Carmen Otto Reviews "the Secret of the Sacred Scarab" by Fiona Ingram

The Secret of the Sacred Scarab

A 5000-year-old mystery comes to life when a scruffy peddler gives Adam and Justin Sinclair an old Egyptian scarab on their very first day in Egypt. Only when the evil Dr. Faisal Khalid shows a particular interest in the cousins and their scarab, do the boys realise they are in terrible danger. Dr. Khalid wants the relic at all costs. Justin and Adam embark upon the adventure of a lifetime, taking them down the Nile and across the harsh desert in their search for the legendary tomb of the Scarab King, an ancient Egyptian ruler. They are plunged into a whirlpool of hazardous and mysterious events when Dr. Khalid kidnaps them. They learn more about the ancient Seven Stones of Power and the mysterious Shemsu-Hor. They must translate the hieroglyphic clues on the underside of the scarab, as well as rescue the missing archaeologist James Kinnaird, and their friend, the Egyptologist Ebrahim Faza, before time runs out!

The Secret of the Sacred Scarab is the kind of adventure book boys and girls love! The fast-paced action, the evil villain readers delight in hating, the secrets of the past, and the mysterious ancient setting make this novel a sure-hit favorite for all the young and adventurous at heart. Ingram's impeccable and fascinating research into Egyptian history illuminates the adventure and makes the secrets of Egypt's past as thrilling to the reader as the boys' dangerous encounters.

· Book Award Nominations and Wins:

· Finalist Children's Fiction USA Next Generation 2009 Indie Book Awards

· Finalist Juvenile Fiction USA National Best Books 2009 Awards

· Winner Pre-Teen USA 2009 Readers' Favorites Awards

· Number 2 in the USA Children's & Teens Book Connection Top Ten Favourite Books of 2009 for Kids, Tweens & Teens

· Winner Silver Medal Teen Fiction 2010 Nautilus Book Awards

· Finalist Children's Fiction 2010 International Book Awards

· Winner Bronze Medal Pre-Teen Fiction 2010 Moonbeam Book Awards

· Finalist 2011 Rubery Book Awards

· Winner Gold Award Mystery Pre-Teen 2011 Children's Literary Classics Awards

· 2nd Place in the 2011 YA Sharpwrit Book Awards

About the Author, Fiona Ingram

Fiona Ingram is a children’s author, but up until a few years ago, she was a journalist and editor. Something rather unexpected sparked her new career as an author—a family trip to Egypt with her mother and two young nephews. They had a great time and she thought she’d write them a short story as a different kind of souvenir…. Well, one book and a planned book series later, she had changed careers. She has now published Book 3 (The Temple of the Crystal Timekeeper) in her middle grade adventure series Chronicles of the Stone, with many awards for the first book,The Secret of the Sacred Scarab, and a few for Book 2, The Search for the Stone of Excalibur, and one already for Book 3! She also teaches online novel writing for aspiring authors and she finds that very satisfying. Relaxation time finds her enjoying something creative or artistic, music, books, theatre or ballet. She loves doing research for her book series. Fiona loves animals and has written two animal rescue stories. She has two adorable (naughty) little dogs called Chloe and Pumpkin, and a beautiful black cat called Bertie.

You can find Fiona at –

Website: www.chroniclesofthestone.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/FionaRobyn

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/secretofthesacredscarab

Author Site: http://www.FionaIngram.com

Blog: http://fionaingramauthor.blogspot.com

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2868182.Fiona_Ingram

-- 5 Star Review by Carmen Jeanne Otto


I was super happy when I received a copy of The Secret of the Sacred Scarab by Fiona Ingram. It was a Christmas present from our parents and each of us will have an opportunity to read it. I felt it fit in with our social studies class where we are learning about ancient Egypt. This was an awesome book to read. The characters were Adam Justin, Gram and Aunt Isabel, but my favorite Character was Gran because she is funny and likes joking around. I could relate to the boys because I love adventure!

My favorite part of the book was when they got into the Scarab King's tomb. I liked this part because it had a lot of adventure and hope for more adventures to come. The storyline kept my interest and was easy to follow. I would tell my friends that they should read this book because it's full of adventure from beginning to end.




About Carmen:
Carmen is a busy 6th grader from Wisconsin. She enjoys reading, competitive swim, playing french horn, riding horses, and working on her family's dairy farm. Carmen hopes to be a large animal veterinarian when she grows up and hopes to travel around the US. 




About the next book Carmen will be reviewing:

A plane crash! Lost in the jungle! Hunted by their old enemy, will Adam, Justin, and Kim survive long enough to find the Third Stone of Power? With only a young boy, Tukum, as their guide, the kids make their way through the dense and dangerous jungle to find the lost city of stone gods, where the Stone of Power might be located. River rafting on a crocodile-infested river and evading predators are just part of this hazardous task. Of course, their old adversary Dr. Khalid is close behind as the kids press on. But he is not the worst of their problems. This time Adam will clash with a terrible enemy who adopts the persona of an evil Aztec god, Tezcatlipoca, and is keen to revive the ancient tradition of human sacrifice. Adam, Justin, and Tukum must play a dreadful ball game of life and death and maybe survive. Will they emerge alive from the jungle? Will Dr. Khalid find the third Stone of Power before they do?

Print Length: 318 Pages
Genre: Middle Grade Fiction, Adventure
Publisher: Bublish, Incorporated (November 2017)
ISBN: 978-1946229465

While this is the third in the series, this can be read as a standalone book, however the author encourages readers to reader the first two books in The Chronicle of the Stone series as well: The Secret of the Sacred Scarab and The Search for the Stone of Excalibur.

The Temple of the Crystal Timekeeper is now available to purchase on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and IndieBound.