Reviews

Hot on the Trail in Ancient Egypt by Linda Bailey

mehsi's review against another edition

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4.0

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

I just ADORE Ancient Egypt and so I was really eager to read this one when I spotted it on Netgalley. And after reading it? I want more of the Binkertons, I want more travels, I want to go to that bookstore myself and experience such a journey.

The story begins with our siblings being bored during the vacation, but that all changes when their youngest sibling runs into a bookstore. A weird bookstore with all sorts of travel information, and a suspicious old man. As chaos erupts the brother opens up a book about Egypt, and that is how the journey begins.

The book shows us the adventures of the siblings (though mostly the sisters as the brother is quickly shipped off to help with pyramid building) in Egypt. Almost each page of comic is accompanied a page of the the book they have to read so the adventure can end. Yep, they have to read the book in order for their adventure to be over. Watch our siblings search for their brother while experiencing all there is about Egypt. From food (beer as drinks) to hairstyles and crocodiles. And let's not forget about the pyramids and other cultural things. All this while they read the book (which causes some hilarious scenes as we see them run around with the book in their hands).

At times the book parts were a bit distracting, and at times it felt like one had to read the book pages before the comic pages, but in overall I quite liked them. Especially the way they were written. It mixes seriousness + comedy in a great way.

I didn't like the youngest sister, Libby. Dear heavens, that kid was annoying. Running off everywhere, bringing her siblings into trouble. Not only with the bookstore (though I have to think in the end they did quite like the journey even if it was one full of spears and heat), but also many times in the story.

The art for the comics was pretty decent. Not entirely a style I like, but it fitted pretty well with the story.

All in all, I want more adventures for the Binkertons. I would recommend this one.

Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/

ljrinaldi's review against another edition

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4.0

This is kind of a cool way to teach about what we know about ancient Egypt, but told as an adventure. Three children are transported back to ancient Egypt, but with the book as a guide, that tells them what to expect every step of the way.

And as the book points out, although the Binkerton children are made up, the things that they saw are things that is known about ancient Egypt.

This book have danger, it has excitement, and it has humor. This isn't quite a picture book, nor is it quite a graphic novel, though it has both.

Neat way to introduce children to the world that archaeologists have found about Ancient Egypt.


Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

ms_aprilvincent's review against another edition

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3.0

Twins Josh and Emma follow their little sister Libby into the Good Times Travel Agency and get sucked back in time to ancient Egypt. To get back to the present, they'll have to read all the way through Julian T. Pettigrew's Personal Guide to Ancient Egypt.

Written as a graphic novel, the book shows how the kids are getting along in an unfamiliar place and time (pretty well, all things considered), and it also gives details about the Nike, how farmers lived, how the pyramids could have been built, what people wore and ate, etc. it doesn't feel like a textbook though, and Mr. Pettigrew's guidebook is informative without being boring. The brief entries relate to the kids' adventures, so you're getting both fact and fiction.

While reading, I found this pretty similar to Scholastic's You Wouldn't Want to Be ... series, which I also enjoyed. The difference here is that you're seeing the factual information being applied in the fictional plot.

I'd definitely give this to a student (or my niece or nephew), because it's engaging and educational, but it's not dry or lecture-y.

I received this book as a digital arc from netgalley.

duchessofreadin's review against another edition

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5.0

Join the Binkerton twins and their little sister, Libby as they go back in time to Ancient Egypt. As their adventure unfolds, they learn all about life in ancient Egypt. Life on the Nile was a lot more grueling than modern day life.
As the trio work through their book, their brother is taken to work on the pyramid for the pharaoh. As the sisters try and track him down, they find one adventure after another. When they finally reach their brother, they have to make a quick escape, but not before Libby decides to take a little detour into a pyramid...

This was a really cute read, and one that my kids really enjoyed. We learned how a pyramid was built, how the mummification process worked, and so much more! As we read through the book, we found that life in ancient Egypt was quite a bit different from life today. We had some fun comparing how meals are prepared, homes are built and furnished, and so much more! I would highly recommend this book to all, and especially to kids who are interested in history. The easy to follow facts at the bottom, coupled with the kids on their adventure made the entire book enjoyable, and almost made my kids forget they were actually learning something!
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