Fisher, Catherine.
THE ORACLE BETRAYED
New York : Greenwillow, 2004.
IL 5-8, RL 6.5
ISBN 0060571586

(2 booktalks)

Archon, the god-on-earth, is dying.  And he appoints Mirany as the one who will go in search of his succesor.  She must also keep those who would take the power for their own from doing so.  In other words, she has a big job in front of her.  As with any quest of this sort, Mirany must gather a group of allies to help her with her challenge.  In this case, her helpers include a dishonest young scribe and a drunken old musician.  Can this unlikely band of heroes really accomplish such a large task?

Booktalk #2
Set with overtones of ancient Egypt, this is an intense and multi-layered story of a common girl placed within the inner circle of the servants of "god" when she is chosen to be the one who carries the sacred bowl to the mouth of the god and receive his voice in the form of a scorpion. In the midst of this intense and frightening role, she hears the God speak to her, and becomes convinced that the high priestesses and the powerful head of the military are scheming to betray everything that is sacred and enslave the people with a deception of their religion. She then sets out with an old musician and a young scribe on a long and dangerous journey, to find the true religious heir, known as the Archon.    (New Hampshire Isinglass Teen Read Award committee)