Egypt- mysterious, magical, a land of adventure and secrets. The Secret of the Sacred Scarab brings that Egypt to life.

Cousins Justin and Adam are thrilled to be visiting Egypt with their aunt and grandmother. Both love adventure and are familiar with the work of James Kinnaird, an archaeologist searching for the tomb of an ancient Egyptian ruler, the Scarab King. Most people think the King is just legend and that the tomb doesn’t exit, but Adam and Justin are sure it’s all true. Soon after they arrive in Egypt, a street peddler gives them a mysterious scarab, and the adventure begins. They have to use their intelligence to solve the riddle of the scarab and the message that came with it.

Temple of Isis at Philae
Temple of Isis at Philae

I read The Secret of the Sacred Scarab with Amber (12), and the story is perfect for tweens. It’s kind of an Indiana Jones story for the younger crowd. The boys are smart and working together can survive any situation, from having their cabin broken into to facing a giant cobra, even being kidnapped and dragged across the desert on camels. It’s one of those books that appeals to kids, the boys are just as competent as the adults and they end up being the only ones who can foil the bad guys plans. Of course, the boys don’t care about safety and have the tendency to go roaming and exploring, they are both enjoying the adventure and a little anxious abut what will happen next. And the bad guy here is very bad. While on the surface he’s smuggling treasures out of Egypt – bad enough, but in reality his plan is world domination.

In between the fantastic dreams and powerful stones, we got a nice tour of Egypt. Ingram made me feel the heat, see the Nile and the tourist stops. Amber’s had a fascination with ancient Egypt for a while and I think that added to the enjoyment of the book for her. She already knew some of the gods and places mentioned. I think she recently studied Egypt in Social Studies to, so this book went along with that nicely.

The Great Sphinx at Giza
The Great Sphinx at Giza

The Secret of the Sacred Scarab is a fun adventure and a great treasure hunt. Amber’s already asking about the next in the series, high praise from her.

4 out of 5 stars

Categories: Middle School, Action & Adventure, Fantasy

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The Chronicles of the Stone #1
Self-published December 2008
258 pages

Book Source: For Review

Sphinx photo: Tour Egpyt. Philae photo: Wikipedia.

The Chronicles of the Stone Series

  1. The Secret of the Sacred Scarab
  2. The Search of the Stone of Excalibur (Not released yet.)

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