Cleopatra's Moon

by Vicky Alvear Shecter

Overview

Selene has grown up in a palace on the Nile with her parents, Cleopatra & Mark Antony--the most brilliant, powerful rulers on earth. But the jealous Roman Emperor Octavianus wants Egypt for himself, & when war finally comes, Selene faces the loss of all she's ever loved. Forced to build a new life in Octavianus's household in Rome, she finds herself torn between two young men and two possible destinies--until she reaches out to claim her own.This stunning novel brings to life the personalities & passions of one of the greatest dramas in history, & offers a wonderful new heroine in Selene.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780545389372
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	08/01/2011
Sold by:	Scholastic, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	368
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

Vicky Alvear Shecter is the author of CLEOPATRA'S MOON, the winner of the SCBWI Crystal Kite Award, and three nonfiction books for young readers, most recently ANUBIS SPEAKS! A GUIDE TO THE AFTERLIFE BY THE EGYPTIAN GOD OF THE DEAD. A docent in the Ancient History department of the Carlos Museum of Art, she lives near Atlanta, Georgia. Please visit her website at www.vickyalvearshecter.com or follow her on Twitter at @valvearshecter.

Editorial Reviews

This fascinating historical novel explores the tumultuous history of Cleopatra VIII Selene, the only daughter of Cleopatra VII and Marcus Antonius. "How was it that I went from a Princess of Egypt—the daughter of the most powerful queen in the world—to a prisoner of Rome, and now, to the bride of a petty ruler in the scrubs of Africa?" a teenage Cleopatra Selene wonders, before the narrative rewinds a decade to her upbringing in Alexandria and the dissolution of the Egyptian empire. The early sections highlight the high stakes, political pressure, and dangers facing Cleopatra VII's reign and the rich complexities of the Egyptian religion. Shecter (Cleopatra Rules! The Amazing Life of the Original Teen Queen) strongly sketches court life and highlights the differences between Cleopatra Selene's youth in Alexandria with the more restrictive court of Rome where Selene and her brothers move after her parents' deaths. In Rome, Cleopatra Selene and her brothers dodge palace dangers, including an attempt on their lives, with grace. Cleopatra Selene proves a stalwart heroine, and the novel's atmospheric setting and romantic intrigue are highly memorable. Ages 13–up. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

"Cleopatra Selene, the 16-year-old daughter of Egypt’s greatest rulers, Cleopatra and Mark Antony, begins a new life in Rome at her captor’s palace, with twin brother Alexandros and younger brother Ptolly. As they encounter palace intrigue, foreign religions, and cruel treatment, Selene mourns her parents and grows into a woman as beautiful and irresistible as her mother. Kirsten Potter’s delivery of the first-person point of view, along with her quick pace and youthful voice, evolves as  Selene ages and matures. Potter conveys Selene’s fears and frustrations as she’s torn between two men, two outlooks, and two paths to power in pursuit of returning to her beloved homeland. Potter’s delivery of vivid, sensory details transports the listener back to the sands of ancient times." 
G.D.W.  © AudioFile Portland, Maine

From the Publisher

Gr 9 Up—Based on the lives of Cleopatra's children, this book is narrated by the queen's only daughter, Cleopatra Selene, whose father was Marcus Antonius and whose name means moon. Starting in Alexandria just as Octavianus is attacking the kingdom, Cleopatra Selene goes from a happy childhood at age seven to seeing her father kill himself, losing her mother, and being shipped off to Rome to live in the house of her enemy. Having been crowned queen along with her twin Alexandros, as the next king before being whisked out of Egypt, Cleopatra holds on to the hope that somehow the followers of Isis, her mother's patron goddess, will help them escape back to Egypt, all the while convinced that Octavianus's wife is trying to poison her family. She turns away from her own heart and focuses on power, allowing herself to be seduced by Marcellus, the next in line to rule Rome. At 16, Cleopatra Selene is married off by Octavianus to the King of Mauretania, which leads to an unexpected ending. An afterword describes the history surrounding the plot. This novel has romance, drama, heartbreak, and adventure, all rooted in an accurate and descriptive historical setting. Shecter writes about the world of ancient Egypt and Rome with wonderful detail, making it come alive and bringing in the Jewish culture that existed in both Rome and Alexandria. Her characters are skillfully fictionalized, and readers will connect with the hardship suffered by the children, particularly the deaths of Cleopatra Selene's brothers. A fantastic read with some valuable history.—Clare A. Dombrowski, Amesbury Public Library, MA

School Library Journal

Cleopatra Selene, the 16-year-old daughter of Egypt’s greatest rulers, Cleopatra and Mark Antony, begins a new life in Rome at her captor’s palace, with twin brother Alexandros and younger brother Ptolly. As they encounter palace intrigue, foreign religions, and cruel treatment, Selene mourns her parents and grows into a woman as beautiful and irresistible as her mother. Kirsten Potter’s delivery of the first-person point of view, along with her quick pace and youthful voice, evolves as Selene ages and matures. Potter conveys Selene’s fears and frustrations as she’s torn between two men, two outlooks, and two paths to power in pursuit of returning to her beloved homeland. Potter’s delivery of vivid, sensory details transports the listener back to the sands of ancient times. G.D.W. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine

SEPTEMBER 2011 - AudioFile