Adventures in Ancient Egypt (The Good Times Travel Agency)
Grade 3-6-In these picture books, twins Josh and Emma Binkerton and their younger sister Libby are transported back in time after opening a travel guide about a specific historical period at the creepy, ramshackle Good Times Travel Agency, and the only way to get home is to read the book cover to cover. Each page features the siblings' ongoing story, cartoonlike illustrations with dialogue balloons, and yellowed guidebook pages that provide basic background information about the period. The stories are full of slapstick, but hold together well and involve readers. Though the plots are contrived to tie into the guidebooks, they don't seem forced and the flow is good. The guides are written in a breezy style, paying just enough attention to the grosser aspects of each civilization to help maintain interest. Slavin's sunny pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations are packed with details. Kids are sure to devour these lively books.Donna L. Scanlon, Lancaster Area Library, PACopyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.