A Place in the Sun [Paperback]

Jill Rubalcaba (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

When Senmut's sculpting chisel slips from his fingers, accidentally killing a sacred dove, Egyptian priests exile the 9-year-old boy to a lifetime of hard labor in the gold mines of Nubia. Wrenched from his family, forced to endure brutal guards and unending heat, Senmut turns to the one thing he loves best -- his sculpture. Can it set him free? "The suspense never flags, and details of the period are so smoothly integrated that the action never slows, either." -- Booklist "An exciting and information-filled adventure. The details of the daily life, customs, and beliefs of the people are wonderfully revealed through the words and deeds of the characters. The story has enough excitement to capture the interest of even the most reluctant readers." -- School Library Journal

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

When a young sculptor in 13th-century B.C. Egypt accidentally kills a sacred dove, he is sentenced to a lifetime of hard labor in the Nubian mines. Ages 8-12. (Nov.)r
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6. When his sculptor father is bitten by a cobra, Senmut believes that if he can carve a statue of the healer-goddess Sekhmet that will please her, she will help save Yuf. But as the boy works, he carelessly throws aside a tool, accidentally killing a dove. This thoughtless act, in the ancient Egypt Rubalcaba has re-created, means a death sentence for Senmut, unless the gods intercede on his behalf. They do, and instead of a quick death, the boy is sentenced to work in the mines, which will lead, he knows, to a slower, but no-less-sure, demise. How the protagonist escapes this fate and, by virtue of his talent and some good luck, survives to become Royal Sculptor to the Pharaoh, makes for an exciting and information-filled adventure. The details of daily life, customs, and beliefs of the people are wonderfully revealed through the words and deeds of the characters. The story has enough excitement to capture the interest of most reluctant readers. While several of the events rely on coincidence, careful plotting and foreshadowing prepare readers for some of the ensuing action. The prologue, for example, is told from the cobra's perspective and cleverly sets the stage for what follows. The places and objects are so well described that they can be easily visualized by children unfamiliar with Egyptian artifacts. A substantial glossary helps to identify and explain unfamiliar terms. A fine story for enjoyment or as curriculum support for units on ancient Egypt.?Linda Greengrass, Bank Street College Library, New York City
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (November 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0141301236
• ISBN-13: 978-0141301235
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #953,021 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I liked it; it was a perfect book., November 14, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: A Place in the Sun (Hardcover)

A Place in the Sun is about a boy named Senmut who lives in Egypt. He must go to the mines of Nubia for a serious crime. Read A Place in the Sun to find out what the crime is. I like Senmut's adventures. His adventures can go from roaring in the desert to spying on thefts. I do not like their gross food. I would recommend this to a quiet person or an adventurous person. I would recommend for you to be 9 or up to read this book. Alex, age 9

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't stop reading this book., April 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Place in the Sun (Paperback)

A great read with lots of emotion. This book gave me a really good feeling of ancient Egypt and made me feel like I was there. I felt like I could have been Senmut because he was a boy my age and seemed to be like me. I learned lots about Egypt while enjoying the characters and setting.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A little dark but not bad, March 7, 2011

By 

Will Riddle "and Jaime Riddle" (Cincinnati) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Place in the Sun (Paperback)

I am a really picky homeschooler, and I have been challenged to find wholesome books on Ancient Egypt this year. I approached "A Place in the Sun" with some hesitancy because I was very disappointed with "Maia of Thebes" and some of the other literature often recommended in the homeschooling catalogs I have. Either the recommendations are too dark and spooky, or too liberal and feminist. I have young boys, so I was looking for something that was not too challenging either. This is easier than "Cat of Bubastes" for example.

"Place in the Sun" worked for us ok. I wish it had been a little better---more uplifting tone, maybe, or not quite as stop-start in the pace---but I read it aloud to my 7 and 8 year olds, and they liked it all right. I think they sensed that a typical story on Egypt is not going to be light and lively. There's slavery in the story, punishment, and hardship. But the story works well for boys because the main character is a boy around that age, who has feelings a lot like theirs even though the setting is thousands of years ago. My kids are bright but needed a lot of interpretation of what was going on, though, so I'm glad it was a read aloud. If they had read it silently (which they could have because the vocabulary and length wasn't that challenging), I think most of it would have gone over their heads. They needed help with the culture gap (i.e. names of gods/goddesses, the way the temple and justice system worked, the sociology of cursing/pledges that went on) but they also needed help with literary devices (i.e. foreshadowing, time jumps, some symbols here and there). They got it, though.

Having read Rubalcalba's other non-fiction book on Egypt, I know she knows what she's talking about. She seems to have first hand knowledge of the civilization and I think my boys walked away knowing what living in ancient Egypt as a boy would have really been like. But as thankful as I am for that, it's a totally secular book with little to really make it a proactive good read. There's not even a moral really. I wouldn't seek it out, I guess... I would just use it if you needed it to fill a niche, like I did.