King Tutankhamun Tells All!

by Chris Naunton, Guilherme Karsten (Illustrations)

An entertaining new illustrated book for young readers that brings King Tut back to life so he can share his own version of history. What would happen if the famous people of ancient Egypt were given the opportunity to tell their version of historical events―in their own words? It would be incredible! In this highly entertaining and comically illustrated book, King Tut is brought back to life to let readers in on the juicy details of his truly remarkable life. In King Tutankhamun Tells All! readers hear firsthand what it was like to be rudely awakened from the afterlife by archaeologist Howard Carter, who discovered Tut’s tomb in 1922. Listen to Tut brag about his collection of blingy 18-carat gold sandals; discern the fake news from the truth about Tut’s premature death; and relish the gory detail of Tut’s mummification in this exciting book by Egyptologist Chris Naunton. Bringing to life the biography of famous figures from Egyptian history, this book helps young readers learn through the voice of one of history’s most interesting kings. Illustrated in color throughout

Genres: Nonfiction, Africa

43 pages, Hardcover

Published June 8, 2021

Reviews

[V · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are reading King Tutankhamen Tells All right now as part of our ancient Egypt unit, and T is enjoying it even more than the first time we read it. (It helps that this time he understands that Tutankhamen and King Tut are the same person). When I paused for a coffee break this morning, he was quick to obtain the assurance that, "We'll keep reading, right?" He's commented about how cool it is that we watched a documentary about excavating a tomb/a mummy, and now we're reading a book about it. "It's a really good book." T also appreciates the playfulness of the format, such as where Tut's mummy tells a young museum goer to leave his shabtis alone because they are pretty busy working for him in the afterlife; "This is a funny part!" The first-person narration enhances already fascinating information with a more intimate look at history. T would like to visit King Tut in a museum if we ever have the chance, and so would I.

Readers get a basic introduction to King Tutankhamen: who he was, how he reigned, and what happened when his tomb was "discovered." As far as how he died goes? Well, he's not telling. Bold, full-page illustrations, speech bubbles, and inset text boxes entice readers to explore. Before I started reading this to T this morning, he started flipping through to read sections that appealed to him. Although the book is narrated by Tut chronologically, T has been skipping around, reading the sections that interest him most. And that works perfectly fine.

This is an AWESOME option for kids interested in ancient Egypt. It hits all the high-interest points (like the mummification process) and goes beyond. I've taught 6th grade social studies, which includes coverage of ancient Egypt. King Tutankhamen Tells All would have been a fun addition to my curriculum.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very entertaining informative picture book on King Tutankhamen. I learned a lot!

[Erin Buhr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written by an Egyptologist, this book attempts to make the history of King Tutankhamun and his family more approachable for kids. King Tut comes to life to give you his account of what happened and it's full of middle grade humor. His perspective helps to make something that happened a long time ago relatable to modern children. Full of illustrations and text that's broken up into easily read blocks, this is a kid friendly introduction to Egyptian history that is sure to get kids excited and curious to learn more.

[American Mensa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun, silly, and interesting book to learn about King Tutankhamun. This book tells the story of King Tutankhamun from his point of view, as if he were alive. This book is a combination of stories and mostly facts. Some things King Tut talked about were how he became a king, the afterlife, his clothes, and how his tomb was discovered. This book was also kind of funny because of the drawings, captions, and some of the characters. That made it fun to read and learn about Ancient Egypt. I learned that King Tut was only 9 years old when he was king, and he died when he was 18 years old. The book also has the steps of how to make a mummy. What I really liked was the map of The Egyptian Empire in the back of the book. It showed me where King Tut ruled and some important places he was at. I also liked the information page about hieroglyphics, which taught me the meaning and information about the pictures and symbols. I would recommend this book for anyone who wants to learn about King Tut, because it’s a pretty fun book and I learned a lot.

Reviewed by Max V., 6, Maumee Valley Mensa

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't like this one as much as Cleopatra's book. I'm not sure if the author was trying to make Tut sound annoying because he was young, or if it just came across that way.

[Lynne Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

So fascinating and easy to read in bits and pieces.