The Secret Of The Sacred Scarab (The Chronicles Of The Stone Series Book One) By Fiona Ingram

• Date: 25.01.2016
• Book: The Secret Of The Sacred Scarab
• Author: ColdCofffee

Review

A family holiday with Aunt Isabel and Gran to Egypt ignites cousins Adam and Justin’s quest for teenage adventure when a peddler who was showing the boys his wares, gives Adam several scarabs when he notices police. Unbeknownst to the boys, one of the scarabs has mystical importance in Egyptian mythology. With the scarabs stored away in Adam’s rucksack, their imagination tells them that there is treasure to be found.

With Eleven Book Award Nominations & Wins, enjoy outstanding story telling with realistic dialog that will draw middle grade and young adult readers into this action, adventure packed, suspenseful, historical fiction that rivals Indiana Jones. Boys will be boys and soon trouble will find them. Careful not to spoil the story, I quote a passage to whet your appetite.

“Quick as a flash, they dashed behind a marble pillar, trying to smother their giggles. “Now what?” Adam said.

Justin grabbed his arm. “I noticed a room leading away from the main hall. It was full of boxes and crates. The lights were off so no one was in there. Let’s go back and see if we can find something interesting.”

They retraced their steps to the small display hall Justin had seen. It contained several cabinets holding statues, and a few stone sarcophagi. Stacks of boxes and wooden crates lined the far wall. They wandered around, looking at the Arabic-inscribed labels and trying to guess what was inside the boxes. It wasn’t long before the sound of echoing footsteps sent them scuttling behind a large sarcophagus.

Two men walked in, speaking Arabic in low voices. Over the next few minutes, the voices floated around the room and then right past Adam and Justin’s hiding place, before finally disappearing near the back. After a moment of silence, they looked at each other, puzzled, and then listened a bit longer to make sure the men had gone. Then they peeked above the sarcophagus to check that the coast was clear before creeping out. They both looked toward the back of the room, where the voices had disappeared.

Adam pointed to a door standing ajar. The door was labeled with an Arabic inscription. “What do you think it says?” he asked, as they walked quietly to the door, giving occasional sideways glances to check they were still alone.

“Um … I have no idea,” Justin said. “It’s probably a notice for the museum staff. That door looks like a fire escape. I think those men we heard went down there.”

Justin pushed the door all the way open. A set of stone steps disappeared into inky darkness. If the men had gone through the door, then there was only one way to go—down.

Frightened and excited, they hesitated on the top step, unsure of whether to investigate.

Justin turned to Adam. “We should follow and see what they’re up to, but you know we’ll get into the worst kind of trouble if we’re caught.”

Adam gave a nervous nod.

Justin grinned. “Then let’s go. We just have to risk it.”

The Secret Of The Sacred Scarab (The Chronicles Of The Stone Series Book One) by Fiona Ingram is well researched. The book cover art and nine exquisite hand drawn graphics within the book are by South African Artist Lori Bentley.

Thirty-four riveting chapters packed with adventure will keep you turning the pages. Author Fiona Ingram continues the history lessons at the end of the book with a Readers’ Guide to Ancient Egypt that includes “Endnotes that will help book-lovers enjoy the story even more while reading. This additional material will increase your knowledge of the world of ancient Egypt, and help you uncover the meaning of the Stone of Fire and the secret of the sacred scarab. In this glossary, you’ll be able to look up information on words or ideas that you read about in The Secret of the Sacred Scarab. It will add to your enjoyment of Adam and Justin’s incredible adventure because there are clues everywhere!”

Cold Coffee Press/Café endorses The Secret Of The Sacred Scarab (The Chronicles Of The Stone Series Book One) by Fiona Ingram as a fictional story illuminated with history that brings Egypt to life for young readers. This first book in The Chronicles Of The Stone Series should be included on summer reading program book lists. The Search for the Stone of Excalibur (The Chronicles Of The Stone Series Book Two) is also available at Amazon. We reviewed this book from Kindle/PDF format. The review was completed on January 24, 2016. For more information please visit Cold Coffee Press http://www.coldcoffeepress.com and Cold Coffee Cafe http://coldcoffeecafe.com/

Amazon Kindle Purchase Link
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005CRRU5E/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005CRRU5E&linkCode=as2&tag=colcofpre-20&linkId=VKREEZQTKWIJ4HEQ