The Lost Scroll of the Physician

In this series opener set in ancient Egypt, a girl seeks a missing scroll she believes may help save her brother's life and explain the fire that killed their parents. Since the siblings escaped the tragedy, 13-year-old Sesha has been charming a cobra to divert shop owners while younger brother Ky steals food. When they are caught and taken to the pharaoh's palace, they're recognized as the children of the late Chief Physician, and Sesha is charged with the task of finding a scroll lost ever since the fire. Uncertain whom to trust, Sesha is guarded in her search. Already literate and medically knowledgeable, she is accepted as a medical scribe trainee. Befriended by Princess Merat, she acquires allies among her fellow trainees and the handmaidens she's billeted with, who appreciate her medical skill. But her searches lead nowhere; meanwhile, time is running out for Ky who urgently needs the surgery the scroll describes. Pharaoh and his advisers are worried, too: The harvest is failing, and with the Hyksos invaders established in the north, Thebes is threatened. After an awkward opening, the story slowly comes to life, gaining momentum as the plot thickens, the circle of suspects, allies, and enemies widens, and Sesha's desperate search expands to the necropolis, a city of massive tombs. Vivid, deftly integrated historical detail about this tumultuous, fascinating era helps compensate for the somewhat stock characters. A satisfying adventure for ancient Egypt's many fans. (author's note) (Historical adventure. 9-13)

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