The Secrets of Tutankhamun: Egypt's Boy King and His Incredible Tomb

by Patricia Cleveland-Peck, Isabel Greenberg (Illustrator)

Overview

Tutankhamun was born in a time of change. His father, Atakhenaten, instituted broad political and religious reform to Egypt, and his laws were controversial. By the time Tut turned nine, his whole family had died and he was named the youngest king Egypt had ever had. His rule was short and tumultuous, and around age nineteen, Tut died. More than three thousand years later, Howard Carter, a British archaeologist with a penchant for ancient history and a special skill for excavation in Egypt's Valley of the Kings, made a discovery that shocked the world: King Tut's tomb, long ago assumed destroyed, not only survived but was fully intact. The treasures within gave a stunning and undisturbed perspective on ancient Egyptian culture and uncovered secrets that fascinated the world.

With comprehensive text and stunning illustrations from a New York Times bestselling illustrator, The Story of Tutankhamun is a compelling look at the life and legacy of the famed boy king.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781681197128
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	08/21/2018
Pages:	64
Product dimensions:	8.60(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	8 - 10 Years

About the Author

Patricia Cleveland-Peck has published 16 children's books and 4 adult non-fiction books in the United Kingdom. She has compiled programs for the BBC and had 2 radio plays and 1 stage play performed. As her day job, she works as a travel journalist specializing in gardens abroad.

Isabel Greenberg is an award-winning London based illustrator, comic artist and writer. She has had two graphic novels published, The Encyclopedia of Early Earth and The One Hundred Nights of Hero. Isabel has worked with a variety of clients including The Guardian, Nobrow Press, The National Trust and the New York Times.

Editorial Reviews

Cleveland-Peck admirably distills the events surrounding the life, death, and discovery of the pharaoh Tutankhamun. . . . This well-balanced, engaging book is a great entry into studies of the boy king.” —Booklist

“Cleveland-Peck inserts homely details and forensic evidence that wraps Tutankhamun's brief life and sudden demise in layers of sympathy. . . . [A] handsome presentation.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Investigate along with the men and women who dedicated years of study and exploration to unlocking [King Tut's] secrets, discover how a mummy is made, decode ancient hieroglyphics, and beware the curse!” —Foreword Reviews

“The language is easy to read and somewhat conversational . . . The cartoon illustrations are well done and add to the appeal.” —School Library Journal

From the Publisher

06/01/2018
Gr 3–5—King Tutankhamun is a popular pharaoh despite having such a short reign—and most students are endlessly fascinated with the Boy King. Cleveland-Peck does a fine job of laying out information for younger readers. The text is formatted in either short paragraphs or captions beneath pictures. The language is easy to read and somewhat conversational, making this a book to hand to those who might not be the biggest fans of history or research. The cartoon illustrations are well done and add to the appeal. While the information presented is not new and could be found elsewhere, this book would be beneficial as a reference for readers uninterested in longer, denser biographies. VERDICT A supplemental purchase for nonfiction collections in need of shorter selections.—Paige Garrison, The Davis Academy, Sandy Springs, GA

School Library Journal

2018-06-25
The story of the young king, his household, and the discovery of his tomb.It's a tale that's been done to death (so to speak), but Cleveland-Peck inserts homely details and forensic evidence that wrap Tutankhamun's brief life and sudden demise in layers of sympathy. For one thing, the cause of death remains unclear, as a bone chip in the royal skull is now known not to be the result, as once thought, of a blow to the head. For another, the tomb shows signs of being hastily finished and may have been prepared for someone else. Forging quickly on to the 20th century, the author trots in Howard Carter and details some of the "wonderful things" found in each successive chamber of the tomb, including, tragically, the mummified remains of two stillborn royal daughters. Greenberg's ancient Egyptian-style cartoon portraits flesh out the account with large-eyed, dark brown figures. These give way in ensuing chapters to views of Carter and his equally light-skinned patrons supervising the tomb's excavation. A chart labeled "The Hieroglyphic Alphabet" misleads, as hieroglyphics were only in part alphabetic, and there's little on the Egyptian gods. Still, it's a handsome presentation, and readers will be able to pull out a few new historical and cultural tidbits to go with the requisite treatment of ritual mummification and the legendary curse.Ill-fated and hastily buried he may have been, but his legacy remains one of archaeology's greatest hits. (Nonfiction. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews