The Secrets of Tutankhamun: Egypt's Boy King and His Incredible Tomb

by Patricia Cleveland-Peck, Isabel Greenberg (Illustrator)

Tutankhamun was born in a time of change. His father, Atakhenaten, instituted broad political and religious reform through Egypt, and when a nine-year-old Tut ascended the throne after his father’s unexpected death, he found himself at the center of the controversy. He was the youngest king Egypt had ever had, and his short, tumultuous rule ended when he died at the age of 19.

Over three thousand years later, Howard Carter, an archaeologist with a penchant for ancient history and a special skill for excavation in Egypt's Valley of the Kings, made a discovery that shocked the world: Tut's tomb, long assumed destroyed, not only survived but was fully intact. The treasures within gave a stunning and undisturbed perspective on ancient Egyptian culture and uncovered secrets that fascinated the world.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Biography, Egypt, Childrens, Picture Books, Historical

64 pages, Hardcover

Published August 21, 2018

About the author

I wanted to be a writer from the age of ten. I wrote plays in old triplicate books of my dad's, tore out the pages and made my friends act in them. Later I went to France and studied at the Sorbonne and to pay my way I worked for an adorable family of seven children. For the youngest, I made up a long serial story, La Famille Ficelle, which years later became my first children's book, The String Family. I then went on to study at Trinity College, Dublin, after which I got married and got sidetracked into training to be a lawyer. My heart wasn't in it however, and when I left to have my first baby I decided I should really try to get a book written. I was lucky, The String Family was taken by the second publisher I approached. After its publication I went on to write about 14 children's books. Later, as my own three children grew up, I began to write articles, some about our life on a country smallholding. Eventually I moved into travel writing and writing the odd adult non-fiction book. I also compiled features for BBC Radio 3 and 4, wrote two radio plays and one stage play.
It was my granddaughter Izzy, who with her comment, 'You can't take an elephant on the bus,' brought me back into the wonderful world of children's writing, which I am enjoying so much that I don't intend to leave.
I have now had published by Bloomsbury
You Can't Take an Elephant on the Bus
You Can't Let an Elephant Drive a Digger
You Can't Call an Elephant in an Emergecy
and to come are
You Can'Take and Elephant on Holiday
and more...
The Story of Tutankhamun
Pumpkin Power
Tutankhamun's Last Journey published by Pearson
and The Queen's Spaghetti published by Harper Collins

Reviews

[Estanteriadecho · Rating 5 out of 5]

La historia de Tutankamón es una novela gráfica preciosa y didáctica para que los pequeños puedan acercarse, de forma divertida, a la enigmática historia del faraón más famoso de Egipto. Un libro ilustrado que brilla por la belleza de sus ilustraciones y componente educativo.

Reseña: https://laestanteriadecho.blogspot.co...

[Daisy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quality Rating: Four Stars
Enjoyment Rating: Four Stars

Ancient Egypt and Tutankhamun were one of my obsessions as a child, and this book sent me right back into it. The story has also been adapted for a modern audience, pointing out the things Carter and his team did that wouldn't be allowed today. Simple but thorough, this is the perfect book for a child or young person fascinated with history, archaeology or of course Egypt.

[Silvia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me ha encantado este libro ilustrado. La cultura egipcia siempre me ha despertado mucha curiosidad y la tengo muy abandonada.

Este libro ilustrado por Isabel Greenberg, es ideal como aproximación al antiguo Egipto. Se centra en contarnos la historia de Tutankamón aunque muy brevemente, no se extiende demasiado, nos explica un poco el momento histórico en el que nació el faraón y algunos conceptos básicos como la tarea de embalsamar. También nos habla de como fue la búsqueda de su tumba y de las leyendas que se desataron a raíz de varios sucesos ocurridos después del descubrimiento.

El libro es ideal para un público joven pero creo que le puede encantar también a todo amante de las ediciones ilustradas y de Egipto. Perfecto como regalo.

[S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous book for 8+ and lots of interesting facts and diagrams. Beautiful.

[Cassandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read at the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology!

[Becky B · Rating 5 out of 5]

A biography of Tutankhamun and history of his times, as well as a brief biography of Howard Carter and history of how he and others found and cataloged the tomb of King Tut.

This was the best biography of Tutankhamun I've ever read. It did a great job of clarifying what is known and what historians guess about him and his times (and what those guesses are based on). Thanks to the time period and the scientific tools available now, many previous theories and guesses have been clarified with current technology. The book is heavily illustrated, and overall is presented in a very attractive and engaging manor that will draw readers in even more (as if the topic wasn't enough already). A fantastic piece of history writing that's a great model text and superb reading option for middle grade and young adult readers. Highly recommended for curious readers, those studying ancient Egypt, and those interest in archaeological history.

Notes on content: No language issues. No sexual content. Various hypotheses about the fates of various persons from Tutankhamun's time are talked about, including murder theories (but these aren't gory). The mummification process is described but gross details are kept to the minimum amount possibly with portraying the process accurately without being overly graphic. The "curse" of the tomb is brought up and discussed very balanced with a list of supposed casualties but also a note that the vast majority of people involved with the dig survived.

[寿理 宮本 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a neat biography, and definitely more interesting to read than a normal history book! The art is interesting, though it reminds me a bit of Kate Beaton's style, and it's a nice touch having all of the Egyptians drawn in the profile view of traditional Egyptian paintings.

Some of the history I already knew, though I'm a little grossed out to learn that he married and had kids with his half-sister Ankhesenamun (not judging, but also JUST SAYING that I'm kind of not surprised their two children died young). Also that his name is Tut - ankh - amun (easier to remember how to spell!).

Recommended for young historians and Egyptologists! Hopefully they will have a better time of it than Howard Carter, who—as per the book—died lonely and alone. :(

[Margie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though I have read a fair amount about Tutankhamun there is always more to learn. This book explained a few more things and brought out details I was not aware of. Children who are fascinated by ancient history and particularly ancient Egypt will find this fully illustrated title intriguing and captivating. There is a lot of content presented within its covers. That said, I would have liked to see at a minimum, a bibliography. A glossary and perhaps a pronounciation guide would also have been helpful. Hopefully after reading this children will be inspired and motivated to seek further information.

[Darci Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

While the facts in this book are nonfiction, the illustrations and flow of this book reads like a large-print chapter book, as it is organized into sections based on chronology of events leading up to the discovery of the tomb and after as well. Kids would enjoy this book to become exposed to the discovery of the ancient tomb and to understand that this did not happen overnight but took many years of dedication. There is also a level of intrigue with this book, as it addresses the reasons people think there is a curse but also debunks this rumor.

Lesson wise, students could do a research project on ancient civilizations, discuss the role of archaeologists, or other things.

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again, I checked this out just for Isabel Greenberg's illustrations, but I do also love Egyptology and am pretty familiar with King Tut and with Howard Carter's discovery of his final resting place. I found the telling of it...fine, if uninspired. It's simplified in a way that should make it easy for kids to get a picture of who was doing what when, but it's still a little dry. Greenberg's illustrations make up for it though, as always!

[Tina Hoggatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a thoroughly entertaining and cool book! Any elementary or middle schooler needing to write a paper on the Boy King will find this informative and visually pleasing book invaluable. The rest of us will admire it for its happy combination of set and illustration, perfect for its storytelling cause.

[Tessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great little introduction to this topic. This would be an excellent read-aloud.

[RainbowDash · Rating 5 out of 5]

lovely

[Samantha Booth · Rating 5 out of 5]

My year 3 class loved this book as our class read

[Lydia Nisen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: informational nonfiction
Grade Level: Middle Grades
I really enjoyed learning more about Tutankhamun. This book had a lot of factual information. It is very informational, and I had to take a break while reading because all the information was beginning to get all jumbled up in my head. I think this would be a great book to use when teaching or talking about Tutankhamun but as the educator you need to take your time and make all the details clear.

[Sudarshan Bindal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating!A brief,yet captivating & attractive read.Even though this may classify as a children's book,love reading them for the beautiful illustrations & quick read :-D

[Kerfe · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's nothing wrong with this graphic rendering of the mysterious history of Tutankhamun and the discovery of his tomb, but it's nothing special either. I like the illustrations.