About This Book
When your child starts asking gross questions about how the body works or expresses boredom with 'dry' school history, reach for this book. Awful Egyptians is a high-energy, humorous deep-dive into the messy reality of ancient life, moving far beyond simple dates and pharaoh names. It addresses the natural curiosity children have about the 'foul' side of humanity, from mummification details to bizarre royal customs. While the tone is light and irreverent, the book builds a rich vocabulary and a genuine interest in archaeology and social history. It is perfect for reluctant readers aged 8 to 12 who respond well to cartoons, jokes, and trivia. Parents will find it an excellent tool for transforming a school subject into an engaging, laugh-out-loud home reading experience that encourages critical thinking about how different cultures viewed life and death.
What Parents Should Know
Sensitive Topics
1. DISTRESS: The book contains detailed descriptions of mummification, including the removal of organs through the nose. While presented humorously, sensitive children might find the clinical details of corpse preparation unsettling. There are also mentions of ancient punishments and the deaths of historical figures. 2. CONVERSATION: Parents may also need to explain the concept of dynastic marriage (pharaohs marrying relatives) in a historical context, as the book mentions a pharaoh marrying her grandfather.
Ideal Reader
A 9-year-old who loves gross-out humor, Captain Underpants, or Ripley's Believe It or Not, and needs a hook to get interested in social studies.
Parent Prep
This book can be read cold, but parents might want to skim the 'Mummy' section to gauge their child's tolerance for visceral descriptions. A child suddenly sharing a graphic fact about brain removal or ancient Egyptian toilet habits at the dinner table.
Age Experience
Younger readers (8-9) will gravitate toward the comic strips and the 'gross' facts. Older readers (11-12) will better appreciate the political satire and the irony of the social hierarchies described.
What Makes It Special
Unlike standard textbooks, Terry Deary prioritizes 'the people' over 'the dates,' using dark humor to make historical figures feel like real (and often ridiculous) human beings.
Read plot summary
Part of the iconic Horrible Histories series, this book explores the daily life, religion, and bizarre customs of Ancient Egypt. It uses a mix of narrative prose, comic strips, quizzes, and 'fact files' to cover topics like the mummification process, the construction of pyramids, the reign of specific pharaohs, and the social hierarchy of the Nile valley.
This overview was generated by AI based on the book's content and reviews, and may not capture every nuance.
Discussion Prompts
1
The Egyptians spent a lot of time and money preparing for the afterlife. Why do you think being remembered after death was so important to them?
2
If you were a 'Shepherd of the Royal Backside,' what would be the hardest part of your day? Why do you think such a job existed?
3
Terry Deary shows that history isn't just about kings and queens, but also about ordinary people. How does learning about the 'gross' parts of their lives change how you think about the past?
4
Which Egyptian invention or custom surprised you the most, and do we have anything similar in our world today?
