Common Sense Media Review
By Terreece Clarke
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Fun mystery romp has positive messages, all-too-real threat.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 9+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 9 parent reviews
Based on 24 kid reviews
Kids say the book has a slow start but eventually becomes engaging, though opinions vary sharply on its overall merit, with many suggesting it lacks resolution and positive messages. Some readers appreciated the mystery elements and the incorporation of Egyptian culture, while others found it boring and overly dark, with concerns about its appropriateness for younger audiences.
- slow beginning
- engaging storyline
- mixed reviews
- lacks positive messages
- dark themes
- mystery elements
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
In THE EGYPT GAME, April is sent to live with her grandmother while her mother tours with a band. Angry, lonely, and determined that her stay will be a short one, April reluctantly makes friends with Melanie, another girl in the apartment building. April soon realizes that she and Melanie have a great deal in common, including an interest in the ancient Egyptians. They gradually invite other neighborhood kids to join them in an abandoned yard, where they play The Egypt Game—recreating rituals and making up their own ceremonies. When horrible and mysterious things start happening around them, the Egypt gang wonder who or what is causing it and whether the events are connected.
Is It Any Good?
This is a fun, scary, and exciting story at times; at other times, the book can be a bit slow. But author Zilpha Keatley Snyder does a great job getting readers to care about the characters in The Egypt Game. We want to know whether April will ever warm up to her grandma and whether Marshall will ever give up his stuffed octopus, "Security." Will Melanie be able to get the kids at school to understand April's eccentric personality?
Kids will like how Snyder captures the preteen disgust and teasing that accompanies romantic relations at this age and how she draws readers into the Egyptian world the gamers create with found objects and their imaginations. Then their world is disrupted by a very adult and tragic event—the murder of a neighborhood child—the second in as many years. Of course, there are plenty of suspicious characters. And of course, the kids are immediately drawn into the mystery, just as readers will be.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the appeal of learning about other cultures and why the kids are so inspired by it in The Egypt Game. Did you learn about Ancient Egypt from the book? Does it make you want to read more about it? What other histories are you interested in learning about? Where might you start if you wanted to research more?
The book includes black-and-white drawings of the characters on some pages. Do they look the way you imagine them? Do the drawings help bring the book to life, or do you prefer to imagine the scenes yourself?
How do characters show curiosity, communication, and teamwork? Why are these important character strengths? How do they help the characters build their imaginary world?
The book references the murder of local children. How do parents try to keep the young characters safe? What rules do they introduce? Discuss some of the ways you're taught to stay safe.
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Alton Raible
- Genre : Mystery
- Topics : Adventures , School ( Middle School )
- Character Strengths : Communication , Curiosity , Teamwork
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Yearling Books
- Publication date : December 1, 1985
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 9 - 12
- Number of pages : 215
- Available on : Paperback, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Kindle
- Award : Newbery Medal and Honors
- Last updated : August 11, 2026
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