King Tut

August 1, 2003
Gr 3-5-In this entry in a series for reluctant readers, Briscoe starts with the discovery of Tutankhamen's tomb by Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon in 1922. She then discusses the political situation during the boy-king's reign, and what is known about his life and his advisors. She then moves on to his death (he was possibly murdered), followed by a chapter on ancient Egyptian beliefs in the afterlife. The final chapter is on the stories of the mummy's curse and how specious these are. The writing brings out the excitement of the discovery, the wonder of the mummification process, and the history of Tutankhamen without ever being dry or boring. The full-color photographs are clear and well captioned, and unfamiliar terms are defined at the bottoms of their respective pages. Patricia Netzley's The Curse of King Tut (Lucent, 2000) includes some information about finding the tomb, burial practices, and Tutankhamen's life, but it is mostly about the stories of the curse and the "evidence" for it. King Tut fills a gap in a much-used subject area.-Lynda S. Poling, Long Beach Public Library, CA

Copyright 2003 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2003
Intended for reluctant readers, these books provide superficial introductions to their topics. The diffusely focused "Tut" ranges from the tomb's discovery to embalming to mummies in the movies. "Castles" discusses the Tower of London, history of and uses for these structures, and defenses. The rushed text is accompanied by small captioned images. Directory, reading list, websites. Glos., ind. [Review covers these High Five Reading titles: "King Tut" and "Castles". ]

(Copyright 2003 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)