The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle
by Dan Gutman (Author)
From the author of the My Weird School books, an adventure story that spans centuries and continents.
In Central Park, New York, stands Cleopatra's Needle. But what do you know about? Did you know that thousands of people worked in 1461 BCE to build it? Then hundreds more moved it, and erected it in Alexandria, where it stood for 3,000 years? So how did a monolith weighing over 200 tons get moved all the way to New York City--and in the 19th Century, no less?
In this historical fiction account by bestselling author Dan Gutman, five kids who watched the Needle at each phase of its history recount the daring story of how something that seemed to be impossible -and that nearly ended in disaster--finally succeeded against all odds.
Including photos, diagrams, and illustrations, this book will leave history lovers and fans of problem solving astounded at all that was accomplished. And best of all, it will leave middle grade readers feeling they've just watched a really good movie--they'll hardly even realize they were reading.
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
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Publishers Weekly
Employing even keeled pacing and distinctively rendered characters, Gutman (the My Weird School series) chronicles how Cleopatra's Needle became a New York City landmark in this delightfully fact-ional blend of history and adventure. In an introduction, the novel's unnamed contemporary narrator ventures through Central Park with their mother and younger sister. Upon arriving at their destination--the eponymous obelisk--their mother, "who makes her living as a storyteller," regales her children with the history of the monument. Via varying POVs--including that of an Egyptian boy in 1460 BCE, a female inventor in 1880s N.Y.C., and others--Mom explains how Cleopatra's Needle was commissioned by Pharaoh Thutmosis III in the granite pits of Aswan, Egypt, which she gleans from the hieroglyphics etched into the structure, and its subsequent removal from the country. Each successive event in the obelisk's history is rendered with keen attention to sociopolitical details, including housing insecurity and child enslavement. These weighty topics are counterbalanced by the protagonists' diary-style narrations, which ground this sweeping introduction to the lesser-known history of an iconic monolith. Ages 8-12. (June)
Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.
ALA/Booklist
"A long-needed introduction to the city's oldest outdoor monument."
Kirkus
"Vividly and accessibly resuscitates an ancient monument's forgotten history."
Review quotes
JUV003000 - Juvenile Fiction | Art & Architecture
JUV016020 - Juvenile Fiction | Historical | Ancient Civilizations
New York (State)
Historical fiction
Cleopatra's Needle (New York, N.Y.)
Obelisks
