Did you know that the first step in mummification was to pull the brain out through the nostrils? You’ll learn much more than that about mummies by reading this amazing book. I was surprised to discover that the book was about more than mummies—it also had a great deal of interesting information on Egyptian religion, culture, everyday life, pharaohs, pyramids, and temples. The book was fascinating. Each page had some kind of illustration, like a picture, photograph, or diagram that related to the subject. Sprinkled throughout the book were “Weird World” interesting facts and web sites about the topic discussed. The book also contained a glossary to explain difficult words. The best part of this book was all the unique pictures and facts. I didn’t find anything bad about the book, although some squeamish readers may find the pictures of actual mummies a bit gruesome. I’d rate the book 9 out of 10.
     If I had to describe this book in one word, it would be “spellbinding” (just like the spells Egyptian priests put on mummies to help them survive the dangerous journey to the afterlife). I’d highly recommend this book to anyone, nine years or older, interested in the history of Egypt or mummies of the world.

(Originally published in the Sept/Oct 2002 issue of YES Mag.)