Category: Books (Page 3 of 11)

A couple of Xmas ago, my friend and former egyptologist Lola, got Mika her first Theodosia book: Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos. Mika, as was her custom back then, threw a fit about the book (my kids have severe transitional issues). But it didn’t take long before she wanted Mike to read it to her. It may not be an exaggeration to say that she became immediately enthralled by the story – and that it quickly became her favorite book every.
The book (which is followed by Theodosia and the Staff of Osiris and the just published Theodosia and the Eyes of Horus) concerns a precocious 11-year-old girl name Theodosia who lives in Edwardian London with her egyptologist parents, who run a small museum. Theodosia is not just a budding egyptologist herself, but she has an uncanny ability to feel the black magic arising out of antiquities. This leads her to uncover mysteries and live exciting adventures and become the unacknowledged heroine. I haven’t read the books myself (Mike is the one reading them to Mika, and I’m not much of a reader of kids’ books), but of course, Theodosia seems like your stereotypical spunky, wise-beyond-her-years, courageous little girls on which much girl literature is based. In other words, the sort of girl all little girls aspire (or should aspire) to be. No wonder Mika loves it.
The books have also fueled Mika’s passion for Ancient Egypt – something which I, of course, have encouraged (for those who don’t know me, I was an Ancient Egyptian Archaeology major in college). This year we are throwing Mika an Ancient Egyptian birthday party. To my great happiness, the 3rd Theodosia book came out early, so I will actually be able to give it to Mika for her birthday.
As for this posting, the purpose is to encourage everyone whose kids (specially girls) have shown any interest in Ancient Egypt to get the books for their children. The San Leandro library now has them (thanks to Mike who told them they should get them), and I’m sure other libraries out there do as well. The first two are now on soft-cover and quite affordable. Sorry, we can’t loan you our copies because Mike is currently reading them to Camila (not that I think she’s getting much out of them).
I’m happy to say that the author has written on her blog that she’s just finished writing the fourth Theodosia book, Theodosia and the Last Pharaoh, so the adventure will continue.

Cat Mummies is a delightful book about the worship of cats in Ancient Egypt. It’s written in serious, yet accessible language (though I wouldn’t read it to a child under 8) and the illustrations are gorgeous. The information is accurate and fascinating, though I’m not sure why the author put so much emphasis on the Persian conquest. Mika loved reading the book.
My only issue are a couple of paragraphs that implied that Egypt was conquered by the Persians because of its animal worship. I’m not sure if it was a veiled attempt to get a Biblical point of view in, or just sloppy writing.
In any case, it’s a great book to read to your little Egyptologist – and you can probably find it at the library or for very cheap online.