Casting the Gods Adrift

In this authentically detailed illustrated story of ancient Egypt, award-winning author Geraldine McCaughrean draws the reader into both the court of the great pharaoh Akhenaten and the heart of a troubled boy, Tutmose. Tutmose and his blind brother, Ibrim, and their animal-collector father, Harkhuf, are delivering a shipment of animals to the new pharaoh when their boat capsizes in the Nile. Their rescuer is none other than Akhenaten himself. The pharaoh finds places for all three in the royal court -- Harkhuf will continue to collect animals, Ibrim will play his lyre, and Tutmose will learn to be a sculptor. But Akhenaten turns out to be a new kind of ruler who rejects the traditional Egyptian gods. When Harkhuf discovers this, he plots a deadly revenge, putting not only his own life but also those of Ibrim and Tutmose in mortal danger.


Genre: Children's Fiction