The Egypt Game (Egypt Game Nrf) [Hardcover]

Alton Raible (Author), Zilpha Keatley Snyder (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1972 | Series: Egypt Game Nrf (Book 1)

Even to Melanie, who knew that you could never predict what a new kid would be like, April Hall was something of a surprise. One look at her stringy upswept hair, false eyelashes, and ragged fox fur collar, convinced Melanie that April was not going to be easy to integrate into the sixth grade at Wilson School.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Two girls get involved in an elaborate "Egypt game," a fantasy game that soon leads to strange, unexplainable happenings. PW called the characters in Snyder's Newbery Honor winner "true originals."
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Tailor-made for children who love the thought of rambling mansions, garden mazes, and hidden treasure."

-- Booklist

"An increasingly captivating story, which builds to a risky and daring climax."

-- Kirkus Reviews --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum (February 1, 1972)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689300069
• ISBN-13: 978-0689300066
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (210 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,831,102 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Catalyst for the Imagination, June 2, 2001

By 

"kaia_espina" (Quezon City, Philippines) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Egypt Game (Paperback)

I wouldn't be surprised if readers finish this book and don't turn back to the TV, but instead put together make-believe worlds of their own--not necessarily Egyptian ones.

This book may not have transported me back to the real Ancient Egypt, but it did take me into the kind of world only a child's imagination can create. It contains makeshift altars and special names, made-up rituals and homemade costumes, "modified" hieroglyphics and even a new way to walk. Anyone who has ever invented his or her own special world, out of fascination or out of boredom, will understand the appeal of "The Egypt Game".

While reading, I often thought that Zilpha Keatley Snyder had more fun writing about the made-up rituals than the characters had performing them. Not only are they fun, they are more or less well-researched, which is only right, as two of her characters are enthusiastic readers who pay attention to details. Throughout the story, Snyder's sense of humor shines through, whether she is making one character sprinkle ashes into his hair or making two other characters refrain from doing so, "because to a girl even the death of a pharaoh isn't worth a dirty head."

Except for April Hall and Melanie Ross--and the Professor, of course--the characters are not very complex. They become part of Egypt not because they have something vital to add to the plot, but because they make the game more fun. Only a few of them go through a change that is apparent at the end of the story. However, their personalities are varied enough to contribute to the small conflicts in each chapter (this is a semi-episodic novel), and to let readers have different favorite characters.

The book has its darker parts, however. Part of the story involves the murder of some small children, and the murderer remains at large for most of the novel. (Even I found this extreme. The story could have been just as fun and mysterious without it.) Also, the idol worship and divination aspects of some of the games may be disturbing because they are very realistic and taken very seriously by the children. As for the Professor, his role in the story is so ambiguous at the beginning that only experienced readers will be able to tell, by the third chapter, whether the Professor is spooky or friendly, a bad guy or one of the good guys.

In spite of the drawbacks, I found "The Egypt Game" truly enjoyable and fun to read. I only wish that children had more books that stress the wonder of discovery, imagination, and good, old-fashioned play.

30 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A little imagination goes a long way, February 19, 2006

By 

Amanda Richards (Georgetown, Guyana) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Egypt Game (Paperback)

This book reminds us that back in 1967, children played games that expanded their imaginations and sent them voluntarily to the library to seek information. Computers and the internet now make the information search so much easier, but sadly, many children don't take their eyes away from the television screen, X-Box game or Game Boy long enough to realize what they are missing.

This story tells of a group of six children from different cultures and backgrounds who are drawn together by a common interest in Egyptian mythology. They stumble upon an unused lot of land adjoining the local antique dealer/junk shop where they create their own replica of ancient Egypt, complete with statuary and hieroglyphics and perform the most necessary rites and rituals with due pomp and ceremony.

To make things even more interesting, there are elements of danger and mystery, and the author even manages to include different types of family situations and how the children react to their various circumstances.

A simple book that introduces children to the vast and often untapped worlds of their imagination.

Amanda Richards, February 19, 2006

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As wonderful as I remember, May 23, 2000

By 

D. Weeks "Shalanna" (Richardson, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Egypt Game (Paperback)

I read this book when I was in the fourth grade. (My best friend and I were reading through the shelf of award winners.) She read it next. As soon as she finished the book, we set up our own game, a cross between the Egypt Game and what we'd understood from her older sister's class production of Macbeth. We had hours of fun playing that way, and I loved having a book that showed characters who played imaginatively. (And there aren't that many role models who don't spend all their time on their computers or on the organized sports field these days. See the preceding review from the person who said that she didn't like the way the characters used too much "ammagination." <sigh> I ordered this book recently to read aloud to my third graders, and they loved it! Now there are several Games going on in our neighborhood. The book was as good as I remembered it.