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2002
finalists.

2002 Hackmatack

Children's Choice Book Award/Prix littéraire - le choix de jeunes

The colourful and mysterious world of Ancient Egypt comes to life in this excellent addition to the I Was There series by Shelley Tanaka. Full-colour paintings and photographs draw us into the world of mummies - their importance, how they were made, and what they can teach us about the lives of people, both royalty and commoners, in the days of pyramids and pharaohs. In the Victorian era, many mummies were removed from tombs and brought back to England, where the "unrollings" were popular public events but the preservation and study of mummies was not seen as very important. Fortunately, attitudes have changed and today mummies are carefully preserved and studied as a valuable link to the past. In this book, the stories of four ancient Egyptians are presented, using evidence and clues found from the study of their mummies, so we meet them as they might have lived, as well as meeting them in death. We also read the story of Howard Carter and his discovery of the tomb of King Tut. Mummies have many secrets and this book will certainly encourage young historians 9 and up to find out more about these people from the past and the stories they are still telling us today.