Adventures in Ancient Egypt (Good Times Travel Agency) (Paperback)

by Linda Bailey (Author), Bill Slavin (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Grade 3-6-In these picture books, twins Josh and Emma Binkerton and their younger sister Libby are transported back in time after opening a travel guide about a specific historical period at the creepy, ramshackle Good Times Travel Agency, and the only way to get home is to read the book cover to cover. Each page features the siblings' ongoing story, cartoonlike illustrations with dialogue balloons, and yellowed guidebook pages that provide basic background information about the period. The stories are full of slapstick, but hold together well and involve readers. Though the plots are contrived to tie into the guidebooks, they don't seem forced and the flow is good. The guides are written in a breezy style, paying just enough attention to the grosser aspects of each civilization to help maintain interest. Slavin's sunny pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations are packed with details. Kids are sure to devour these lively books.
Donna L. Scanlon, Lancaster Area Library, PA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Gr. 2-5. In this first book in the Good Times Travel Agency series, which depends heavily on cartoon illustrations, the Binkerton twins, Josh and Emma, and little sister Libby stumble into a peculiar travel agency. The strange owner encourages the children to peruse his dusty, old travel guides, and no sooner does Josh open a book about ancient Egypt than the three children are transported back in time. It's 2500 B.C, and they're knee-deep in the Nile, with no chance of returning home until they've read every word of the book. A variety of adventures ensues, including encounters with crocodiles, tomb robbers, and angry soldiers. Bailey delivers not only a fast-paced story but also a fun way to convey information about Egyptian lifestyles, religion, and schools, and, of course, the pyramids and mummies. The busy cartoon illustrations support both the fiction and the facts. Shelley Townsend-Hudson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Kids Can Press (September 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1550745484
• ISBN-13: 978-1550745481
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.3 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #332,936 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #56 in	Books > Travel > Africa > Egypt
  #92 in	Books > Children's Books > History & Historical Fiction > Fiction > Ancient Civilizations

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Learning Can Be Fun!, October 15, 2005

By	W. Howell "Homeschool Mom in the Arctic" (Kotzebue, Alaska) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I got this book along with several others for my first grader. We homeschool and are studying Ancient Egypt. We loved this book! This was by far my son's favorite. It is easy to find "photos and facts" types of book on Egypt, but this one adds a bit of fiction and adventure to the mix. It is kind of like the Magic Tree House books, but in a picture book format. The book is an adventure story with factual information listed at the bottom of each page (I guess sort of like Magic School Bus type books too). I will definitely be checking out the others in this series.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome History Lesson, September 24, 2008

By	Donna J. Doak "Homeschool Mom" (Chesapeake, VA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I agree with the previous review that this book was similar to the Magic Treehouse series, but I think this book was even better than those. My six year old daughter and I loved this book. We planned on splitting it up over two nights of reading, but got so involved in the story that we read the whole book in one sitting! Super imformative and the story was woven well into the Ancient Egypt facts!! We read this as part of a homeschool lesson, but any kid who is interested in Ancient Egypt would be thrilled with this story!