5 Tut-ally Cool Books About Ancient Egypt

TombQuest Book 3: Valley of Kings, by Michael Northrop
In the third book of the globetrotting TombQuest series, Alex and Ren arrive in Egypt only to find Cairo in chaos. They follow a string of clues south to the Valley of the Kings in their high-stakes search for the Lost Spells of the Book of the Dead. In the sun-scorched desert, they must dodge an evil cult and battle an ancient Death Walker with the help of magic amulets, a loyal mummy cat, and one very famous boy king. If you want more adventure, once you finish the book you can go online and play TombQuest inspired games and build your own Egyptian tomb—how cool is that?

Mummy Cat, by Marcus Ewert and Lisa Brown
A picture book young Egypt fans (and cat lovers) will really get wrapped up in… Mummy cat tells the story of a royal cat who is wandering the halls of an Egyptian tomb. This cat used to belong to the Queen, that is until they had a little run-in with a deadly scorpion. But the two are ultimately reunited in the afterlife, and can be together for all eternity. Purrrr…
A little note at the end of the book on the history of mummification and the ancient Egyptians beliefs on the afterlife, make a complicated subject succinct and understandable for young readers. Hieroglyphic illustrations also make for a fun educational touch, and inspire a second, closer read.

Mummies in the Morning (Magic Tree House #3), by Mary Pope Osborne
In the third installment of the best selling Magic Tree House series, Jack and his 7-year-old sister Annie go back to the Magic Treehouse, and then go WAY back, all the way to ancient Egypt, where they find themselves on a mysterious adventure after picking up a book about Ancient Egypt. Jack loves the pyramids, and after wishing he could go back to the time of the pyramids, he gets a firsthand look at these ancient wonders. Black cats, mummies, mayhem—will Jack and Annie make it back to their ordinary life? (Spoiler alert: Yes. There are over 50 books in the series!) The historical accompaniment makes a great educational addition for aspiring Egyptologists.

You Wouldn’t Want to be Cleopatra, by Jim Pipe and David Antram
Who wouldn’t want to be arguably the most rich and famous ruler of the ancient world? Answer: YOU! Life as an uber-powerful queen isn’t as fabulous as it first sounds. Cleopatra had to deal with an unruly brother Ptolemy who wanted to kill her (he was also her husband, as women were not allowed to rule on their own, ewwww), and a father who beheaded her sister Berenice when she ruled in his place. Talk about family drama! In the meantime, Cleopatra was also responsible for running an enormous and disparate empire. But if anyone could handle the job, it was this superwoman, who spoke nine languages and was a shrewd and clever ruler. Unfortunately, we all know how that ended. Hissssss. Funny cartoons illustrated by David Antram make this sometimes dark material fun for kids 8 and up.

Ancient Egyptian Fashions, by Tom Tierney
One of the first things I look to when I’m learning about a new culture or time period is the fashion. This coloring book by Tom Tierney is a fun and crafty way to learn what the kings, queens, and even the harp players were wearing back in the day. (Hint: lots of linen!) From leopard skin dresses, to jeweled collars, to vulture headdresses, ancient Egyptian fashions were anything but boring! Divided up between Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms, young readers and artists can get an idea of the styles of the times. Just no wearing vulture headdresses to school, okay kids?