Escape from Egypt
From the Series Scarlett and Sam
One minute, twins Scarlett and Sam are bickering about who’s going to read the Four Questions at the Passover seder. The next minute, they’ve been swept up by Grandma Mina’s time-traveling carpet and dumped in the ancient Egyptian desert! And as if being stranded 3,000 years in the past isn’t bad enough, they also find their fellow Hebrews suffering in slavery. So they team up with Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to help free the slaves. The future’s looking bright! But the story they know so well doesn’t turn out the way they expected…
| Format | Your Price | Add |
|---|---|---|
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978-1-5124-9429-7
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$19.99 |
Author: Eric A. Kimmel
Eric A. Kimmel has been writing for children for more than 40 years. His 100-plus titles include such classics as Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock and The Chanukkah Guest. He lives in Portland, Oregon.
Illustrator: Ivica Stevanovic
Ivica Stevanovic has illustrated numerous picture books, as well as book covers and graphic novels. He lives in Veternik, Serbia, with his wife, who is also a children’s illustrator, and their daughter.
Reviews
Jewish Book World
“Twins Scarlett and Sam are quarreling while their parents and grandmother are getting ready for the Pesach seder. Their quarrel leads to a trip on their grandmother’s magic carpet that transports them back in time to ancient Egypt. Although they are still in their modern garb they are mistaken for Hebrews of the time and are taken into slavery. After a harrowing experience, they escape and become part of Moses and Aaron’s entourage as they request and then demand that Pharaoh lets the Hebrews leave. The storyline remains quite true to the Biblical text with some midrashim incorporated in order to enhance the story. An extra wrench is thrown into the story when Scarlett and Sam befriend Pharaoh’s oldest son. Kimmel incorporates sibling rivalry between Pharaoh and Moses, time-travel references including quotes from television shows and podcast narratives, and premonitions as Sam and Scarlett are familiar with the Torah story. This book can serve as a discussion starter for parsha discussions or the Pesach seder at school or at home.
Stevanovic’s sketches enhance the story providing visuals of Aaron, Moses, Sam, Scarlett, and other key characters.” — Jewish Book World
Jewish Journal
“a Passover-themed book that seems to be the first to fill a much-needed niche in Jewish children’s literature.” — Jewish Journal
Foreword Reviews
“Magical realism and Jewish history merge in this exciting adventure in which twins Scarlett and Sam travel back in time to Egypt to help Moses convince Pharaoh to free the slaves. Simple language makes it easy for kids to absorb the story, and the two unique main characters deliver witty remarks. Energy, suspense, and Jewish scholarship sweep Scarlett and Sam off their feet, literally, and into a world of peril and delight. Ages seven and up.” — Foreword Reviews
Kirkus Reviews
“Kimmel keeps the story flowing at a rapid pace, employing 21st-century tone and syntax for the twins as well as the ancients with whom they interact . . . it’s accessible for modern young readers of all religions and makes it possible for them to gain a modicum of understanding of this distant, biblical past.” — Kirkus Reviews