The Egyptian Box [Hardcover]

Jane Louise Curry (Author)

Book Description

Tee (short for Leticia) Woodie and her family have moved into a big, old house that is a part of her father's inheritance from Great-uncle Sebastian. While exploring the contents of Great-uncle's antiques-and-junk store, they find a parcel marked FOR DEAR LETICIA, MY SHABTI BOX. The decorated Egyptian box inside holds the shabti, a colorful wooden figure of a girl in painted mummy wrappings from the waist down. The writings on those wrappings are ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. Charles, Tee's younger -- and very curious -- brother, borrows the figure and uses the Internet to discover what sounds the old hieroglyphics stand for. When he reads the Egyptian words aloud to Tee, strange things begin to happen.

That evening, slow in answering her father's call to come and dry the dishes, Tee reaches the kitchen door only to hear the clink and rattle of plates and cutlery being put away. Peering in, she sees a costumed figure busy at work. Egyptian costume? The shabti? Surely not! But it is. Soon Tee is thinking of ways a secret, magical shabti-servant can help her with homework...with school...with...All goes well until the shabti begins to enjoy taking Tee's place. A frightened Tee must get her back into her box, but -- can she?

Inspired by the shabti figures in the British Museum, the Fitzwilliam Museum, and London's Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, Jane Curry has written an amusing, then scary story that catches and holds the reader in its magic to the very last word.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Good groundwork successfully supports Curry's (A Stolen Life) contemporary fantasy, despite an underwhelming conclusion. Tee Woodie isn't excited when she inherits an Egyptian shabti from an eccentric uncle, but when her brother accidentally awakens the figure, which was meant to be a servant in the afterlife, she quickly realizes its potential: it does her chores and her homework. Tee is less engaging than many middle-grade protagonists (an underachiever academically and personally, she prefers adventure novels to homework and does not make an effort to connect with others), but readers will relate to her enthusiasm over having a servant. As she uses the shabti more, it begins to look like her, and its "jerky" mannerisms become human, so Tee sends it to school. She begins to suspect, though, that the shabti has decided to become Tee fulltime and, even worse, everyone, including her parents, seems to like the fake Tee better. Tee treats the shabti shabbily, and the revenge the shabti takes feels almost warranted. But while Tee does learn to step outside herself, the change in her character feels disingenuous. Some confusing plotting at the end dims an otherwise fun read. Ages 9-12.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grades 4-7--When Tee Woodie's great-uncle died, he left his house and his musty old antique shop to her father, but he left his shabti box and doll to her. Her parents decide to leave Maine for the desert to run the antique store, thus making Tee resentful and friendless in a new school. While working on a report on hieroglyphics, her brother deciphers the characters scrawled across the shabti doll, and Tee realizes that it will do anything she commands. As she asks it to take on more and more of her daily chores, including attending school in her place, the shabti slowly adopts her mistress's characteristics and appearance. Even as Tee stays home during the day reading, snacking, and watching videos, she begins to feel left out of family outings and school functions and is amazed that neither her parents nor her brother can see the difference between this imposter and herself. Then one day, the shabti changes all the rules when she locks Tee in the basement and decides she would rather impersonate Tee Woodie forever than be an old wooden doll. Curry's facts and figures on the history of specific antiques in Great-uncle Sebastian's store ring true. However, while an interesting look at customs, hieroglyphics, and the ancient Egyptian time period, the uneven writing doesn't quite hit the mark usually set by this talented author.
Kit Vaughan, Chesterfield County Public Schools, VA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry; 1st edition (March 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689842732
• ISBN-13: 978-0689842733
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,264,299 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Treasure for Readers of ANY Age!, May 5, 2004

By 

"fallenleaf" (LA, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Egyptian Box (Hardcover)

"Like a kid in a candy store" is an expression often used to describe the novelty of seeing life through the innocent eyes of a child... To see life like in such a fascinated, unaffected way is something most adults yearn for, enduring months of 50 min. hours on a psychiatrist's couch, hoping to re-discover their inner child... but in `The Egyptian Box', a charming story about a transplanted eleven year-olds discovery of a mysterious Egyptian shabti, author Jane Curry does just that.

Written with the passion and playful wit of a child, Curry's story feels as if it were lived and experienced first hand, even with it's more mythical elements. Curry's deft blending of the fictional narrative with real Egyptian history and archaeology, coupled with living, breathing characters and enough contemporary references to keep the attention of any reader, all combine for a remarkably endearing, entirely consuming read. And if you've ever wanted to get inside the head of an eleven-year old, or experience the whimsical dra-medy of grade school, unsinkable little brothers, or struggle to make parents "get" what they inevitably can't... then look no further.

Being a bachelor in his 30's, books about eleven year-olds with magic Egyptian boxes aren't exactly at the top of my reading list... But this book came highly recommended from a trusted friend, so I gave it a read. I'm happy to say I was surprised and thrilled by just how much I found myself investing in and caring about 'Tee Woodie' and her misadventures with the Shabti. It's such a clever and amusing ride, and Curry so completely inhabits that grade-school mind, one wonders if she isn't perpetually eleven-years old herself. I must admit, I'm looking forward to reading more of her work.

So in case my review hasn't been clear...

The Egyptian Box is a great book for kids and adults who still feel like kids (and for anybody looking for a fun, intriguing, quick read!) GIVE THIS BOOK A READ!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tells of a mysterious Egyptian box inherited by a young girl, August 6, 2002

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Egyptian Box (Hardcover)

Jane Louise Curry's Egyptian Box tells of a mysterious Egyptian box inherited by a young girl - and the supernatural figure it releases. At first the ancient Egyptian worker seems subservient to her mistress' commands, but soon ulterior motives emerge and Tee finds herself fighting for her identity in this gripping supernatural thriller.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Surprise!, February 12, 2004

By 

Suzanne Dunaway (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Egyptian Box (Hardcover)

I am an avid reader of fiction, but I am also of a certain age and normally do not pick up books for young adults. Thank heaven I discovered The Egyptian Box, a lively fantasy book for young people who clearly like to think while they read. Many of my friend's youngsters read Ms. Curry's books with more than pleasure, as did I. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for literature with heart, spirit and intelligence.