Recommended children's booklists sorted by age or topic

Topic: Ancient Egypt

Cinderella of the Nile

Picturebook

Beautifully retold by the award-winning author Beverley Naidoo, this earliest-known version of Cinderella is brought to life for the modern-day reader. Rhodopis is a Greek girl who is sold into slavery by bandits and taken to Egypt. Along the way she becomes friends with the storyteller Aesop and a host of playful animals. Her master gives her a pair of beautiful rose-red slippers, making three other servants jealous. But when Horus, the falcon, sweeps in to steal her slipper, Rhodopis has little idea that this act will lead her to the King of Egypt.

Tutankhamun’s Treasure: Discovering the Secret Tomb of Egypt’s Ancient King

David Long & Stefano Tambellini

Dyslexia-friendly, Non-fiction

On 4 November 1922, a young Egyptian boy working on Howard Carter’s archaeological dig in the Valley of the Kings stumbled across a strange piece of rock. On closer inspection it turned out to be a stone step that would lead Carter to a long-lost tomb – and to treasures beyond his wildest dreams.

The tomb belonged to boy pharaoh Tutankhamun and was packed full of priceless artefacts. It had been largely untouched for over 3,000 years and remains one of the most important archaeological discoveries of all time. But did the opening of the tomb trigger a deadly curse?

David Long’s fact-filled account shows how Carter’s amazing discoveries told us so much about life in Ancient Egypt.

The Heart Scarab

Jo Lindley & Saviour Pirotta

Chapter book

Renni and Mahu are brothers, but they are complete opposites. When Mahu hatches a plot to rob the tomb of a long-dead general in the Valley of the Kings, Renni is swept into the crime to help his family. But taking the general’s heart scarab sets a much greater chain of events into motion, which are governed by dark and mysterious powers. Will the brothers and their friend Balaal manage to return it before Anubis, the god of death, comes to collect their souls? Or will they, and the general, be cast into the Great Darkness forever?

Egyptian Myths

Jean Menzies & Katie Ponder

Non-fiction

Egyptian Myths is a brilliant book to accompany KS2 history topics about Ancient Civilisations. It looks stunning, with its black cover and golden spine, and is packed with stories from Egypt, which have been retold in a way accessible to younger readers. The stories have their fair share of mythical creatures, terrible consequences and gruesome endings, all of which are completely captivating to read and perfect to share aloud.

The illustrations are rich in colour and pay homage to hieroglyphics in their style, but are slightly cartoonesque too, enabling children to grasp some of the quite complicated ancient plot lines and characters.

The final spread is a list of Egyptian vocabulary with anglicised pronunciation underneath, which will be invaluable to most teachers when they start this topic.

The Legend of Tutankhamun

James Weston Lewis & Sally Jane Morgan

Non-fiction

Telling a story that continues to fascinate young and old readers alike, this powerfully visual book tells the story of the boy Pharaoh, Tutankhamun.

The book explores the story and legacy of Tutankhamun as well as Howard Carter’s ground-breaking discovery of the tomb and the treasures within. The pages are mostly set in eye-catching yellows and blues, evoking the dry heat of the desert set against the powerful Nile.

There is a high image-to-text ratio, which works with the vivid design style of the spreads to give the book a powerful visual edge and helps to break down the topic into manageable bites of information for younger readers. We recommend this for KS2 classes covering the Ancient Egyptians topic.

Ancient Egypt: Tales of Gods and Pharaohs

Marcia Williams

Graphic novel

Get to grips with nine intriguing key people from Ancient Egypt as Marcia Williams returns with her distinctive comic-book style to present exciting tales of gods, goddesses and pharaohs.

These stories have plenty of humour and a great visual appeal, proving particularly popular for engaging reluctant readers. Subjects include Cleopatra, Tutankhamen, Ra and Isis.

Meet the Ancient Egyptians

James Davies

Non-fiction

A picture-book style non-fiction text about the Ancient Egyptian people. Each page has a short chunk of text accompanied by simple, bold illustrations or infographics.

Humorous and stylish without compromising on factual content, this book is a popular choice with reluctant or younger readers.

The Story of Tutankhamun

Isabel Greenberg & Patricia Cleveland-Peck

Graphic novel

Nominated for the CILIP Carnegie Medals, this is a comic-style exploration of the story of an Egyptian king and the 20th-century explorer who found him.

Discover the troubles Tutankhamun faced as a young king, his untimely death, and his legacy, which lay hidden for centuries. Pore over his treasures, learn the steps of mummification, and see Tutankhamun’s fascinating story brought to life. Travel through history with Howard Carter on his quest to uncover Tutankhamun’s hidden tomb, his incredible discovery, and our continued hunt to understand and unearth the riches of Ancient Egyptian life.

A Mummy Ate My Homework

Thiago de Moraes

Chapter book

A Mummy Ate My Homework is full of interesting facts woven into a fun, action-packed time travel story set in Ancient Egypt. The book is heavily illustrated in an engaging mix of styles – including comic strips, maps and full-page spreads. Every page is a delight to turn for curious minds, with anticipation of what you might encounter next!

The book is a winning combination for reluctant readers and those who enjoy fact-finding in a story. Bonus activities at the end include hieroglyphic codes to crack. Being A5, it’s also a nice size to hold. Fans of other illustrated chapter books, like Pugs of the Frozen North by Sarah McIntyre and Philip Reeve, will love this. Ideal for Y3 onwards.

The Red Pyramid

Rick Riordan

Chapter book

Fans of Percy Jackson will enjoy this edge-of-your-seat Egyptian adventure from the same author.

This fast-paced narrative follows the story of two siblings who find themselves thrown into an action-packed adventure where the world of Ancient Egypt meets modern life, complete with gods, pharaohs and ancient magic.

This is a good choice for upper KS2, full of mystery and a sure winner for fans of action and adventure.

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