Anubis Speaks!: A Guide to the Afterlife by the Egyptian God of the Dead

by Vicky Alvear Shecter, Antoine Revoy (Illustrator)

Overview

Who better than Anubis, the jackal-headed god of mummification, to serve as a guide through the dreaded Land of the Dead? In this fresh and imaginative approach to nonfiction, the first title in the Secrets of the Ancient Gods series, Anubis steers the reader through the Egyptian dark lands. Along the way, they meet fearsome gods and gruesome monsters. And they witness the battle of the gods against Apophis, the giant demon-snake trying to devour the world. With ghoulish humor and lots of attitude (he is a god, after all), Anubis introduces readers to ancient Egyptian beliefs and rituals—including the secrets of mummification—with panache and, if he does say so himself, drop-dead humor. Includes glossary, bibliography, and index.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781590789957
Publisher:	Astra Publishing House
Publication date:	10/01/2013
Series:	Secrets of the Ancient Gods Series
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 7.94(h) x 0.63(d)
Lexile:	900L (what's this?)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Vicky Alvear Shecter is the author of several books about mythology and the ancient world for children and young adults, including the Secrets of the Ancient Gods series (Thor Speaks! Hades Speaks! Anubis Speaks!) and the biography, Cleopatra Rules! Her young adult novels include the award-winning, Cleopatra's Moon and Curses and Smoke: A Novel of Pompeii.  She lives in Atlanta, Georgia. Visit vickyalvearshecter.com.

Editorial Reviews

"At the heart of this imaginative tour of the afterworld of Egyptian mythology is the judgment of the dead . . . Anubis serves as a wickedly funny tour guide. This book is packed with information . . . Anubis's narration, plus the incredible wealth of interesting detail, could make this book a hit in any library." —School Library Journal

" . . . an informative and unusually lively look at the Egyptian way of death." —Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

09/01/2013
Gr 4–6—At the heart of this imaginative tour of the afterworld of Egyptian mythology is the judgment of the dead: the recently deceased's heart is weighed against a feather, and the individual's fate is left up to whether the heart is lighter and therefore pure, or heavier and deserving of damnation. The weighing is done by the god of the dead and embalming, Anubis, who also serves as a wickedly funny tour guide. This book is packed with information. Anubis introduces readers to ancient Egypt and its people; the basics of Egyptian mythology; the process of mummification; and, of course, the judgment of souls. Another big topic is the harrowing journey the sun god Ra experiences every night, descending into the Underworld to defeat his enemy, Apophis, and rising again in the morning-an adventure Anubis takes readers on as well. The book ends with a list of gods and demons in the Egyptian pantheon. Anubis is snarky, but he gives a sense of genuine interest and enthusiasm, adding well-injected humor. He also relishes gross or graphic bits, and the illustrations, black-and-white depictions of important scenes, usually feature Anubis grinning and looking oddly joyful-a sentiment that will likely be matched by readers. His narration, plus the incredible wealth of interesting detail, could make this book a hit in any library.—Heather Talty, formerly at Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School, New York City

School Library Journal

The jackal-headed god dares readers to come along on the sun god Ra's nightly journey through Duat, the Egyptian afterworld, to rebirth. Schecter (Cleopatra Rules!, 2010) properly notes at the outset that Egyptian beliefs were not monolithic, so her canine co-conspirator has chosen elements that convey the "gist." The god himself steps up to promise with indecent relish that there will be "blood. And snakes. And decapitations. And monsters who like to gobble up hearts and squeeze heads until they pop." Anubis begins by describing how Ra created the world and the major gods by (as he puts it) "hocking a giant lougie" but ultimately left Earth in disgust to take up residence in the heavens. He delivers an hour-by-hour travelogue of Ra's passage through the "dark lands" and accounts of gory battles that repeatedly leave the evil giant snake Apophis chopped into sushi. Anubis goes on to deliver introductions to ancient Egyptian culture and myths, major pharaohs, mummification (with particular emphasis on the gross bits) and burial practices--since, as he perceptively points out, Ra's voyage also served as symbol and metaphor for the human passage through life and the afterlife. Staid, dispensable illustrations aside, an informative and unusually lively look at the Egyptian way of death. (cast list, glossary, bibliography, index) (Mythology. 10-13)

Kirkus Reviews