Book of the Dead (TombQuest Series #1)

by Michael Northrop

Overview

From the team that brought you The 39 Clues and Spirit Animals comes a brand new epic Egyptian adventure!

Nothing can save Alex Sennefer's life. That's what all the doctors say, but his mother knows it's not true. She knows that the Lost Spells of the Egyptian Book of the Dead can crack open a door to the afterlife and pull her son back from the brink. But when she uses the spells, five evil ancients--the Death Walkers--are also brought back to life.

An ancient evil has been unleashed. Mummies are awakening. New York is overrun with scorpions. And worst of all for Alex, his mom and the Lost Spells have both disappeared. He and his best friend, Ren, will do anything to find his mom and save the world . . . even if that means going head-to-head with a Death Walker who has been plotting his revenge for 3,000 years.

Read the book, then continue the adventure online! Build an Egyptian tomb of your own, hide treasure and protect it with traps, then challenge your friends to play through!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780545723381
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	01/27/2015
Series:	TombQuest Series , #1
Pages:	208
Sales rank:	182,605
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.78(d)
Lexile:	650L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Michael Northrop has written short fiction for WEIRD TALES, the NOTRE DAME REVIEW, and MCSWEENEY'S. His debut novel, GENTLEMEN, earned him a PW Flying Start, and his YA thriller, TRAPPED, was published in 2011 to great acclaim. An editor at SPORTS ILLUSTRATED KIDS for many years, he now writes full-time from his home in New York City. You can visit him online at www.michaelnorthrop.net.

Editorial Reviews

11/24/2014
Northrop (Surrounded by Sharks) lays the groundwork for his five-book multiplatform TombQuest series, in which a 12-year-old boy and his know-it-all best friend fight immortal Egyptian menaces while readers participate via online games. Alex Sennefer suffers from a mysterious debilitating disease, which his Egyptologist mother cures by using a lost spell from the Book of the Dead. While the spell saves Alex’s life, it also brings evil mummies to life and summons a plague of scorpions, among other bizarre events. Using new magical abilities, Alex and his friend Ren attempt to fend off malevolent Death Walkers and the secretive Order, which has abducted Alex’s mother, along with the Lost Spells. Their only ally: scholarly Dr. Todtman, part of a group known as the Keepers. The story begins leisurely, as Northrop devotes attention to setup and worldbuilding, before shifting into high gear once the nature of the threat is revealed. If this installment doesn’t take full advantage of its Egyptian themes, it remains a fun read with solid action sequences and some gruesome imagery. Ages 8–12. Agent: Sara Crowe, Harvey Klinger. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

PRAISE FOR MICHAEL NORTHROP

PLUNKED:
NPR Backseat Book Club Pick (October 2013)
Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year
"Well-developed characters and a strong narrative voice make this novel about much more than baseball. . . . Pitch perfect." --School Library Journal

ROTTEN:
Junior Library Guild Selection
"A compelling read, sure to appeal to boys with its humor, music references, and realistic characters." - School Library Journal

TRAPPED:
". . . The pages turn like wildfire." - Booklist
"Northrop gets at the core of human nature through masterful pacing." - Kirkus
"Northrop's solid storytelling should keep readers rapt." - Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

Due to Alex Sennefer’s mysterious and seemingly incurable illness that leaves him weak and constantly struggling for breath, he is unable to attend school and spends quite a bit of time at the Metropolitan Museum of Art where his mother, Dr. Bauer, works as an Egyptologist. While she is setting up a new display that includes the Lost Spells of the Egyptian Book of the Dead, Alex takes a turn for the worse and ends up in the hospital on the brink of death. Dr. Bauer is desperate to save her son’s life and, in an attempt to cure him, invokes the magic of the Lost Spells, unknowingly setting off a deadly chain of events. Five “Death Walkers” are released from their tombs; it’s raining blood in London; and people all over the world are dying under suspicious circumstances. Odd things are happening at the museum as well. The main exhibit in the Egyptology display, the Stung Man, has disappeared along with Alex’s mother. Alex has been miraculously cured and he is determined to find his mother and return the Stung Man to his tomb. With the help of his friend Ren and a co-worker of his mother’s, Dr. Todtman (who knows more about what’s happening than he lets on), they embark on a treacherous adventure that involves hidden tunnels, booby traps, mummies and scorpions. Northrop does a great job of keeping the story moving with plenty of magic, action and suspense, so that middle grade readers (especially those that struggle with reading) will enjoy this story. Following in the footsteps of the 39 Clues series, Tombquest has an online game so readers can continue the adventure by designing their own Egyptian tomb with traps, treasure and monsters. Reviewer: Suzie Davis; Ages 8 to 12.

Children's Literature - Suzie Davis

This introduction to a new multiplatform series introduces twelve-year-old Alex Sennefer, whose mother is an Egyptologist at the Met in New York. Alex is fascinated by his mother’s profession but is losing his battle against a debilitating disease. His best friend is Ren (short for Renata) whose father also works at the museum. That is where Alex and Ren are when the invasion of the soul stealers begins, linked to a new exhibit featuring the Egyptian Book of the Dead. Before it is all over, Alex dies and is brought back to life by his mother. Unfortunately, her use of the Lost Spells from the Book of the Dead awakens five Death Walkers who begin wreaking havoc around the world. In New York, it is the Stung Man mummy who comes to life and, accompanied by multitudes of scorpions, goes underground. Alex, with the magical amulet left behind by his missing mother, a colleague of hers from Germany with his own magical amulet, and Ren with her analytical mind are the three “heroes” who enter an abandoned subway station to battle this ancient evil, but this is just the beginning. Book two will take Alex and Ren to London, where it is raining blood and where they hope to find his missing mother. Nonstop action, great horror descriptions, and good teen camaraderie provide a perfect background for the adventures of this dynamic duo. Teens, especially reluctant readers, will enjoy the fast-paced story and the accompanying interactive computer game, and they will look forward to future installments. Reviewer: Bonnie Kunzel; Ages 11 to 14.

VOYA, February 2015 (Vol. 37, No. 6) - Bonnie Kunzel

2014-11-04
Scholastic launches its latest multiplatform series, this one steeped in ancient Egyptian magic. Twelve-year-old Alex Sennefer is blessed with a mother who would risk everything for him, a best friend, Ren (short for Renata), who accepts him just as he is, and an insatiable hunger for anything having to do with ancient Egypt. It's a good thing that his second home is the famed Metropolitan Museum of Art, where his Egyptologist mother is preparing to open a groundbreaking new exhibition. If only his body would hang on long enough for him to see it. A lifetime of illness catches up with him, and he is pronounced dead by his doctors—but then Alex is suddenly pulled from the brink and awakens to discover he is not only alive, but also healthier than ever. Unfortunately, Alex isn't the only one being given a second chance at life. Almost immediately, he and Ren find themselves in a battle of ancient Egyptian proportions and embroiled in a quest to find his mysteriously missing mother and save the world. Like a preteen Indiana Jones and Lara Croft, Alex and Ren make a compelling duo, and Northrop balances pathos and action effectively to engage readers. Funny and smart, Alex and Ren are excellent companions for this fast-paced and scorpion-filled ride. (Adventure. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews