Morley, Jacqueline. You Wouldn’t Want to be Cursed by King Tut!

Morley, Jacqueline.     You Wouldn’t Want to be Cursed by King Tut!     Scholastic/ Watts 32p   $20.35  978-0-531-20874-8      elem  Series: You Wouldn't Want to Be (Scholastic/Watts)    VG         

Elementary students who enjoy reading about mummies, Egypt, or Egyptian tombs will appreciate this new title on King Tut.  Humorous illustrations, captions, and sidebars describe possibility of being cursed by King Tut of Egypt long after his death occurred in 1323 B.C.  Readers discover that the burial place of an Egyptian king, known as King Tutankhamen, was undisturbed for over three thousand years, surrounded by treasures and gold.  The rumors of an ancient curse on anyone who disturbed his tomb are discussed in great detail.  The discovery of his tomb in 1922 by Lord Carnarvon and Howard Carter is also discussed.  Little is known about King Tut, and he was just eighteen when he died.  When Egyptian pharaohs or kings die, their bodies are mummified and preserved through embalming.  King Tut died suddenly, and because of his early death no tomb was ready for him.  It is possible that he was buried in a borrowed tomb.  Students learn about the Egyptian burials of kings, the rituals of burial, and the problems of intruders on the deceased.  When Lord Carnarvon dies, along with his dog, and the family experiences some unusual situations, reporters start to believe the ancient curse of King Tut.  Readers learn that in 1968 the mummy was x-rayed and that it underwent a CT scan in 2005.

The book includes color illustrations, handy hints, a glossary of terms, and an index.  Each title in the series You Wouldn’t Want to Be explores an event or tribulation experienced in the past.  Forty-eight titles have been published to date as of this review.  The series would make a great addition to an elementary library’s collection for reports and casual reading.  -- Charleen Forba-Mayer