The Eye of Ra

Exploring a mysterious cave in the mountains behind their house, John and his sister Sarah are shocked to discover they've time traveled to ancient Egypt!

Now they must work together to find a way back home from an ancient civilization of golden desert sand and a towering new pyramid, without parents to save them. The adventures abound—cobras, scorpions, a tomb robber, and more! The two kids have to trust each other, make friends who can help, and survive the challenges thrown at them . . . or be stuck in ancient Egypt forever.

For readers graduating from the Magic Treehouse series and ready for intense action, dive into this middle grade novel rich with meticulous historical detail.

Title: The Eye of Ra

Genre: Children’s Middle Grade / Time Travel / Mystery

Author: Ben Gartner

Format: Kindle

Pages: ebook 272

Publication Date: 02/01/2020

Publishing House: Crescent Vista Press

ISBN13: 9781734155204

My Review

Look at that beautiful cover! It foreshadows an amazing adventure for two kids, overlooking a different world than that of their own under the eye of RA. Braze yourself for this time travel odyssey into Egypt, during the time the pyramids were being built, in this upgraded version of the classic 'Magic Treehouse' novel for young readers.

John and Sarah Tidwell will have to move soon to another state, something they are not exactly looking forward too. Leaving behind their friends and school and everything they know will be difficult.

On one of their last family activities before the move, John and Sarah discover a cave entrance in the mountains near their house. As inquisitive kids do, they enter the cave, of course, and find themselves transported into what must be Egypt.

Almost instantly they meet a boy named Zachariah, son of Imhotep, and make friends with his family while staying at their village home for a little while.

Learning new customs and discovering new and interesting things so different from what they know, they end up going to work with Zach's father who has worked on a pyramid for a long time.

During their stay, a mystery seems to unfold. Someone is beheading famous statues and tomb robberies are delaying the built of the pyramid. As curious as children are, John and Sarah begin to sneak around to find out who is doing this.

What they do not count on is the decoy of scorpions and a chase from crocodiles in the Nile with a close call before they make their way back home.

A fast-paced adventure that eventually leads them right back to the cave they came from and their trail of the perpetrator continues when a souvenir enters their world when it shouldn't have!

***

This middle-grade novel is highly engaging with a fast-paced plot while the mystery unfolds. Unique historical elements create interest in the different culture from long ago and garner similarities that kids can relate to or learn from. Parts of adventure, friendship, and empathy complete the novel with a unique surprise at the end.

From an adult perspective, I can see all the qualities of this high interest read that young readers would enjoy without long drawn out explanations that will move them swiftly through the story. Would I have questioned some things, naturally yes, but I think kids enjoy exactly these types of books where it isn't all spelled out for them, but they are lead by imagination as the plot whisks them away.

This is definitely a book I would recommend, plus it comes with an old Egyptian recipe that kids can try at home at the end of the novel.

Enjoy!