Amber and Clay
★★★
Set in ancient Greece, this story follows the young lives of Melisto, the daughter of a wealthy Greek citizen, and Rhaskos, a slave. Though their paths never cross, they are tied together through Rhaskos’s mother who becomes a slave to Melisto’s family after being sold away from her son.
Told mostly in verse, this writing style is a bit too difficult for its intended middle school audience. The point of view constantly changes amongst a wide range of characters, including Rhaskos, Melisto, various Greek gods, Rhaskos’ mother, and others. And the sheer length, over 500 pages, makes it a daunting book to pick up at all.
While this book does give a lot of historical information about life in ancient Greece, I don’t believe that it would appeal to middle school readers.
Reviewed by Lisa K.