Exploring a mysterious cave in the mountains behind their house, John and his sister Sarah are shocked to discover they’ve time traveled to ancient Egypt!
Now they must work together to find a way back home from an ancient civilization of golden desert sand and a towering new pyramid, without parents to save them. The adventures abound—cobras, scorpions, a tomb robber, and more! The two kids have to trust each other, make friends who can help, and survive the challenges thrown at them . . . or be stuck in ancient Egypt forever.
For readers graduating from the Magic Treehouse series and ready for intense action, dive into this middle grade novel rich with meticulous historical detail.
Up ahead, almost like an optical illusion in the rocks, a black oval dissolved into the mountain. It seemed to shimmer in the fading sunlight.
“What . . . is it?” John asked, taking a step back.
Sarah moved forward. “It—” She stepped closer, hunching to get a better look at the dark shape about the dimensions of the full-length mirror they had on the back of their bathroom door. “It looks like a cave. Cool!”
“Careful, Sarah. We shouldn’t go in there.”
“That’s a great idea,” Sarah said, standing upright and walking toward the mysterious black shape.
“No, wait, I said we shouldn’t go in there.” John turned to walk away. But he couldn’t leave his sister. “We should get Mom and Dad.”
“I’ll just peek in,” Sarah said, standing only an arm’s length from the entrance. “It definitely looks like a cave, or maybe an old mining tunnel or something. I don’t remember this from before.”
“Come on, Sarah.” John’s tone sounded more urgent now.
Sarah stepped closer, slowly, her lips parted and her eyes fixed on the cave.
Without another word, Sarah stepped across the threshold, and her body disappeared into the black.
Review
Middle-grade fantasy, especially involving superheroes, fairy tales, or mythology, is very much my jam, so when I saw this title, I knew it was going on my to-read list. Though Egypt is one of the mythologies I’ve seen written about most often, the variation never fails to amaze me. Gartner’s take is no exception, and I was drawn in to this world and its conflicts.
I’ve never been to ancient Egypt. I suspect the author hasn’t either, but I felt like I was there. The heat and dryness were very well described. There is a sandstorm at one point, and if it was described at all how being in a real sandstorm feels like, I’ll pass on the real-life experience. It’s bad enough on a windy day at the beach. This sounded a thousand times worse.
The characters were fun, and I enjoyed all of them. John and Sarah made for great time travelers. I enjoyed their very different reactions to suddenly being in ancient Egypt. I did feel a disconnect between Sarah in the first chapter and Sarah through the rest of the book. Her love of all things history and adventure didn’t quite match up with my initial impression of her. I think a bit more to show her personality before the siblings went back in time would have cleared this up.
The new friends John and Sarah make in Egypt were equally fun. I liked how the moving-to-a-new-place conflict for John was mirrored in Egypt. I won’t spoil, but there were lots of other little things that really brought this story out as a great read for kids especially. Lessons are learned. Growing up is done. The end wasn’t what I expected, but it made perfect sense. I’m unsure if there’s a sequel coming, but if there is, I’ll be reading it.
Ben Gartner is the author of adventure books for middle graders and thrillers for adults. His writing for both audiences shares an ability to grab readers by their neurons for a thrilling ride, maybe even teaching them something in the meantime. Ben can be found living and writing near the mountains with his wife and two boys. Find him online at https://bengartner.com/
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All the opinions expressed in this review are my own. Read the full disclosure here.