The Great Egyptian Grave Robbery

August 1, 2009
Gr 2-4-Pennypacker ably continues the adventures of Flat Stanley, originated by Jeff Brown, in this short chapter book. Having been flattened by a falling bulletin board, the half-an-inch-thick boy uses his unique physique to good advantage, mailing himself places, slipping under doors, and wriggling through thin cracks. In this installment, Stanley Lambchop receives a letter from Sir Abu Shenti Hawara, who offers him a chance to go to Egypt and assist on an important archaeological dig. He travels via airmail in an envelope provided by Hawara. Once there, Stanley befriends a girl named Amisi. Together, they thwart a group of thugs intent on thieving treasures from an ancient tomb. The narrative is filled with touches of lighthearted humor. The story stands on its own, and the exposition explaining Stanley's previous adventure foiling art thieves seems unnecessary. Large font and a generous proportion of sharp-angled cartoon drawings make this book a quick and easy read. Appended are a fact sheet on Egypt and a teaser chapter from the next installment in the series, certain to hook readers into coming back for more."Madigan McGillicuddy, Los Angeles Public Library"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2009
Written by Sara Pennypacker. These brief chapter books find our hero using his state of flatness to rescue his friend from a rockslide at Mount Rushmore and to foil tomb raiders in Egypt. With their breezy "Oh, golly" tone and broad humor (also apparent in the black-and white cartoons) deftly mimicking the originals, these geography-themed books will likely be popular with kids and social studies teachers.

(Copyright 2009 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)