Tutankhamun: The Mystery of the Boy King (Crossroads America) [Hardcover]

Zahi Hawass (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up | Series: Crossroads America

Mysterious boy king Tutankhamun returns to the U.S. in 2008, bringing rare treasures never before seen outside Egypt. For the millions of fans wanting a keepsake and chronicle of this magnificent new exhibition, this book will delight. Created by world-renowned art historians under the guidance of Zahi Hawass—director of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities and a well-known media personality—it surveys 3,000 years of ancient Egyptian history by focusing on the lives and lifestyles of great pharaohs. Master photographer Sandro Vannini spotlights every dazzling artifact, using an innovative technique that makes the image jump off the page. The book’s design echoes the exhibition, grouping objects representing family life, religious practices, funerary rituals, and gold. In each artifact—a queen’s eye makeup container, a likeness of a princess eating duck, a sarcophagus made for a prince’s cat—we glimpse the life of ancient Egyptian royalty: exotic and fascinating, yet so human. Gold gleams in a leopard-mask of gilded wood, a brilliant pendant bearing tiny goddesses, even the golden finger and toe covers of Tutankhamun himself, meant to protect his extremities in the afterlife. Featuring more than 120 treasures, a dozen evocative landscape and archaeology photos, and illuminating text, this book makes palpable the excitement, riches, and mysteries of ancient Egypt. It will be prominently displayed in all exhibition venues, and its contents will interest visitors to the show as well as Tut enthusiasts across the country.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Grade 3-7–Hawass, director of excavations at the Giza pyramids and head of Egypt's archaeological council, turns his attention to a perennial topic of curiosity. Combining scholarship and personality, he nimbly offers a solid summary, some of it necessarily conjectural, of the complex and controversial 18th dynasty in which Tut lived and avoids dry history by interjecting himself at times into the story. He recalls, for example, the beginnings of his own fascination with his country's history and surmises how Tut and his young wife might have felt at various times in their lives. Likewise, he examines the theory that Tut was murdered, including his own part in a CT scan of the king's mummy in early 2005 and concluding that the evidence points away from murder. The up-to-date nature of Hawass's text will not long matter, of course, but the accompanying photographs are timeless. Black-and-white shots from the past join rich color photographs that almost glow. Especially marvelous is a stunning re-creation, employing current reconstructive techniques, of what Tut might have looked like. If Hawass's style occasionally seems intrusive, this is a minor quibble in what is primarily a first-rate investigation enriched by beautiful artwork.–Coop Renner, Hillside Elementary, El Paso, TX
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 4-7. Just the name King Tut conjures up mystery and the excitement of discovery. Hawass, director of excavations at the Giza Pyramids and the Valley of the Golden Mummies, lends personal insight into the life, death, and burial of Tut and the unearthing of his tomb. Quite a bit is known about Tutankhamun (who was crowned when he was around age 9 and died under questionable circumstances some 10 years later): relatives, pastimes, religion, and children. The biggest question has been what killed him, and Hawass presents new information. A recent CAT scan on the boy-king's mummy revealed that Tut was not killed by a blow to the head, as many surmised. Hawass' personal commentary adds much and also detracts a little from the text (some of the writing is repetitious and awkwardly phrased), but his presence during many of the recent discoveries and excavations gives a you-are-there feel to the book. The photos are spectacular, so rich and vibrant that readers will want to reach out and touch. Pair this with Curse of the Pharaohs, also by Hawass (2004). Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: National Geographic Children's Books (June 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0792283546
• ISBN-13: 978-0792283546
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 0.4 x 10.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #474,239 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "The greatest wish for every ancient Egyptian was that his or her name would live forever", February 14, 2006

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mwreview "mwreview" (Northern California, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Tutankhamun: The Mystery of the Boy King (Crossroads America) (Hardcover)

"Tutankhamun: The Mystery of the Boy King" is a children's book (ages 9-14) written by Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass who has written numerous books including the massive pictorial Valley of the Golden Mummies. It is a nice intro to King Tut that covers briefly Tut's ancestors Amenhotep III and Amenhotep IV, how Tut lived based on evidence in his tomb, what was found in his tomb, and a recent study to determine what may have caused his death.

I like how Hawass begins his book with Howard Carter's discovery and how this story inspired Hawass to pursue Egyptian archaeology. Such a story may inspire kids to be motivated rather than just awed by things that intrigue them. Hawass includes info on how Tut lived (i.e. outdoor activities, favorite foods, military training, clothing, etc.) which would interest kids. Sometimes his speculations are a little much: "Tutankhamun and Ankhsenamun would have lived a life of luxury, and I believe that they loved each other very much" (pg. 33), or "I think that the king and queen must have been very sad when they lost their babies" (pg. 39). Sappy, but all right for a children's book, I guess. I found the info on the different gods a little confusing, especially when the author contradicts himself stating, on one page, that Amun was the most important god (pg. 22) and then, five pages later, that Aten was the most important (pg. 27). He also does not explain a photo showing that a section of Tut's tomb was robbed on page 18 until the very end of the book.

The most intriguing chapter of this book concerns a recent CAT scan done on Tut in January 2005. The results refute renown Egyptologist Bob Brier's theory that Tut was struck in the head and killed by his successor Ay (pg. 50). I was considering purchasing Brier's book "The Murder of Tutankhamun," as I enjoyed his long television documentary on mummies a few years back, but this children's book convinced me to spend my money on something else.

The book includes a timeline, short list of books for further reading with brief descriptions and age recommendations, and lots of full color photos including a stunning full-page photo of the gilded throne with King Tut and his Queen inlaid in semiprecious stones (pg. 34). The book is 64 pages.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great science, great photographs, March 29, 2011

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M. Heiss (USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tutankhamun: The Mystery of the Boy King (Crossroads America) (Hardcover)

Not only is this book packed with color photographs, but it is also very well written for younger people with an interest in Egypt. Zahi Hawass is the Director of Excavations at the Giza pyramids and the Valley of the Golden Mummies, so he is an expert in the field, and this book includes a lot of science, including CT-scans of Tut's mummy.

It deals with the mystery of Tutankhamun's death, it works as a biography of Tut's life, and it whets your appetite for the science of excavation and preservation.. Top-notch.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tutankhamun: The Mystery of the Boy King (Crossroads America), August 25, 2006

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Mrs. Dolores B. Davis (Ft Worth, TX, USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Tutankhamun: The Mystery of the Boy King (Crossroads America) (Hardcover)

Of course I haven't been allowed to more than gaze at the cover but my son, age 17 and Dr Awass' best fan tells me it is absolutely fantastic :)