Sunday, May 19, 2013

The Quest Series by S.W. Lothian

I have always loved the idea of time travel.  Maybe that is why books like this one intrigues me so much.  This whole series is one that I will not only have on my shelves at school, but one I will promote to all of my students.  Our sixth grade Humanities teaches ancient Egypt.  I've always tried to have something that went along with their unit. There just were not that many books, especially good ones to go along with their unit, until now.

The Golden Scarab is book one in the Quest Series.  J.J. is 12 years old.  My students will identify with him because they are also middle graders.  J.J.'s father is the head curator at a museum.  His family visits the museum one day and J.J. wanders into an Egyptian exhibit.   The statue of Anubis begins to talk with J.J.  He is the protector of the mummy at the museum. He challenges  J.J. to find a friend and travel through time to find the Golden Scarab.  This scarab will save Egypt from Seth, an evil god. J.J. recruits his best friend Linc and they travel through time where they meet Rani, a young girl who also travels through time to help find the scarab.  The three of them must battle Uberdiles, find their way through mazes, and avoid booby-traps, and deliver the golden scarab to stop Seth.

That alone is enough to entice any child, young adult, or adult.  For me as a parent, grandparent, and teacher, I love the fact that this book, of interest to young and old will teach the reader about friendship, trust, courage, being a risk-taker, caring, and a balanced person.  This book embodies the IB learner profiles we teach at school.  In the mix they will find a wonderful way to learn about ancient Egyptian cultures, gods, etc.  Do I recommend this book?  You bet I do.

The Cursed Nile is book two in the Quest Series. In this great adventure the trio J.J., Linc and Rani are back to discover why the Nile has dried up in the past and present, and what has happened to Hapi the god who controls the Nile. Once again they have obstacles thrown in their path.  They will go against the uberdiles and giant crocodiles.  After all we all know the Nile is known for its crocodiles.

Instead of the evil god Seth we meet the evil god Sobek.  He has kidnapped Hapi.  Want to know why Sobek kidnapped Hapi?  You'll have to read the book.   There are great lessons about jealousy and the effects of what happens when you bully others.  Little Sphinx is another character we meet in this story.  Want to know how the sphinx lost his nose?   This is an awesome book.    The third book in the series "The Fallen Pharaoh" comes out June 1st. However, check tomorrow for my review of "The Fallen Pharaoh".

I am so glad that I have found a series that I can use in my classroom to re-inforce what they are learning in Humanities.

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for the great reviews Sandra.

    I'm really pleased that you enjoyed the books and hope you also enjoy The Fallen Pharaoh.
    If any of your students have questions about the books or characters etc, then I'm happy for them to contact me.

    Cheers
    S.W.

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