I love all things mythological and this seems like the kid friendly version of the Mummy series. Took slightly longer to finish then expected but it's interesting enough with slight plot twists here and there. A good read to fill up during those moments when you are waiting or doing nothing :) ( )

TombQuest Book of the Dead, Book 1 (MichaleNorthrop) New York: Scholastic Inc: 2015: 1st in series

Fantasy fiction, Primary 197 pages

Summary:
In New York Alex struggles with his health and stays at work with his mom in the Egypt section of the museum during the day. Alex takes a turn for the worst and his mom uses an Egyptian spell to save him, while also waking ancient mummies and disappearing herself. Alex, his friend Ren and his moms co-worker Dr. Todtman must put the mummies back to rest. THey are successful in New York but will they be as lucky in London?

Critique:
This novel wakes the dead, literally. Alex and Dr Todtman use magic to help control them and put them back into their tombs. The use of real history and fantasy is a great mix.

Activity:(after)
Create your own spell that could either wake the dead or put them back into their tomb.

Alex's mother is a curator at the MET in New York. He has a mysterious ailment and when he is at death's door, his mother decides to recite the Secret spells from the Book of the Dead to try and bring him back from the Dead. This works, but it also unleashes the Walking Dead ( known as Walkers) - people who have not been allowed to "cross over" because their souls are tainted by evil. Suddenly Alex is thrown into a world where his mother has disappeared, his best friend Ren is along for the ride and the man he thought was his enemy is actually his friend. There is also an special amulet that belonged to his mother which has magical powers and Alex, ren and the Dr must combine their talents to combat the Stung man who has been resurrected from the dead.
Fast paced and interesting. Younger kids will love this. ( )

This is the first book in the Tombquest series. This series is “designed” by the same people who worked on the Infinity Ring series and the Spirit Animals series. I have read some of the Spirit Animals books and they weren’t my favorite. However, I kept picking this book up and looking at it and finally decided to get it when I saw it at my son’s book fair at school. There are five books planned for this series and they will all be written by Northrop.

Eleven year old Alex has suffered from sickness his whole life and it’s getting worse. After a horrible attack the doctors are worried he won’t recover. That’s when his mom, who is an Egyptologist, uses one of the Lost Spells from the Book of the Dead to save him. Unfortunately she unlocks a doorway that does more than save Alex’s life. Now strange things are happening all over the world and Alex’s mom has disappeared. Alex will stop at nothing to save her.

I really enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I was going to. There is a lot of mystery in here, some creepy parts, some good action, and some magic. I really enjoyed it all. The book was fast-paced and easy to read.

I liked Alex as a character and wanted to know more about his illness. After his mom uses the Lost Spells on him he starts gaining endurance and this leaves the reader wondering what else about Alex will change as the series continues.

I loved that him and his mother have an open and loving relationship. I also enjoyed the friendship between him and Ren. Ren was another fun character, she is a girl and has a lot of spunk. I enjoyed that there was both a main boy and girl character; this makes the story accessible and fun for both genders.

The plot was well done, pretty much the story is just getting started here. I loved the Egyptian mythology throughout too. The story is exciting and fast-paced and was easy to engage with. I gave it to my 8 year old son and he is reading it now, so we will see what he thinks.

We have not checked out the game yet, but plan to in a few weeks when we are moved into our new house.

Overall an excellent start to a new series. I thought the book was fast-paced, exciting, and really well done. I thoroughly enjoyed the mythology, the characters, and the plot. I can’t wait to read the second book in the series, Amulet Keepers. Recommended to those who enjoy mysteries with some action, mythology, and magic. ( )

This book had hints of the Mummy but for the younger generation. I know my nephews will have a good time reading this book. Alex and Ren are relatable characters. Even for a girl Ren is cool. I point this out because I myself had no issues with her but boys being boys who are still at the stage of girls are gross, will like her too. They will not find this a girl book but a cool book about Ancient Egypt, fighting the undead, good action, and a fast read. Another thing that I liked about this book is that the author did not use a lot of huge words that are not easy to pronounce or ones that I would have to look up in a dictionary This is important when writing for this age group that you don't talk down to the readers but you also make it in easy and understandable language. There are five books in this series total. This one starts out the series nicely and the next one is sure to delight and have tons more action. Also, you can go online at www.scholastic.com/tombquest and play a game that goes along with this series but building your our tomb and traps. ( )