Book of the Dead

Reviewed by: Sheila Dube - Springvale Public Library, Springvale, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: March 2, 2016

Review

This is the first book in a new Egyptian fantasy thriller for grades 3-6. The format is similar in style to the 39 clues and the Spirit Animal series by Scholastic. The magic and dark evil from the ancient times come alive as Alex, the twelve-year-old main character struggles to stay alive in the pediatric ICU from an unknown illness. Using the lost spells of the pharaohs from the newly discovered Book of the Dead, his mother harnesses the power to bring him back to life. The action causes the tombs throughout the world to break open and those in the afterlife begin to slip into the modern day at various archaeological sites. When his mom disappears, it's up to Alex and his friend Renata to find out how to harness the power to avert the immediate disaster. Readers that like fast-paced action and Indiana Jones-esque security systems will want to dive into this series. Northrop creates a solid foundation for this series, providing interesting details about the museum system, brief but developed relationships between the characters,and thriller action scenes for lovers of all things mummy.

Overall Book Score: good