Mummies in the morning

Gr. 1-4. In this sequel to Dinosaurs before Dark (1992) and The Knight at Dawn (1993), Jack and Annie return to the mysterious, book-filled tree house that transports them through time and space. For this adventure, they select a story on Ancient Egypt and travel back to the pyramid of Queen Hutepi, who needs help finding her copy of the Book of the Dead for a journey through the underworld. This story, like most series books, is heavy on suspense and light on character development, but is distinguished by the intriguing details of Ancient Egyptian life and burial customs. Even the overused theme of reading allowing one to travel anywhere works well here. Some foreshadowing (clues about the mysterious owner of the tree house, who leaves souvenirs marked with the letter M) and a hint about the pair's next destination add to the appeal. Illustrated with frequent black-and-white drawings, this will be welcomed by beginning readers making the transition to chapter books. (Reviewed Apr. 1, 1994)0679924248Kay Weisman