Sterling Biographies®: Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen - Softcover

Blackaby, Susan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1402757107 ISBN 13: 9781402757105

Publisher: Union Square Kids, 2009

Synopsis

At once daring, clever, smart, rich, determined, and rash, Cleopatra is one of history’s most fascinating figures. Here, children will find out all about:

-   The Ptolemy Dynasty into which she was born, its traditions and infighting

-   The role of women in ancient Egypt

-   How she ascended to, and maintained her place on, the throne

-   Her relationships with both Caesar and Mark Antony and the political repercussions of these affairs within the Roman Empire and Egypt

-   Her death in Alexandria

-   And much more, all beautifully illustrated

About this title

About the Author:

Susan Blackaby earned a degree in Western Civilization from the University of California at Santa Cruz. She has worked in educational publishing for over 25 years and has written dozens of fiction and nonfiction titles.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 5–8—Villainess or goddess, a great queen or a selfish and overly ambitious woman—readers get to decide. They will be drawn into this biography by a description of a legendary magnificent banquet given by Mark Antony for Cleopatra. The lively narrative maintains interest from her birth in 69 BCE to her death in 31 BCE. Cleopatra and her brother Ptolemy XIII became rulers of Egypt in 51 BCE. Her reign, however, was characterized by conspiracy and intrigue. Her alliance with Julius Caesar solidified her position as queen but brought ill feelings toward her from the Romans. The birth of their son, Caesarion, angered the Romans further. Again, either for expediency or love, Cleopatra found her next ally in Mark Antony. As before, this union had disastrous results. Embroiled in a civil war, Mark Antony faced opposition from his own people and from Rome's allies. The struggle ended with his suicide and Cleopatra's in 31 BCE. Sidebars, color photographs, and reproductions appear throughout. As the author states, "A record of Cleopatra's reign written during her lifetime does not exist.... If her role had not been so important to Rome...we would not know anything about her at all." This book leaves readers fascinated and eager to learn more about her time in history.—Lana Miles, Jackson Elementary School, Rosenberg, TX
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About this edition

• Publisher: Union Square Kids
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1402757107
• ISBN 13: 9781402757105
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 128