, and while he is choosing the stones to set in them, Kaffe and Sari look around the shop. Sari accidentally knocks over a basket of stones, and as she gathers them up, she finds an unusual green malachite carved with a hawk's head. The stone is chipped on one side, and when Socharis sees the stone, he immediately recognizes the stone, and hurries to Khufu's palace. Sure enough, Khufu confirms that the stone came from a ring owned by and entombed with his own father Sneferu, and there is only one conclusion to be drawn: Sneferu's tomb has been robbed!
Khufu assigns Socharis to investigate, and Socharis agrees and plans to travel to the tomb at night. Kaffe and Sari are sent to bed, but they want very much to go along to the tomb, perhaps encounter the robbers and see a fight. So they slip out and hide under the cushions in the litter and thus stow away to Sneferu's tomb. Unluckily, a feather from a cushion causes Kaffe to sneeze, and Socharis is highly displeased to find them hiding in his litter, but he cannot send them back to the palace at this late stage. He promises them that they will be punished first thing in the morning, and he warns them that they are to behave themselves and stay with the litter carriers and guards while he inspects the tomb.
So it is that Socharis carries a torch into the tomb and disappears, and after a long wait, the kids spot his torchlight, returning along the tunnel. As it draws nearer, however, they see it is not Socharis at all, but the tomb robber, and Kaffe, acting on instinct, headbutts the man and knocks him to the ground, just before a wounded Socharis makes his way out of the tomb. He just has time to recognize the tomb raider before the man bolts and flees.
And so Kaffe's and Sari's disobedience is absolved, and Khufu is delighted that his father's tomb is safe. The raider has escaped but as Socharis explains, he will have to leave the country and never come back, for robbing from the dead is an unforgivable offense for which a man will be put to death. Khufu rewards Kaffe, his parents and Sari with valuable gifts, and announces that it is time for kaffe to begin his education at the palace, with the Pharaoh's own children. Kaffe is excited and honored, but wonders about what will happen to Sari, and his mother assures him that she will educate Sari at home and teach her the things a girl should know how to do. This is also a rare honor bestowed upon a slave, and both children are delighted.
The book is rich in descriptions of everyday life in ancient Egypt, from farming to festivities and the bustling life of the city of Memphis, and the characters are vivid and well-drawn. At first glance, it seems a bit simplistic, but as an adult you see the complexity of some of the relationships portrayed. Khufu and Socharis grew up together as friends, and they remain so, even though Khufu holds the power of life and death over Socharis and everyone else in Egypt. Sari is Kaffe's slave, but Kaffe cares for her almost like a sister, and she returns his affection.
A wonderful story of friendship, intrigue and adventure, all playing out in one of the most highly developed and vibrant of ancient cultures.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 13, 2024
I like this historical fiction of Egypt. It's simple with some excitement to the plot and paints a detailed picture of what regular life might be like in the time of Pharoah Kufu. It's a predictable bad guy and ending, and no great arc occurs in the characters, but that doesn't really seem to be the point. It's the setting that is the focus and feels more like a fable from long ago in Egypt than a novel. It is very enjoyable for younger kids.
February 16, 2022
A fun story of ancient Egypt with some adventure and suspense. My 11 yr old really enjoyed it.
June 1, 2023
2023 - read aloud with W age 8
March 5, 2024
Listened to this audiobook as a family and we all really enjoyed the adventures of Zhari and Kafay. We all learned about life in ancient Egypt and my kids were thrilled with the mystery component of the book. It was fun to see my middle boy solve the case.
August 30, 2025
My kids and I enjoyed this quick read! We discussed the episodes of the slave market, the building of the pyramids, and tomb raiding. Really enriched our study of Ancient Egypt.
March 26, 2024
I read this to my 4 and 6 year olds and they loved it! It’s great for vocabulary too.
Read
November 26, 2024My boys (ages 5&6) loved this book about Egypt and it really flavored their imagination. It's an enticing and informational story that teaches without being dry.
July 27, 2020
My elementary aged kids (6 & 9) have been studying ancient Egypt in our homeschool. It's a fascinating subject, and there are a bazillion books for children written on the topic. Based on the number of books borrowed from the library and various friends, besides the ones in our own home library, I think we've read about half a bazillion. This one was completely new to me, and I'm so glad I tracked it down.
It's a good overview look at life in ancient Egypt written during the time that Khufu's great pyramid was being built. Our protagonist is a nobleman's son who buys a slave girl at the market and becomes best friends with her. We follow their everyday adventures together, and in that way explore the world of ancient Egypt.
My kids thoroughly enjoyed this, and I liked it too. We listened to The Golden Goblet on Audible a couple months ago, and while that was probably more exciting and suspenseful, there was also a very sad undercurrent. This is a lot happier--probably unrealistically happy, actually. Everyone is kind and reasonable and the slaves are content to serve a good master. :/ But it's a children's book, after all, and geared for elementary aged kids.
There's a good look at life in ancient Egypt. You get to explore the geography, sudden flooding of the Nile, feast days, how the social hierarchy works, the Egyptian look at the afterlife, and pyramids, of course. Perfect for kids studying ancient Egypt.
It's a good overview look at life in ancient Egypt written during the time that Khufu's great pyramid was being built. Our protagonist is a nobleman's son who buys a slave girl at the market and becomes best friends with her. We follow their everyday adventures together, and in that way explore the world of ancient Egypt.
My kids thoroughly enjoyed this, and I liked it too. We listened to The Golden Goblet on Audible a couple months ago, and while that was probably more exciting and suspenseful, there was also a very sad undercurrent. This is a lot happier--probably unrealistically happy, actually. Everyone is kind and reasonable and the slaves are content to serve a good master. :/ But it's a children's book, after all, and geared for elementary aged kids.
There's a good look at life in ancient Egypt. You get to explore the geography, sudden flooding of the Nile, feast days, how the social hierarchy works, the Egyptian look at the afterlife, and pyramids, of course. Perfect for kids studying ancient Egypt.
September 17, 2019
What an unexpected gem. Read for homeschool and I love how the information about Egypt (what we're studying) was so seamlessly interwoven in the engaging story. I actually feel so sad to have finished today after reading it slowly over the last few weeks to correspond to the lessons. My 7 yr old asked if there were other books with Kaffe and Sari after we finished :)
It is an easy read, works great as a read aloud, exciting story line, the hardest part is the pronunciation for me. Kaffe rhymes with safe and we googled Sari and pronounced it like S-air-y rhymes with Mary. Really positive relationships in the story between Kaffe and his parents and between them and their slaves. Highly recommend and will be keeping this one to read over again.
It is an easy read, works great as a read aloud, exciting story line, the hardest part is the pronunciation for me. Kaffe rhymes with safe and we googled Sari and pronounced it like S-air-y rhymes with Mary. Really positive relationships in the story between Kaffe and his parents and between them and their slaves. Highly recommend and will be keeping this one to read over again.
September 20, 2025
**Content Considerations** Distinct Elitist themes, Ethnocentric undertones, Animal cruelty.
This book was written in 1952 and has clearly NOT aged well!! I'm a moderate conservative and not necessarily a proponent of "woke" or DEI ideology, but there was still a lot in this story that bothered me. On the surface, the story seems cute and warm and fuzzy: Kaffe, the main character, is a son of an Egyptian nobleman who purchases Sari, a young slave girl, to prevent her from being separated from her family. They become friends and through their mischievous plotting, help solve a mystery to find out who has stolen precious artifacts from a Pharaoh's tomb.
On one hand, this book has some educational value in that readers learn that slavery was a commonly accepted practice in Ancient Egypt, that bull-fights were a common source of entertainment, and that social hierarchy existed then as it does now. We learn that from an Egyptian worldview, slavery was necessary, as their culture could not exist without it. (Sounds familiar, right? Weird how history repeats itself!) I don't think we should shy away from stories that tell the uncomfortable truth. Without learning about the atrocities of history, we cannot prevent them from happening again.
What bothers me, however, is the way the author chooses to approach slavery, in that it feels more like complicit acceptance and borderline justification of the practice. Slaves are viewed and described as objects rather than humans. Nobles are carried on litters from here to there without any consideration that their mode of transportation is powered by human toil. There is no point at which any of the main characters stop to consider the morality of slavery in general.
At first, Kaffe seems to be sympathetic in recognizing that it is wrong to separate a child from its parents because they are slaves. His father is purchasing Sari's parents while Anhotep, the antagonist, is interested in buying Sari to make her a dancing girl. Kaffe prevents their separation by outbidding Anhotep at the auction. He uses all of the money his father has given him from the harvest of his fields (which were harvested by slaves) to buy Sari instead of a dagger, which was his original plan. But then his words and actions contradict his supposed generosity when he treats Sari like a pet puppy:
"May Sari sleep at the foot of my bed, like Num?"
"No indeed," answered his mother. "She will sleep with her own family in her own house, where she belongs."
"But Mother, she's MY slave!"
In another instance Kaffe and Sari are viewing paintings of Kaffe's father:
'And there on the wall was a painting of Socharis in his big, carved chair, with a tiny slave kneeling before him.
"Why has the painter made your father so big and the slave so small?" asked Sari.
"Because Father is a very important person and the slave is not important at all," explained Kaffe.
"Oh," said Sari.'
Never does the author imply that anyone even considers if this elitist attitude is true or should be accepted or not. Sari just replies with an indifferent "Oh." Kaffe doesn't consider whether his explanation is appropriate, nor how his detached attitude might offend his slave-turned play-mate. The author provides no insight to Kaffe's thoughts about whether this slave girl that he insists on accompanying him on all of his adventures has any thoughts, feelings, or desires of her own.
Obviously, this book was written before the civil rights era and therefore the author and the readers of that time were accustomed to different terminology. On page 11 the author explains "Negroes were called Nubians in Egypt because the name of the country from which they came was Nubia." Additionally, today's readers will notice that this was written before the politically correct term "enslaved person" was coined, and it is obvious how the humanity of the conquered people has been removed from the objectifying and repeated use of the term "slaves." In 1952 there was no other word or term to use.
There is also a graphic description of a bull-fight that animal rights activists of today would have a fit over.
From the little I was able to find out about the author, she was from a family who helped in the underground railroad during the US Civil War. So it is interesting to me to wonder, why did she choose to present slavery in such a way that doesn't even question its morality? Why does this story have Elitist undertones that promote the idea that one type of human is superior to another because of their race or social status? The only answer I can come up with is that even in the 1950s when the book was written, despite having witnessed the horrors of WWII and having ancestors who were clearly not in favor of slavery, American society (and the literature it produced) still had a long way to go towards recognizing these subtle attitudes that perpetuate incorrect ideas about human equality.
I hesitate to recommend this book unless you plan on having some serious, deep discussions with students about all of the incorrect messages that are woven into the story. I'm actually very surprised that this book is recommended on so many conservative booklists. I was really hoping that because of the short length of the book and the basic storyline, that I could give it to my 8 and 11 year old boys to read in our study of Ancient Egypt, and maybe I still will, but only with the caveat that we will have lots of discussions about all the things that are wrong with the attitudes of the main characters. On the other hand, the educational content about Ancient Egypt could be better obtained through other stories, and our reading time might be better served by skipping this one.
This book was written in 1952 and has clearly NOT aged well!! I'm a moderate conservative and not necessarily a proponent of "woke" or DEI ideology, but there was still a lot in this story that bothered me. On the surface, the story seems cute and warm and fuzzy: Kaffe, the main character, is a son of an Egyptian nobleman who purchases Sari, a young slave girl, to prevent her from being separated from her family. They become friends and through their mischievous plotting, help solve a mystery to find out who has stolen precious artifacts from a Pharaoh's tomb.
On one hand, this book has some educational value in that readers learn that slavery was a commonly accepted practice in Ancient Egypt, that bull-fights were a common source of entertainment, and that social hierarchy existed then as it does now. We learn that from an Egyptian worldview, slavery was necessary, as their culture could not exist without it. (Sounds familiar, right? Weird how history repeats itself!) I don't think we should shy away from stories that tell the uncomfortable truth. Without learning about the atrocities of history, we cannot prevent them from happening again.
What bothers me, however, is the way the author chooses to approach slavery, in that it feels more like complicit acceptance and borderline justification of the practice. Slaves are viewed and described as objects rather than humans. Nobles are carried on litters from here to there without any consideration that their mode of transportation is powered by human toil. There is no point at which any of the main characters stop to consider the morality of slavery in general.
At first, Kaffe seems to be sympathetic in recognizing that it is wrong to separate a child from its parents because they are slaves. His father is purchasing Sari's parents while Anhotep, the antagonist, is interested in buying Sari to make her a dancing girl. Kaffe prevents their separation by outbidding Anhotep at the auction. He uses all of the money his father has given him from the harvest of his fields (which were harvested by slaves) to buy Sari instead of a dagger, which was his original plan. But then his words and actions contradict his supposed generosity when he treats Sari like a pet puppy:
"May Sari sleep at the foot of my bed, like Num?"
"No indeed," answered his mother. "She will sleep with her own family in her own house, where she belongs."
"But Mother, she's MY slave!"
In another instance Kaffe and Sari are viewing paintings of Kaffe's father:
'And there on the wall was a painting of Socharis in his big, carved chair, with a tiny slave kneeling before him.
"Why has the painter made your father so big and the slave so small?" asked Sari.
"Because Father is a very important person and the slave is not important at all," explained Kaffe.
"Oh," said Sari.'
Never does the author imply that anyone even considers if this elitist attitude is true or should be accepted or not. Sari just replies with an indifferent "Oh." Kaffe doesn't consider whether his explanation is appropriate, nor how his detached attitude might offend his slave-turned play-mate. The author provides no insight to Kaffe's thoughts about whether this slave girl that he insists on accompanying him on all of his adventures has any thoughts, feelings, or desires of her own.
Obviously, this book was written before the civil rights era and therefore the author and the readers of that time were accustomed to different terminology. On page 11 the author explains "Negroes were called Nubians in Egypt because the name of the country from which they came was Nubia." Additionally, today's readers will notice that this was written before the politically correct term "enslaved person" was coined, and it is obvious how the humanity of the conquered people has been removed from the objectifying and repeated use of the term "slaves." In 1952 there was no other word or term to use.
There is also a graphic description of a bull-fight that animal rights activists of today would have a fit over.
From the little I was able to find out about the author, she was from a family who helped in the underground railroad during the US Civil War. So it is interesting to me to wonder, why did she choose to present slavery in such a way that doesn't even question its morality? Why does this story have Elitist undertones that promote the idea that one type of human is superior to another because of their race or social status? The only answer I can come up with is that even in the 1950s when the book was written, despite having witnessed the horrors of WWII and having ancestors who were clearly not in favor of slavery, American society (and the literature it produced) still had a long way to go towards recognizing these subtle attitudes that perpetuate incorrect ideas about human equality.
I hesitate to recommend this book unless you plan on having some serious, deep discussions with students about all of the incorrect messages that are woven into the story. I'm actually very surprised that this book is recommended on so many conservative booklists. I was really hoping that because of the short length of the book and the basic storyline, that I could give it to my 8 and 11 year old boys to read in our study of Ancient Egypt, and maybe I still will, but only with the caveat that we will have lots of discussions about all the things that are wrong with the attitudes of the main characters. On the other hand, the educational content about Ancient Egypt could be better obtained through other stories, and our reading time might be better served by skipping this one.
January 4, 2013
A great living book. It gives another view of ancient Egypt, this time from an Egyptian noble family. After enjoying the stories of Moses and Joseph repeatedly, my older girl is interested in this story. We are still reading the story together, as a read-aloud, but I already went ahead and finished it.
November 12, 2018
My 7-year-old gave this 5/5.
We read it as part of our study of ancient Egypt. He enjoyed the mystery of it. Well-told and a good read-aloud. Will read it again when my girls are older (my 5-year-old listened for some and enjoyed, but was off playing on her own for other parts so she didn't get the whole story)
We read it as part of our study of ancient Egypt. He enjoyed the mystery of it. Well-told and a good read-aloud. Will read it again when my girls are older (my 5-year-old listened for some and enjoyed, but was off playing on her own for other parts so she didn't get the whole story)
March 17, 2019
For some reason, my child wasn't that interested in this book. It is a good living book for an ancient Egyptian study though. Reminded me of a Scooby Doo mystery.
October 5, 2023
Fun read aloud
January 17, 2022
I read this aloud to my six-year-old and eight-year-old. It is an upbeat mystery set in ancient Egypt. My kids enjoyed it and willingly entered into the spirit of each episodic adventure. Overall it heightened their interest in the setting and helped them form a more vivid picture of some aspects of Egyptian life.
The point of the book is not, perhaps, to be historically accurate. It is a vintage reprint, and although the protagonist’s family is ostensibly “Egyptian,” they are really upper class, turn-of-the-century Americans in disguise. Even Pharaoh, when he makes an appearance, is quite approachable and friendly.
The author also shields young readers from anything dark about the setting. For example, the youthful protagonist saves one of the other characters from a man who wants to make her into a “dancing girl” (a fate which my children did not understand and I did not fully explain–they were probably visualizing the life of a ballerina!) by purchasing her and making her his enslaved playmate. As I said, these people are really turn-of-the-century folks in disguise; and she is treated like a deserving peasant girl plucked from the gutter to play with the young lord until both can grow up to take on their own stations in life. Very nice and all, but not realistic. The question for me is whether or not a book like this gives my kids a picture of ancient Egypt that they will have to “unlearn” later.
It definitely illustrates the different approaches of vintage vs. contemporary children’s writers. Modern authors tend to use historical stories primarily to explore questions of social justice or to write about living with integrity in a hostile world. The weakness of this approach is that authors often veer too far into the negative and teach children to immediately sit in judgment on people of the past before attempting to understand them.
In contrast, vintage children’s authors tend to emphasize the ways in which people of other civilizations were the same as we are. These stories are typically light-hearted adventures meant simply to interest children in the times and places they would study later in school. Whereas most modern kids’ historical fiction is about a person who is good because she rejects the norms of her own era, vintage kids’ fiction tends to be about someone who is good because he lives in harmony with his community and era.
It all comes down to The Big Question: What is the purpose of historical fiction, particularly for children? In addition, since no book–particularly one for young children–can do everything at once, what should children learn first when they begin to study history?
The point of the book is not, perhaps, to be historically accurate. It is a vintage reprint, and although the protagonist’s family is ostensibly “Egyptian,” they are really upper class, turn-of-the-century Americans in disguise. Even Pharaoh, when he makes an appearance, is quite approachable and friendly.
The author also shields young readers from anything dark about the setting. For example, the youthful protagonist saves one of the other characters from a man who wants to make her into a “dancing girl” (a fate which my children did not understand and I did not fully explain–they were probably visualizing the life of a ballerina!) by purchasing her and making her his enslaved playmate. As I said, these people are really turn-of-the-century folks in disguise; and she is treated like a deserving peasant girl plucked from the gutter to play with the young lord until both can grow up to take on their own stations in life. Very nice and all, but not realistic. The question for me is whether or not a book like this gives my kids a picture of ancient Egypt that they will have to “unlearn” later.
It definitely illustrates the different approaches of vintage vs. contemporary children’s writers. Modern authors tend to use historical stories primarily to explore questions of social justice or to write about living with integrity in a hostile world. The weakness of this approach is that authors often veer too far into the negative and teach children to immediately sit in judgment on people of the past before attempting to understand them.
In contrast, vintage children’s authors tend to emphasize the ways in which people of other civilizations were the same as we are. These stories are typically light-hearted adventures meant simply to interest children in the times and places they would study later in school. Whereas most modern kids’ historical fiction is about a person who is good because she rejects the norms of her own era, vintage kids’ fiction tends to be about someone who is good because he lives in harmony with his community and era.
It all comes down to The Big Question: What is the purpose of historical fiction, particularly for children? In addition, since no book–particularly one for young children–can do everything at once, what should children learn first when they begin to study history?
June 5, 2024
I personally didn't enjoy reading this aloud very much. I originally wanted to rate it a 3 but thought about how my sons enjoyed it and learned and decided a 4.
Read aloud to the boys (ages 8, 6).
This was an ancient history lesson but with Leave It To Beaver vibes. The ancient Egyptian boy and his parents constantly saying things like, "Why! I say." Or, "My! What a day!" Little giggles of knowing parents, watching childhood antics. The pharoah of Eqypt laughing at an excited boy who came to talk to him as he sits on the throne. This atmosphere got old me for quick and I did not feel immersed in ancient times at all.
But for kids that really enjoy things like the Boxcar Children, this is a fun book that does give the setting of ancient Egypt and lots of little historical bits that the kids picked up on. It was a nice time to talk to them about this historical period and was a good supplement to our study of ancient history this past year.
I was expecting a higher quality read aloud. But this would be a good book for an advanced third grader or the average 4th/5th grader to read independently.
No mystical elements, no mummies or ghosts. But it does mention Egyptian gods, burials, and the slave market.
I recommend it enough and enjoyed it better than other historical fiction I've read from the time period.
Read aloud to the boys (ages 8, 6).
This was an ancient history lesson but with Leave It To Beaver vibes. The ancient Egyptian boy and his parents constantly saying things like, "Why! I say." Or, "My! What a day!" Little giggles of knowing parents, watching childhood antics. The pharoah of Eqypt laughing at an excited boy who came to talk to him as he sits on the throne. This atmosphere got old me for quick and I did not feel immersed in ancient times at all.
But for kids that really enjoy things like the Boxcar Children, this is a fun book that does give the setting of ancient Egypt and lots of little historical bits that the kids picked up on. It was a nice time to talk to them about this historical period and was a good supplement to our study of ancient history this past year.
I was expecting a higher quality read aloud. But this would be a good book for an advanced third grader or the average 4th/5th grader to read independently.
No mystical elements, no mummies or ghosts. But it does mention Egyptian gods, burials, and the slave market.
I recommend it enough and enjoyed it better than other historical fiction I've read from the time period.
September 14, 2020
This book is the perfect introduction to Ancient Egypt for a 1st - 3rd grader. My seven year old loved the adventures of 10 year old Kaffe, and I was impressed with the historical content woven through the story from Khufu's pyramid at Giza to the yearly flooding of the Nile. This book was written in the 1950s, so parents need to be aware that black people (the Nubians) are referred to as negroes. However, you must remember that this was actually the politically CORRECT term in the 1950s, so the author is actually being sensitive in using that word. I confess, however, that I skipped the term when reading it out loud to my son. The story also depicts slavery, which was common and accepted in Ancient Egypt, without any commentary from the narrator, so I would stop and talk to my son about the immorality of slavery. Of course, he already knew from our Bible study of Exodus that Egypt had slaves, so this was not a shock to him. In my opinion, if you want your kids to understand Ancient Egypt, you have to tackle this subject, so it was fine with me. Just want parents to know the content so they can be prepared!
September 13, 2019
My sons' curriculum included this book as part of the history lessons. There are parts of this book that were really cool to learn about in regards to how ancient Egyptians lived, but other parts of it that just seemed a bit odd or unnecessary to have included.
This story is about a young boy who makes his own money in his wealthy Egyptian home. He wants to go to the market to spend it on buying himself a knife, but instead buys a slave girl so that she doesn't get "separated" from her parents (yet he has her with him all the time where she isn't always with them, and she is still a slave, but :: sigh :: I understand history did things in this way and that I can't expect history to change for my desires while reading it - however, I feel it kinda makes it seem like slavery was okay in regards to the message they bring forth at times, while other times they look down on slavery - but hardly). The book is about a disobedient spoiled child who usually just gets away with his actions, and that is what bothers me the most.
This story is about a young boy who makes his own money in his wealthy Egyptian home. He wants to go to the market to spend it on buying himself a knife, but instead buys a slave girl so that she doesn't get "separated" from her parents (yet he has her with him all the time where she isn't always with them, and she is still a slave, but :: sigh :: I understand history did things in this way and that I can't expect history to change for my desires while reading it - however, I feel it kinda makes it seem like slavery was okay in regards to the message they bring forth at times, while other times they look down on slavery - but hardly). The book is about a disobedient spoiled child who usually just gets away with his actions, and that is what bothers me the most.
January 26, 2024
I dreaded reading this book with my eldest, but my daughter loved beginning her history lessons with a chapter every morning. In many ways, the book brought history to life and helped us learn about the culture of ancient Egypt. Because the book is outdated, I do question the historical accuracy since so much has been discovered since. My daughter says it deserves 4/5 stars and I was thinking 2 so we met in the middle. She could've easily read this book on her own, but we traded reading pages as an excuse to snuggle. I think this book is enjoyable for kids between ages 6-10, my 5yo wasn't engaged and it was beneath the reading level of my eldest, but not quite enough to make it boring for her.
I don't love the underlying message about slavery, nor the irritating main character, Kaffe, who is extremely spoiled.
Definitely wouldn't read it again, but it was tolerable enough not to hide it.
I don't love the underlying message about slavery, nor the irritating main character, Kaffe, who is extremely spoiled.
Definitely wouldn't read it again, but it was tolerable enough not to hide it.
October 19, 2022
Ancient Egypt: pyramids, fighting bulls, and hieroglyphics -- and a mystery to solve! This is a historical fiction for elementary-aged readers and a great supplement for studying ancient Egypt.
Ten-year-old Kaffe and his slave girl friend have many happy adventures together, until there's missing jewels from a pyramid. They set out to catch the thief along with Kaffe's father.
A great story about friendship, character, courage, and family. I especially love the illustrations throughout, which are helpful for imagining ancient Egyptian life.
⚠️Slave trade is part of story because of historical significance; age appropriate references.
Ten-year-old Kaffe and his slave girl friend have many happy adventures together, until there's missing jewels from a pyramid. They set out to catch the thief along with Kaffe's father.
A great story about friendship, character, courage, and family. I especially love the illustrations throughout, which are helpful for imagining ancient Egyptian life.
⚠️Slave trade is part of story because of historical significance; age appropriate references.
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