Even to Melanie, who knew that you could never predict what a new kid would be like, April Hall was something of a surprise. One look at her string...
read full description
reviews
May 16, 2010
Larissa
rated it: 
I already had a sort of Egypt fixation when this book was read to me for the first time in 3rd grade. But this book took that fixation to a whole new level. For years, I read it over and over again. It...affected me. Because it implied that I wasn't the only dorky, bespectacled youth out there pouring over books about the mummification process (they pulled the brain out through the nose? awesome!), requesting that their mother construct 3D pyramind birthday cakes, and naming the neighbor's stray
More...
0 comments
like
(6 people liked it)
Nov 27, 2007
Nany
rated it: 
>>> WARNING, SPOILER ! <<< *I think
This book really has a mixture of fun, sad and scary things ! When I started reading it, which was on my summer vacations, I liked it so much, I couldn't stop reading it. I think I read it in two days. It's so fantastic, how April, Melanie, Marshal, and then Elizabeth, and the two boys Toby and Ken create a society, which grows and grows. This book felt so magic. I spent like 15 min. laughing about Marshall, on More...
This book really has a mixture of fun, sad and scary things ! When I started reading it, which was on my summer vacations, I liked it so much, I couldn't stop reading it. I think I read it in two days. It's so fantastic, how April, Melanie, Marshal, and then Elizabeth, and the two boys Toby and Ken create a society, which grows and grows. This book felt so magic. I spent like 15 min. laughing about Marshall, on More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Jan 18, 2009
Jessica (j*&p*)
rated it: 
This was my banned book for the WBC challenge. I actually found it buried in a box amongst the Baby-sitters Club, Sweet Valley Twins, A Wrinkle in Time and various other books I collected in my childhood, but I'd never read this one so I decided to pick it up after I saw it listed as a banned book.
It was a cute book about a girl named April, who has come to live with her grandmother whom she hardly knows after her flighty actress mother decides to go on tour sans her 11 year old dau More...
It was a cute book about a girl named April, who has come to live with her grandmother whom she hardly knows after her flighty actress mother decides to go on tour sans her 11 year old dau More...
Jan 04, 2010
Michael
rated it: 
A Newbury Honor Book? Really? While this was an interesting story, I found the children to not behave in the manner of actual children - speaking wisely beyond their years and with adult emotions - emotions we might like them to have, but that for the most part, they do not.
Interesting to note that the NY Times Book Review (quoted on the inside cover) says the author "[presents:] contemporary children as they talk and act on their own." Yeah, I don't think so.
More...
Interesting to note that the NY Times Book Review (quoted on the inside cover) says the author "[presents:] contemporary children as they talk and act on their own." Yeah, I don't think so.
More...
4 comments
like
(3 people liked it)
Dec 10, 2007
Jackie "the Librarian"
rated it:
Great book! So many layers - family issues, friendships, imagination, social issues, and creepy suspense. April was such a great character, reacting to feeling abandoned by her mother with her creative use of false eyelashes. Thank goodness Melanie was her friend, and didn't let April wear those eyelashes to school!
I love all the details about the game, with everyone using their imaginations to recreate an Egyptian temple and all the rituals. All the relationships between the kids are so More...
I love all the details about the game, with everyone using their imaginations to recreate an Egyptian temple and all the rituals. All the relationships between the kids are so More...
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
May 16, 2009
“Yea we bad we killahs! Yo you want me to tell you how we kill crabs”. These are the words in a book banned in schools. Just one of the many reasons books are banned that was an example of a book banned because of its violence. Other reasons books are banned are strong sexual content which is just unacceptable for students. Are you there god? Is a book banned based on religious reasons and there are many more like in the world today.
Violence something that happens in our neighborhood More...
Violence something that happens in our neighborhood More...
Nov 30, 2011
Jennifer
rated it:
I recall a teacher reading this book, but couldn't quite remember much else. I love Egypt and everything that comes with it. It's a unique culture from a different time, filled with pharaohs, pyramids, and mummies. And the children in this story are equally enthralled with Egyptology.
They go to the library to research it, role play pharaohs, gods, and servants. They even play Egyptians for Halloween. But, while they are having fun...a murderer is on the loose who kills children. More...
They go to the library to research it, role play pharaohs, gods, and servants. They even play Egyptians for Halloween. But, while they are having fun...a murderer is on the loose who kills children. More...
Nov 09, 2011
Mariah
rated it:
I read this book in the third or fourth grade for the first time, and I've always remembered it as one of my childhood favourites. Some reviews have suggested that the children are too unlike actual children (in terms of emotional maturity for the most part) to offer young readers relatability, but I couldn't disagree more. Children strive to meet expectations and I think that presenting smart, mature, creative characters working together to generate a fantasy world of historical exploration can
More...
Nov 08, 2011
Christopher
rated it:
For one attempting to introduce schoolchildren to a combined love of history and reading, I can think of no better source. I first had this story read to me in the early days of third grade as an introduction to a unit on Egyptian history, and not only did it serve to interest me in the subject, but the book itself compelled me to borrow and reread it multiple times, something few books up to that point had done. I won't credit this book for my enduring love of reading, but of all the books I
More...
Jul 06, 2011
Sara
rated it:
Two things ran through my head as I read this book 1). I had read this book as a kid and 2). this book was on the 2009-2010 banned books list for occult themes. I didn't exactly remember the book but there were little passages that caught at my memory. The biggest thing was I had read the book during the same time "Walk Like an Egyptian" was popular - which also caused that song to pop into my head at random times as I re-read the book.
As for the banned booked issue - I found th More...
As for the banned booked issue - I found th More...
May 28, 2011
Nobies57
rated it:
Aprils mother has abandoned her.....like Gilly Hopkins, like _________, she has gone off to become a star and will send for her when there is money. Not surprisingly, her mother does not write and she does not come for her. Instead April, who definitely colors outside of the lines, is sent to live in an apartment with her grandmother who doesn't know how to connect with her. April's not easy. She's angry and she lies. April makes friends with Melanie, the girl upstairs, and together they bu
More...
Sep 01, 2010
Lars
rated it:
There are so many things to like about this extraordinary book that I had somehow missed previously. I'm actually not sure if I had read it completely through before, probably because it is another novel that I consider over-assigned in schools.
'The Egypt Game' also carries the burden of being dated. It was published in 1967 when kids said "neat" a lot more and had to go to the library to find out about ancient Egypt, instead of looking online. No cell phones here. Of c More...
'The Egypt Game' also carries the burden of being dated. It was published in 1967 when kids said "neat" a lot more and had to go to the library to find out about ancient Egypt, instead of looking online. No cell phones here. Of c More...
Mar 03, 2010
Morgan
rated it:
Melanie Ross and April Hall are two girls you would never expect to form a close friendship. April is an only child from Hollywood who has never spent much time around other kids. She wears false eyelashes, swept-up hair, and a fake feathered boa wrap. She is snooty and insecure. Her mother is trying to be a movie actress and has paid scant attention to her daughter so far in life. The book begins when her mother dumps her off with her grandmother for an indefinite amount of time. Melanie is dow
More...
Feb 14, 2010
Kathleen
rated it:
First published in 1967, this book was written around the time I was the same age as the youngest member of the characters. It was awarded a Newbery Honor in its day and I think I can figure out why. It features a cast of characters that is diverse, and a neighborhood that is a little run down and seedy, and single mothers (and grandmothers) raising their children. Coming off the 1950s Leave It to Beaver Generation, this book would have seemed pretty edgy.
I think it doesn't play a More...
I think it doesn't play a More...
Dec 22, 2009
At first I did not like this book at all but because it was assigned I had to keep reading. I liked it the more I read on. I personally think it would be fun to be in the Egypt game. However mummifying a parakeet not so much.
When the book first introduced April I thought she seemed quite spoiled and I don’t know how she thought she was cool that way it only wade her seem weirder. My first impression of Melanie was that she liked things to be orderly and I was partially right. The more I r More...
When the book first introduced April I thought she seemed quite spoiled and I don’t know how she thought she was cool that way it only wade her seem weirder. My first impression of Melanie was that she liked things to be orderly and I was partially right. The more I r More...
May 15, 2009
3ThomasGorman
rated it:
My opinion of banned books should not be banned. I think the reader should read whatever they want to read. But we have parents who propose books with violence, sexual content; language and so on feel as though this is inappropriate for their children.
One of the main reason books are banned to my opinion is because of sexual content. I believe this is the main reason books are banned because it talks about adults or children showing their private parts of their bodies and adults fee More...
One of the main reason books are banned to my opinion is because of sexual content. I believe this is the main reason books are banned because it talks about adults or children showing their private parts of their bodies and adults fee More...
Oct 08, 2010
Alissa
rated it:
Makes a good follow-up to Rick Riordan's "Red Pyramid"... although not nearly as involved.
I read this one in 3rd grade. It was on the "Banned and Challenged" book display and my parents, always being advocates of allowing me to explore and talk about any and all ideas (even controversial ones), picked it out for me to read. I remember loving it.
Still DO love it, in fact!
True that the way the characters behave is a bit dated and, therefore, More...
I read this one in 3rd grade. It was on the "Banned and Challenged" book display and my parents, always being advocates of allowing me to explore and talk about any and all ideas (even controversial ones), picked it out for me to read. I remember loving it.
Still DO love it, in fact!
True that the way the characters behave is a bit dated and, therefore, More...
Sep 17, 2009
Sony
rated it:
A must read along with THE LAST PHARAOH. In that book Aladdin Elaasar sheds the light on America's allies who became out of control like Mubarak of Egypt. Egypt is the next powder Keg!
THE LAST PHARAOH is written by Egyptian/American award-winning author and lecturer Aladdin Elaasar, who was nominated as a candidate for the presidential elections in Egypt in 2005. THE LAST PHARAOH is also the title of a forthcoming Hollywood mega action movie starring Will Smith to be released early 2010.
More...
THE LAST PHARAOH is written by Egyptian/American award-winning author and lecturer Aladdin Elaasar, who was nominated as a candidate for the presidential elections in Egypt in 2005. THE LAST PHARAOH is also the title of a forthcoming Hollywood mega action movie starring Will Smith to be released early 2010.
More...
Feb 12, 2012
Vixenne
rated it:
When I first came across this book in 1975, I was seven years-old and was totally into everything ancient Egypt. I'd seen the King Tut exhibit twice, read everything both fact and fiction about the civilization and was so geeky that I tought myself to write in hieroglyphics (which was fun when it came to passing secret messages). Imagine my delight when the wonderful librarian at my elementary school (I wish I could remember her name because she helped feed my Egypt fix) gave me this book. I
More...
Feb 19, 2011
JoAnn
rated it:
What a great idea these kids had to create their own Egypt. At the time this book was written, I would have been about the same age as these children and it was interesting, after all this time, to read this and to remember how things were then. While I can't imagine something like this happening today, I am sure it could have been pulled off then.
We had a lot more freedom than I see kids having today, though the book also deals with one of the things that makes parents today -- including More...
We had a lot more freedom than I see kids having today, though the book also deals with one of the things that makes parents today -- including More...
May 08, 2010
Caitlin
rated it:
I picked this up again on a recent trawl through the children's books at my local library. I was looking for something else and got engrossed and suddenly remembered this book. I loved this book when I was a kid. I read it many times because it so captured the kind of kid I was - one whose play depended on books and imagination. I just wish I could have found friends as cool as the ones in this book.
Re-reading this as an adult I remember all the reasons I loved it. It's smart an More...
Re-reading this as an adult I remember all the reasons I loved it. It's smart an More...
Apr 03, 2011
April
rated it:
Review originally posted HERE
I loved the imaginative play of the children. I also felt Snyder portrayed children-and their silly arguments while playing- quite accurately. Some of the characters, especially April (yea!) are a bit quirky, which makes them interesting. It's a heart-warming story about childhood and about the aged finding joy in child-like innocence.
Some of the children's play is slightly creepy, as it portrays evil gods of Egypt. The plot is very slow. It's a s More...
I loved the imaginative play of the children. I also felt Snyder portrayed children-and their silly arguments while playing- quite accurately. Some of the characters, especially April (yea!) are a bit quirky, which makes them interesting. It's a heart-warming story about childhood and about the aged finding joy in child-like innocence.
Some of the children's play is slightly creepy, as it portrays evil gods of Egypt. The plot is very slow. It's a s More...
Oct 07, 2009
Jill
rated it:
This book has been around for a long time, and I had heard about it a lot, so I decided to check it out!
It was pretty good. I wasn't obsessed with it, but I can definitely see why it has been popular for the past 40 years or so. I really liked the strong female characters - well, they were as strong as a middle schooler can be. I thought the characters were fleshed out really well. I can see a child, especially a girl, really relating to them. The main characters were really into lea More...
It was pretty good. I wasn't obsessed with it, but I can definitely see why it has been popular for the past 40 years or so. I really liked the strong female characters - well, they were as strong as a middle schooler can be. I thought the characters were fleshed out really well. I can see a child, especially a girl, really relating to them. The main characters were really into lea More...
Jul 11, 2011
Robotbee
rated it:
Another book I reread so I could give it to my kid. I'm glad I did, because it was written in the sixties and some of the racial terminology requires some contextual explanation.
That having been said, this book is fully awesome. The characters are wonderfully multi-dimensional, and their problems and the ways they learn to relate to each other describe the complexities of humanity better than any of my patented Boring Incessant Lectures. Difficult topics are delicately treated, but wit More...
That having been said, this book is fully awesome. The characters are wonderfully multi-dimensional, and their problems and the ways they learn to relate to each other describe the complexities of humanity better than any of my patented Boring Incessant Lectures. Difficult topics are delicately treated, but wit More...
Sep 22, 2010
Sam
rated it:
In "The Egypt Game," April is trying to figure out what her role in life is, who her friends really are, and who she can trust. Nothing helps her imagination and friendship grow better than when she meets some very interesting people who just happen to love Egypt as much as she does!
In this book, I really liked Marshall. Granted, hes four, but throughout the whole book he seemed to have a certain understanding that all the other characters lacked, even though their older ag More...
In this book, I really liked Marshall. Granted, hes four, but throughout the whole book he seemed to have a certain understanding that all the other characters lacked, even though their older ag More...
Oct 19, 2009
Josiah
rated it:
I was really happy with this book. In these pages, Zilpha Keatley Snyder has shown herself to be a writer of the first rank, meting out humor and suspense and even some genuine drama at a faultlessly executed pace, engineering a true gem of a book. The Egypt Game rings throughout with kid-friendly dialogue and characters, all very real and all a joy to experience, and the narrative turns so expertly as to completely camoflauge the touch of a writer at all. In some ways a really good story wil
More...
Dec 09, 2010
Julie
rated it:
So I'm pulling this off of my classroom shelf; 6th grade is definitely as old as one should be to enjoy this one. I had really loved this in 5th grade, as far as I could remember, and I inherited this copy from another teacher in my classroom. After my 5th-grade boy loved Riordan's The Red Pyramid, I thought (but am now smacking myself in the forehead) that he may enjoy reading this with me.
We're absolutely spoiled. The short, suspenseful, action-packed chapters in a year's worth More...
We're absolutely spoiled. The short, suspenseful, action-packed chapters in a year's worth More...
Mar 02, 2010
Gaston
rated it:
A book I teach to sixth graders that I read for the first time with them this year. All in all a pretty good read. The children act, think, and express themselves in ways that are much more advanced then their actual age; however, this doesn't lend itself too badly to the overall effect of the book. It was somewhat awkward for some of my kids as Snyder chose children of different race to represent her characters (there is not a lot of cultural diversity in my school as far as population). My
More...
Jan 21, 2011
Carol
rated it:
The Egypt Game for me is all about imagination.
I read this with Amber (11), and it was a perfect book for her. Story-telling, playing games that last for months and months are right up her alley. She does it on her own, but I think part of that is we’re more careful now. The Egypt Game was first published in 1967 and it was a different time. Kids seemed to have more freedom, for better or worse. I mean breaking into a storage shed and playing with “ceremonial” fire would not be tole More...
I read this with Amber (11), and it was a perfect book for her. Story-telling, playing games that last for months and months are right up her alley. She does it on her own, but I think part of that is we’re more careful now. The Egypt Game was first published in 1967 and it was a different time. Kids seemed to have more freedom, for better or worse. I mean breaking into a storage shed and playing with “ceremonial” fire would not be tole More...
