Meyer, William. The Secret Scarab Beetle.

Meyer, William.   The Secret Scarab Beetle.     Sleeping Bear Press(Cengage)  2016  240p  $16.99  ISBN 978-1-58536-938-6      elem/ms  Fantasy  VG

When Horace J. Edwards’s grandfather unexpectedly dies, his grandmother gives him a cryptic message.  Then a surprise package arrives for Horace and he must determine the relationship between the message and the gift. Once Horace pieces together the conundrum, he finds himself on a time travel mission back to Ancient Egypt in which he must avert an evil deed that could change history forever.

In this fast-paced, adventurous historical novel, William Meyers combines the daily life of a typical eleven-year-old boy with accurate Ancient Egyptian history.  The story brings to life the history of this time period, and it will engage and appeal to young readers.  As the first book in an upcoming series, the ending satisfies the reader but also leave enough questions unanswered to support the arrival of the second book.  Young readers will enjoy this page-turner and find themselves anticipating the next installment.

Summary: When Horace J. Edwards’s grandfather unexpectedly dies, his grandmother gives him a cryptic message, and when a surprise package arrives for Horace, he must decode the message and complete a mission that takes him back to Ancient Egypt.     

Time travel-Fiction, Ancient Egypt-Fiction            --Virginia McGarvey