This book was given to me through Basically Books ARR Reader’s Corner by the author, thank you.




I hate to say this, but I couldn’t finish The Golden Scarab. I barely got one quarter of the way through it and just had to stop. My mind wouldn’t stop straying. The book did not keep my attention in the least. The book is written in a narrative style and has loads and loads and loads of description with hardly any dialogue or action.

Pretty much all I can say about the book is that it’s boring. Someone else may like the style or the loads of description, but it didn’t work for me. I give this one star.


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JJ is absolutely ordinary. His friend Linc is pretty normal, especially with his love of food and adventure, probably in that order! So how come a statue in a museum starts talking to them?

This is a time travel adventure, where JJ and his friend are invited to go on a Quest and are magically transported back to ancient Egypt by the god Horus. There they meet Rani, also transported back in time, but from Aswan. I was never quite clear what era Rani was from, but it didn't seem to matter. They meet other secondary characters, not too many though, and carry out various parts of their quest in Memphis, Bubastis and Heliopolis, pursued all the while by the evil god Seth's evil henchmen, the Uberdiles, sort of half-crocodile giants who generally take the form of statues, but sometimes mini sandstorms (sand devils).

There are a lot of statues in this book, most of whom have magical powers, usually either to attack our heroes or protect them. There are a lot of secret tunnels, a huge number of spiders, and a delightfully described maze with plenty of clues for the threesome to solve, accompanied at times by a magical cat named Mau. The boobytraps in the maze/caverns/underground temples structures are absolutely amazing, and take the reader through the second half of the book at breakneck pace!

I found the early part of the book a little disjointed, especially in its sentence structure, and I wasn't sure that the Prelude added anything to the story. I also found the use of slang in speech inconsistent - early on the ancient Egyptians don't understand some of JJ's and Linc's comments (e.g. cool) and later one of the ancients says 'ok'. But this is a first book, and I think the author warmed to his story-telling well. The characters are engaging and, well, noble, without being cloying - JJ makes a great boy-next-door type, Linc is a solid best friend and Rani is clever and isolated in her desert home. Now where have I heard of a threesome like that before? I suppose it is a standard recipe, but it didn't seem out of place (or stereotypical) when I was reading it.

I have the advantage of having been to Egypt and explored some of the tombs and temples, and the Pyramids, but I think the principles are well-enough known through Indiana Jones and school history lessons for most readers to take full advantage of the author's excellent descriptions of the scenes and structures. The Egyptian mythology/history is handled well. Early on I felt there was a little too much telling and not enough showing, but once the quest began in earnest, the descriptions fell into place and were vivid and imaginative.

It turns into a rollicking adventure and I am keen to find out what they get up to next! This is the first book in a series - the third book is launched next month - and it shows great promise. I think Mr Lothian has found his true calling at last! ( )

The Golden Scarab is book one in the Quest Series. J.J. is 12 years old. My students will identify with him because they are also middle graders. J.J.'s father is the head curator at a museum. His family visits the museum one day and J.J. wanders into an Egyptian exhibit. The statue of Anubis begins to talk with J.J. He is the protector of the mummy at the museum. He challenges J.J. to find a friend and travel through time to find the Golden Scarab. This scarab will save Egypt from Seth, an evil god. J.J. recruits his best friend Linc and they travel through time where they meet Rani, a young girl who also travels through time to help find the scarab. The three of them must battle Uberdiles, find their way through mazes, and avoid booby-traps, and deliver the golden scarab to stop Seth.

That alone is enough to entice any child, young adult, or adult. For me as a parent, grandparent, and teacher, I love the fact that this book, of interest to young and old will teach the reader about friendship, trust, courage, being a risk-taker, caring, and a balanced person. This book embodies the IB learner profiles we teach at school. In the mix they will find a wonderful way to learn about ancient Egyptian cultures, gods, etc. Do I recommend this book? You bet I do. ( )