An adventure story based on true events, real characters and legends. This historical-fiction novel features two girls, separated in time by thousands of years, who are forced to leave their homes and make a dangerous journey to an unknown land. As they journey towards new destinations – one to Axum, Ethiopia, from Jerusalem, and the other travels back to Jerusalem, from Ethiopia – they encounter adventure and overcome challenges as they become independent and self-reliant young women.

The story starts with Aleesha in 961 BCE as she and her family, descendants from the House of Israel, are sent from Jerusalem to join the Queen of Sheba in Ethiopia. Aleesha faces adventure and danger with great bravery and intelligence. Connecting her story to that of Debritu’s, her distant descendant, is the tale of an emerald stolen from the ancient Holy Ark in King Solomon’s Temple and brought to Ethiopia. Passed on from generation to generation the precious stone comes under the care of Debritu.

The second part of the story is based on true events in 1984, as Debritu journeys, along with her two brothers, through the treacherous mountains of Ethiopia and the deserts of the Sudan where they must deal with bandits and famine before they ultimately reach Jerusalem, their new as well as ancestral home.

Based on the ancient and contemporary history of the Beyta Israel tribe, Daughters of the Ark weaves these tales together to create a suspenseful and meaningful novel for young readers from varied backgrounds providing a unique opportunity to learn about people and locations not ordinarily written about for young audiences.