The Secret of the Sacred Scarab (The Chronicles of the Stone, Book One)

Eleven-year-old Horace j. Edwards is an ordinary boy whose family has just moved to Niles, Michigan. But on the first day of sixth grade, mysterious things start to happen. His grandfather dies and Horace receives a strange gift--a stone scarab beetle. As he works to uncover the secrets surrounding his grandfather's death and the beetle, Horace is transported back in time to the ancient Egyptian city of Amarna. He meets the future pharaoh, young King Tut, and together the two boys become engaged in a fight to save the city from total destruction and Egypt itself from Tut's evil uncle Smenk. In the process, Horace discovers that he is the heir to an order of guardians, known as the Keepers of Time. The Secret of the Scarab Beetle is the first book in the middle-grade fantasy series Horace j. Edwards and the Time Keepers.

A tiny scarab beetle saves the Pharaoh from a trap that would have led to his death. Includes facts about ancient Egypt.

The third in a new series of four books: the first and second titles were published in August and October 2009, the fourth to be published in April 2010. Fantastically atmospheric evocations of Egyptian life are encased in an exciting adventure story. Each story features the boy and girl characters Hopi and Isis, and their struggles for existence and adventure in Egypt circa 1150 BC. In this story, The Sacred Scarab, Hopi and Isis, orphaned when crocodiles kill their parents, are preparing for an important festival, in which the king accompanies the gods to his great mortuary temple. But when Isis and Hopi uncover a plot by a villainous tax collector, they need to ensure that justice is done . . . The author has spent much time in Egypt and the stories are meticulously researched. The books include factual detail and notes about Egyptian lifestyle, the importance of the gods for the Egyptians, the tombs and much more.

Jean-Henri Fabre was a famous French entomologist whose observations of insects were praised - this examination of various beetles is characteristic of his meticulous yet engrossing descriptions. Fabre's greatest talent was rooted in his genuine passion for entomology; a natural ability to observe the quirks and habits of small creatures, and describe them to others in a plain but lively way. As demonstrated in this book, he wrote about insects as if they were his friends - seeing their lives play out, it is thus that qualities of biography are found alongside the scientific value of this work. In life, Fabre met with backlash for his unique style - formal schools, whom he in turn criticized for dryness of tutoring - considered his books long-winded, or even frivolous. Nevertheless he managed to connect atmospheric pressure to the behavior of certain insects, while contemporaries such as Charles Darwin held Fabre in high esteem, to the point of finding his studies inspirational.

'a true gem' —London Naturalist 'I love this book' —Nick Baker The author completes the book with an identification guide to dung itself, so that you can identify the animal that left it behind. Pellets or pats? Scats, spraints, frass, guano, spoor learn your way around different species droppings. There's also a dung-feeder s identification guide that includes the species you re most likely to encounter on an exploration of the dung heap. Journey through the digestive systems of humans, farm and wild animals, and meet some of nature’s ultimate recyclers as they eat, breed in and compete for dung. The fall of bodily waste onto the ground is the start of a race against the clock as a multitude of dung-feeders and scavengers consume this rich food source. From the enigmatic dung-rolling beetles to bat guano and giant elephant droppings, dung creates a miniature ecosystem to be explored by the aspiring dung watcher. The author completes the book with an identification guide to dung itself, so that you can identify the animal that left it behind. Pellets or pats? Scats, spraints, frass, guano, spoor – learn your way around different species’ droppings. There’s also a dung-feeder’s identification guide that includes the species you’re most likely to encounter on an exploration of the dung heap.