Tut: The Story of My Immortal Life

Gr 4–8—While the basic plot is not new (boy becomes king, greedy uncle kills family to become "rightful" king, boy seeks revenge), readers will be pulled into this adventurous story of the young boy ruler and his ordeal. The story begins with Tut explaining how he became immortal 3,000 years ago; his greedy uncle kills his family to gain the throne and Tut is forever cursed to remain a 14-year-old middle schooler. Tut begins his plans for revenge against his Uncle Horemheb and the Cult of Set. The story is set in Washington, DC, where Tut must navigate through the city's monuments and tunnels. He brings along his new friend, Henry, who is much more focused on completing their Social Studies project, which, ironically, is about Tut himself and the funerary box. Readers also meet his immortal brother, Gilgamesh; and Horus, the very humanlike talking Egyptian god cat; and two school mates, Seth and Tia, who are yet to be identified as friends or enemies. Tut also has help from the army of shabtis whose only purpose is to serve him, and though they only stand six inches tall, they prove to be quite capable of protecting their monarch. They also provide a bit of comic relief with their quirky antics. Although the story begins at a rather slow pace, it quickly becomes a fast-moving adventure with surprising twists. The ending is satisfying, with a hint that a sequel may be in the works. The author provides historical notes about the real King Tutankhamen, which may spark an interest in learning more about Egyptian History. Fans of Rick Riordan's "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" series (Hyperion) will surely enjoy this title. A fine purchase for libraries where historically based adventures are in demand.—Martha Rico, El Paso ISD, TX