We love reading aloud (well, actually, I do most of the reading – the children love the listening). I try to have at least one “just for fun” read aloud every month or so. “Just for fun” is anything that is unrelated to any of our schoolwork. Our history and pre-schooler’s school time features many things we read aloud, so having something “just for fun” is a big treat. I look for things that are not “twaddle” but reinforce strong character or other important lessons. I was thrilled to find just that in A Cry From Egypt by Hope Auer.
As soon as our copy of the book arrived, we started reading. We were immediately drawn into the story and lives of the characters. Set in ancient Egypt, we watched from the perspective of a Hebrew family as the events leading up to the exodus began to unfold. Helping the story to have more of an impact on the children, the book their Daddy started reading from the Bible was Exodus (not knowing what we had just started reading). I love how the Lord works out all these seemingly random details!
Knowing the big story in the background of the Hebrews as slaves and the plagues leading up to the exodus, allowed us to really get into the story. The story follows one family in particular as they learn to see Yahweh in action. We knew that as a whole the Hebrews were crying out for deliverance from slavery. What we did not realize, was how many had lost sight of their true God and took up the many false gods of the Egyptians. The plagues and how they were directly tied to these false gods became much more clear to the children through our reading of this great story. We are all eagerly anticipating a sequel.
A Cry From Egypt is a historical fiction novel written by Hope Auer, a recent homeschool graduate. What began as a school assignment at age 13 has turned into the beginning of a series, The Promised Land. We are not only looking forward to reading more of this series, but anything else Ms. Auer should write. She has a talent I hope she continues to share.
