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Hunt for the Golden Scarab

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Book Synopsis

Epic, blockbusting adventure meets the mystery of time travel in Hunt for the Golden Scarab, the first title in the Time Keys series by bestselling award-winner M. G. Leonard. Perfect for children of 9 to 12 and fans of Adventures on Trains, Beetle Boy and Twitch. Illustrated in black and white throughout by Manuel Šumberac.

Sim and his mum never live anywhere long. When dangerous strangers appear one night, Sim discovers why. His mum has been keeping secrets: she has the power to open doors in time.

Running for their lives, Sim and his friends are determined to outwit the sinister Council of Keys and be the first to find Nefertiti’s lost tomb and a powerful door to Ancient Egypt. They must piece together long-hidden clues if they are to solve the mystery of her golden heart scarab. Can they find it before the Council finds them?

Our Review Panel says...

Hot on the heels of their award-winning, multiple middle-grade book series spanning beetles, trains and birds, M.G. Leonard is back, launching a new action-packed, time-travelling adventure series with an initial foray into Egyptology.

Sim lives with his mother, Callidora, in a flat above the museum of Sir John Soane. One evening, while Sim and his mum are training in the museum, they hear voices approaching. Callidora pales and opens a door in the museum, rushing Sim inside, opening a world of questions that even she can’t avoid forever.

Underpinned by historical fact, a tale of adventure, lies, trust and time travel unfolds, sweeping you along with twists and turns that keep you gripped and wanting to read on.

A brilliant book to accompany any unit on Ancient Egypt, readers will look forward to discovering what, where and when Sim, Jeopardy and Nelson will get up to next in this promising series.