Slave girl by Alexa Moses

Angus and Robertson, 2012. ISBN 0 73229498 4.
(Ages: 10+) Historical fiction. While on an exchange visit to New York, precocious thirteen year old student, Jenna, wants to be nowhere near the museum that her teacher has taken her to. She would do anything to be at the fabulous hair salon she has read about, but instead follows the cat in the museum back through a portal into Ancient Egypt. There she is mistaken for a slave girl and given menial tasks to do, handed from one owner to another because she is useless at all she is given to do and answers back without a thought.
I found the girl insufferable, but then I was wanting her to learn something about Ancient Egypt instead of trying to get back home,. The background to this novel is marvellous, a tribute to a young mum's feeding times in the early hours of the morning watching television, and so readers will certainly learn easily a lot about Ancient History in reading this story. The tale of the girl did not hang together as well as it might, but it was still a fascinating read, one sure to capture the imaginations of its readers of upper primary school age.
Fran Knight