These links show the original reading lists. Inclusion is not a guarantee of suitability for your child.
Emma Carroll - Author
A suspenseful historical adventure combines a child-led mystery with Tutankhamun’s story. It offers friendship, family loyalty and questions about who has the right to remove cultural treasures, alongside period travel and Egyptian history.
The children seek to return an Egyptian jar, while the story questions the treatment of Egyptian sites and the removal of treasures by British figures.CriticalCritical: the book challenges or disapproves of this theme.Critical: the book challenges or disapproves of this theme.
How the book presents it: The narrative appears to challenge the idea that British identity or archaeological fame grants authority over another country’s heritage.
Talk about: What reasons does the book give for returning the jar, and whose voice receives the greatest authority?
Friendship, loyalty and responsibility
Lilian, Tulip and Oz work together to investigate the package and return it, while Lilian is concerned about her grandfather and the others mourn a brother.FavourableFavourable: the book presents this theme approvingly or positively.Favourable: the book presents this theme approvingly or positively.
How the book presents it: Co-operation and care for family are central motivations, though the children’s methods include deception and risky arrangements.
Talk about: When does protecting someone justify keeping a secret, and when might honesty be more responsible?
Women’s roles and representation
The story places female characters at the centre of the adventure and includes discussion of women’s rights, mixed-heritage characters and Egyptian characters.FavourableFavourable: the book presents this theme approvingly or positively.Favourable: the book presents this theme approvingly or positively.
How the book presents it: The treatment presents female agency and broader representation positively, while also using a historical setting in which social expectations differ.
Talk about: How do the girls’ choices challenge or work within the expectations surrounding them?
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Why It May Be Worth Reading
This may suit a reader who enjoys clues, twists and journeys, or who is interested in ancient Egypt. Its historical material is woven into a fictional story rather than presented as a straightforward factual account.
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What Deserves Attention
Death, illness, mourning and a possible curse are important elements.
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A Conversation Worth Having
How might the children’s decision to return the jar change your understanding of museums, archaeology and ownership? If the curse has a natural explanation, what other meanings might the story give it?
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Reading Approach
Read alongside a map or pause to discuss the shifts between Lilian’s adventure and the ancient account. Consider skipping or briefly contextualising the Ouija-board passage if spirit communication may unsettle the reader.
Confidence & Basis
Theme indicators describe how the book presents a topic; they are not a verdict on the whole book or your family's values. Confidence reflects how much book-specific material was checked. Only part of the book information was available, so some details remain unconfirmed.
What remains unconfirmed
Cultural ownership and archaeological power: Some details of this treatment remain unclear.
Friendship, loyalty and responsibility: Some details of this treatment remain unclear.
Women’s roles and representation: Some details of this treatment remain unclear.
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