My parents are currently planning their first visit to Egypt. And they’re going without me. Like many of you, I’ve always found Egypt fascinating, whether learning about the gross details of making a mummy or eating delicious Egyptian food eaten by people who live there today. And if we can’t all go to Cairo with my parents, we can at least take a little trip through a few books that can take us straight to Egypt!
Written by Chas! Pangburn
Illustrated by Nic Touris
Miami, FL: Papercutz, an imprint of Mad Cave Studios, 2024. Comic. 132 pages.
Nana and Otto are siblings who visit Egypt with their travel-blogger mom. Nan loves learning about Egypt and its history, while Otto wishes he could’ve stayed home. However, both of their plans change when they accidentally let a mummified cat loose from a Pharaoh’s tomb. This graphic novel lets you see both of the sibling’s perspectives through this adventure —and their stories don’t always agree! This book is a fun way to imagine you’re also running through the streets of Egypt.
By Nedda Lewers
New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2024. Fiction. 336 pages.
Sahara was dragged to Egypt for her uncle’s wedding, but it doesn’t take long for her to fall in love with Egypt and her family’s history there. However, her uncle’s bride may not be who she seems to be and her mother’s necklace may hold more power than Sahara could ever have imagined! Integrated with a story from 10th century Baghdad, this book tells the story of magical items and those that protect their families (and the world) from them.
By Alisha Sevigny
Toronto: Dundurn, 2020. Fiction. 262 pages.
Now let’s travel back in time to ancient Egypt. Sesha’s father used to be the physician to the Pharaoh until a mysterious fire killed him, leaving Sesha and her younger brother Ky orphans. The two children steal food to survive until they are caught and enlisted by the Pharaoh to find a scroll lost when the fire killed their father. This historical fantasy introduces readers to threats that were real to ancient Egypt, such as the Hyksos.
By David Anthony Durham
New York: Tu Books an imprint of Lee & Low Books, Inc., 2021. Fiction. 393 pages.
If you want to travel to a reimagined ancient Egypt, The Shadow Prince will take you to an ancient world full of solar-powered technology. In this society, Ash lives in a small desert town until his twelfth birthday, when it’s revealed that he has a chance to compete to be the prince’s “shadow.” This competition will not be easy because not only are the other children formidable, but the Egyptian gods are intervening.
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By Dan Gutman
New York: Holiday House, 2024. Fiction. 193 pages.
As it’s time to come home from our journey, let’s travel home to the United States, following the journey of an obelisk called Cleopatra’s Needle, which is now in New York City. Gutman’s book imagines five kids from different centuries who quarried the stone, engraved the hieroglyphics, and helped transport it to the United States. A story to help Egypt feel a little closer to home than we thought before.
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