The Magic Tree House series has captivated young readers with its blend of adventure and education. In "Mummies in the Morning," Jack and Annie embark on a journey to Ancient Egypt, encountering the ghost of Queen Hutepi and diving into the mysteries of pyramids and mummies. This article delves into the facts and insights about Ancient Egypt, inspired by the Magic Tree House book. It’s a read alone book aimed at 5-7 year-olds, with clear informative black and white drawings and an easy-to-read typeface.
The Adventure Begins
The third Magic Tree House adventure follows the pattern of the previous books. Jack and Annie meet the ghost of Queen Hutepi, who has been waiting for help for a thousand years.
She asks Jack and Annie to help her find the Book of the Dead so that she can go to the afterlife. This involves deciphering some hieroglyphs which lead the children to the lost scroll which they place beside the queen’s rotting mummy (an episode not for sensitive children).
They find a ghost queen inside. Jack and Annie try to decode a message on the nearby wall for the ghost and are successful.
They follow the ghost down the hallway, up some stairs, and into a cold, drafty room. They find a boat on the other side of the room and grab a jar out of it. Then they grab a scroll out of the jar. It is the Book of the Dead.
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They walk through a door and into a room with only a long golden box in it. The kids look into the box and are stunned to see a real mummy. Jack sets the Book of the Dead on the box and backs out of the room. He continues out the boat room and down the stairs.
He turns into the hallway and tries to find his sister. He hears her voice, but starts walking in the wrong direction. He turns and heads in the other direction. He walks back up the stairs and into the room with the boat. He notices an open door that he didn't notice before. He enters the room, which is at the top of a staircase exactly like the room he had just come up.
Jack finds Annie, who had gotten lost, and they turn to go back up the stairs. Just as they do, the doors close and the torches go out. They walk down the hallway looking for secret doors, but instead end up right back where they started.
They hear a meow and see a black cat. They follow it all the way to the outside of the pyramid. The kids go back to the tree house and grab the Pennsylvania book. Jack turns and sees the queen in her boat floating through the air on her way to the afterlife.
When they got back, they organize the books in the tree house. While doing this, they discover an "M" in the floor. Jack touches the M and feels a tingling in his body. The kids leave the tree house and go home.
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Pyramids and Mummies: Unveiling the Facts
The pyramid that Jack and Annie arrived at was 1,000 years old. Pyramids were built primarily during the Old Kingdom of Egypt, mostly during the Third or Fourth Dynasties.
Of the 118 known Egyptian Pyramids, not many of them survived a thousand years. Of those that did survive, very few of them would be considered "true" pyramids, such as the one Jack and Annie explored (other kinds of pyramids include stepped pyramids and bent pyramids). The dilapidated state of the surrounding tomb complex suggests a time period of internal disorder.
In my experience, if children are interested in a subject they have no problem with any long words involved, so I’m sure they’ll cope with hieroglyphs and sarcophagus, which are both clearly explained and illustrated.
There’s just enough information to set the groundwork for a lasting interest in Pharaonic Egypt, together with a large dollop of adventure.
Key Aspects of Ancient Egypt
- Mummification: The process of preserving bodies for the afterlife.
- Hieroglyphs: The mysterious writing on mummy cases.
- Pyramids: Structures built as tombs for pharaohs and important figures.
It was also during the Old Kingdom that the Book of the Dead was carved on the inside of the tombs.
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I recommend this book for anyone who is interested in a short- long book of non-fiction information. Or anyone who likes to be involved with mummies and Egypt's past life. This book mainly talks about how the mummies were made and how and where they are now. And Jack and Annie are guiding and telling us what these cultural meanings mean. And what they are. Really interesting things!!
This book is about Jack and Annie and all they talk about is the adventures of Mummies and Pyramids and where they are set now and showing us all of these Egyptian items in the past decades. I think this book is really interesting in my opinion because i never really knew all of this Egyptian stuff until i read this book. Overall this book is great.
Magic Tree House Fact Tracker
When Jack and Annie got back from their adventure in Magic Tree House #3: Mummies in the Morning, they had lots of questions. Why did people make mummies? What was the mysterious writing on mummy cases? How did most ancient Egyptians spend their days? How were the pyramids built? Find out the answers to these questions and more as Jack and Annie track the facts.
Filled with up-to-date information, photos, illustrations, and fun tidbits from Jack and Annie, the Magic Tree House Fact Trackers are the perfect way for kids to find out more about the topics they discovered in their favorite Magic Tree House adventures.
These guides are digest-sized and similar in format to the books. However, they are non-fiction and aim to teach children more about the topic touched upon in the book.
In the companion research guide, Mummies and Pyramids, the chapters detail Ancient Egypt, everyday life, Egyptian religion, mummies, Egyptian funerals, the age of pyramids, tomb treasures and tomb robbers, the most famous mummy of all, and gifts of the pyramids and mummies. The chapters are written in simple language for children, yet they provide readers with a wealth of knowledge.
These chapters are slightly longer than the ones in the books, and Jack and Annie are still present in the illustrations and to provide small tidbits of information to readers. The guides have more pictures than the books do, with photos and pictures of important objects. At the end of each guide are a few pages to guide students in further research of the topic.
Entertaining and informative, these guides aim to capture the interest of the reader while opening the door to further study.
I definitely think this is a good book to read if you have previously read "Mummies in the Morning" as it provides expanded information about the topics discussed in the book. I also think this book is a very overarching, informative look at life in Ancient Egypt if you are interested in that topic.
Included are plenty of illustrations, photographs, and even a handy guide to continuing your research elsewhere!
Questions like "Why did people make mummies?", "What was the mysterious writing on mummy cases?", "How did most ancient Egyptians spend their days?" and "How were the pyramids built?" are just some of the questions answered in this book.
This is a great introduction to non-fiction books for kids. Even though it isn't fantasy/fiction, it's extremely interesting and captivates you with its specific writing.
As you read it, Jack and Annie will feel like your best buddies and you'll want to learn more and more with them. I believe the best part is those two characters specifically. Children will grow more and more excited as they read each page.
As with the first one I read, there are plenty of photos and illustrations to bring everything to life, along with pronunciation guides and definitions to make sure young readers can get the most out of the book. This is a really good companion series to The Magic Tree House, as it expands a lot on the topic introduced there, and is also a quick read, meaning kids can find out more facts and quickly decide if they want to learn more, or go to another subject.
This book is an open window type of book that allows its reader to dive into the book to get a feel for what the author is trying to get across to its readers.
This book is a little longer than the Magic Tree House and written for maybe slightly older students. I don’t think real young kids could read it, especially the whole thing. For a young class, maybe just pull out sections. I suggest using this book in collaboration with Mummies in the Morning.
They could be tied into social studies, a unit on mummies or Ancient Egypt.
The authors offer basic knowledge for young children to explore ancient Egyptian culture. It can be read as a stand-alone.
Photograph inserts, as well as the drawings, create curious views of the past.
This book was a good introduction to ancient Egypt for my five year old. It was a bit awkward having to discuss the bits about death and mummification, but there's no real alternative way to discuss mummies.
This was one of my favorite books when I was younger because I love ancient Egypt and, my grandma taught social studies. I was fascinated reading this book because I got to learn so many new things I didn't know before.
I've always loved learning about ancient egypt.
This series, along with the Who Was books are some of my favorite Non-fiction books to read with my daughter.
The information was great for a mama reader though! I learned a few things I didn't know.
Fun and engaging for students! My kids loved to discuss this book and draw parallels to their lives.
Annie is really fun because she’s not usually scared and is quite fearless. I think this book would be good for five to seven year olds.
It’s a very exciting story with lots of adventure. I liked the mysterious cat who led them out of the pyramid.
We’re doing Ancient Egypt at school at the moment, so it’s a very good inspiration to read this.
Jack and Annie, who are brother and sister, are good characters.
I learned what the book of the dead is Very interesting!
I did not like this book because if I were in Ancient Egypt I would have to build my house out of mud bricks🙁.
The only thing that would be better (as with all the books in this series) would be to have it in color.
Overall this book is great.
I enjoyed this book because I love Pyramids😃.
Who doesn't find mummies and pyramids intriguing?
Love history - check this out!
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tags: #Egypt
