“You wouldn’t want to be an Egyptian Mummy!” is part of a very large collection of the “You wouldn’t want to be…” series. These children’s history books do not spare children the gory details of the past, capturing the most reluctant readers attention and even the attention of adults. This particular book takes the reader through the laborious embalming process, right down to preserving the eternal organs, asking the reader to imagine they are the mummy (or dead person). And the story does not end there, we have tomb robbers to consider and of course those curious Englishmen. If you happened to be unwrapped at an English party, “you may be re-wrapped and put into a museum,” or you could end up ground into ointment or paint! Did you know that Egyptian mummified cats were being used as fertilizer in Europe in the 19th century? This book is so filled with facts, yet not overwhelming, that make it an enjoyable repeated read. ( )

This book starts with plenty of information on becoming a mummy. Steps like the costs of becoming one and the materials you’ll need. First, if you are wealthy, you could afford a mask and sarcophagus as well as lots of riches in your tomb for the afterlife, and even mummified pets. The lower in the classes you got, the less riches and linen you received for your dead body. It also describes where your body would be cut open, who cut it open, and what happened to your body parts. The liver, lungs, and stomach would be removed and placed in separate jars. You can’t forget to put your body in salt though - that will keep it preserved in the afterlife. After being wrapped in linen if that’s what you could afford, your body would be placed in a sarcophagus where you would “live” the rest of your afterlife days.

With enjoyable graphics and easy to read format, this book was very fun to read. It was perfect for me because I love reading about mummies and I was very entertained. My favorite new thing I learned was that pets would be mummified too - even if they were still alive! Reading through this, I learned other new things as well, and that kept me interested in the book. The fancy fonts tie it all together, being eye catching but not too busy. It was humorous and also expentingly gross sometimes, but that also made me laugh. It was a great book full of many interesting details, and I enjoyed reading it. ( )

This book has information about how a mummy was made and what people used them for around the 1800s.First the dead person gets embalmed ,which means the embalmers take their organs out of the dead person other than their heart.Then the embalmers incase the organs in four jars other than the intestines which the embalmer will put in natron( a salt mixture) for 40 days than place it in a jar.The mummy will also be placed in natron. After 40 days the mummy gets onion eyes,which is onions painted to look like eyes, and then stuffed the mummy with rags chaff and sawdust.The mummy also gets perfumed to not stink.After 70 days the mummy finally gets its burial.
This book was disgusting and made its point.It would take a lot of time,and work to preserve a dead body.I know I wouldn't want to live around those days.Also I would be to lazy to do all that work.I would rather be a pharaoh,lay around in luxury.The only part I would like in preserving the body is making the jars that hold the lungs,intestines , the liver and the stomach, the jars are made of wood and painted to make them look like a Egyptian god. ( )

You Wouldn't Want to Be an Egyptian Mummy describes in vivid detail the mummification process. It shares info on what they would do to you once you were dead. If you were poor, sucks for you. Ok with money, great. Rich, wow! Nice coffin and linen wrappings. Towards the end of the book it says what happened to mummy's who were found. Some rich tourists bought one and threw it into the Nile River because it smelled bad!
It does share information in some funny ways and if you get grossed out is on you. I found some interesting things in there. For instance I didn't know That they pulled your brain out through your nose using a hook. That part I gagged at most. Honestly I think I am a Fiction Reader at heart. I don't mean to diss the authors because it had some humor I laughed at (hard to do sometimes), but in all I just didn't like it. I encourage others to read it but to learn the facts. Not for the gross ( )

I've read this with multiple third grade classes now and they all enjoyed it. They are some gross readers. They relish the parts that are most disgusting in my eyes. ( )