My son, who is about to be in third grade, loves the entire History Smashers series. I was thrilled to read Ancient Egypt with him early! I usually like paper books, but reading it on my ipad was actually great for the illustrations. Messner is so great at entertaining and informing at the same time. If you have a queasy kid, maybe skip the part about how bodies were mummified :) Thanks so much for the ARC!

This was an excellent mythbusting overview of Ancient Egypt. Kiddo (11) and I were greatly entertained by this book. It's very funny and written in a way that really makes it engaging. We both learned a lot about Ancient Egypt and its history and discovery.

It also tackles the questionable ethics of the people who took all the artifacts out of Egypt (and refuse to give them back), which is a very important topic that often gets glossed over in books about archeological discovery.

The text is divided into sections which are easily digestible and break up the information to keep it from becoming overwhelming. Kiddo would have had no problem reading it on his own, but he still enjoys being read to at bedtime, and this was perfect for that purpose. (We did on a few nights stay up later than we meant to because we were both so invested we forgot to stop reading.)

The History Smashers books are great in general, and this is an excellent addition to the series.

*Thanks to Random House Books for Young Readers for providing an early copy for review.

After reading a few fictional books set in Ancient Egypt or Egpyt-like settings, it was helpful and interesting to learn more about the actual history of Egypt. Messner writes about things that would be most interesting to younger children and helps debunk some rumors about Ancient Egypt. I appreciated that she also covers the current situation of Egyptian artifacts and how they were acquired.
This will be great in color with real photographs in the final version as well.
I would recommend this to elementary students wanting to learn more about Ancient Egypt or for context of fiction books set in a similar place and time.

I can’t wait to buy this for my classroom because it will be so perfect for my middle school unit on ancient Egypt. The way the book was broken up with illustrations, text, and comics will be perfect for keeping the attention of my students while teaching them so much about the time period.

I thought this book was very informative about ancient Egypt. I probably wouldn't have this as a book my 2nd graders could grab off my bookshelf, but I would read them excerpts from it during our Egypt lessons. I would say this is for middle school and up.

History Smashers: Ancient Egypt is an engaging and informative read that makes history come alive in a fresh and fun way. Kate Messner does a fantastic job breaking down common myths about ancient Egypt—like the idea that all mummies were cursed or that the pyramids were built by slaves. Instead of just listing facts, she weaves them into funny, kid-friendly explanations with lots of visuals, comics, and sidebars to keep readers hooked.

The writing is clear, conversational, and packed with interesting details that will surprise even adults. It’s perfect for upper elementary or middle grade readers who want to learn real history without feeling like they’re reading a textbook.

Overall, it’s a great mix of education and entertainment.

Highly recommended for curious kids and classrooms alike!

LOVE! I really don’t know what to say beside that.
I read this with a kid I babysit and we had a great time reading this at night.
Very informative and captivating the pictures added to the book and it was just a great a read that we both really enjoyed!

Ancient Egypt is packed with fascinating facts, surprising stories, and tons of fun illustrations and real photographs of historical objects. Kate Messner does a great job breaking down myths and sharing the real history in a way that's easy to understand and exciting to read.

The combination of comics, illustrations by Falynn Koch, and photos keeps the book engaging from start to finish. I learned so much—and even laughed along the way! A perfect pick for curious readers, history fans, or anyone who wants to discover the truth behind the legends of Ancient Egypt.

From my 12yr old- "It was a very educational experience. It talked much on the riches and kings, the politics and power. I learned much about the kings and their status, as well as why they did what they did. I learned about what is happening about ancient Egypt in modern times. I only wish I could have learned more about the intermediate ages, as those were mostly ignored. 4.5 stars"

A particularly well informed and well written non-fiction book for children. The information present was very coherent and up-to-date with recent developments in the field of Egyptology. The illustrations were vivid and beautifully done, sure to attract the attention of young readers. It is also rare for a book garnered for this particular age group to point out now imperialism have harmed various cultures and their history, which made me like this even more. Young readers who love reading about history and ancient civilizations will love this one.

We just finished this one as we wrapped up our homeschool learning of Ancient Egypt (for now... ha). We are huge fans of the History Smashers series by Kate Messner and own many of the books- this will definitely be another purchase for our collection!

I will say that there is a LOT of material to cover around Ancient Egypt and so this book definitely has more going on than some of the other History Smashers that cover a specific event (like the Titanic, for example). My just-turned 8yo had a harder time keeping track of everything so I would definitely stick with the suggested age of around 4th grade for this one (we are just wrapping up second, so a little younger than the target audience). I will say that Messner does a good job of giving a good overview of Ancient Egypt and there was lots of overlap with other things we've learned but also plenty of new information to keep us engaged.

As with all the History Smashers series, there was a good balance of text, illustrations, and comic style to keep us reading and illustrate points. Always highly recommend these as a good introduction to non-fiction chapter books because Messner just makes the topics SO engaging.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for this one! Looking forward to more in the History Smashers series in the future!

Kate has another winner on her hands with this History Smashers about ancient Egypt. I think most adults probably went through an ancient Egypt obsession as kids and this book will appeal to kids and adults alike. Full of myths and myth busting facts, Kate’s unique way of combining traditional book formats with comic books and fun fact inserts keeps the reader engaged while educating them at the same time. I will be adding this one to my classroom shelf when it is published.

I really enjoyed this book and how clearly it is written to make its points. The information is presented in a clear manner that is easy for children to understand. There are tons of interesting illustrations and photographs throughout the book to keep it engaging, while reinforcing information. I appreciated that the author took the time to state that because the time being studied some information is not entirely accurate. Overall I think this is a great guide for someone who is beginning to learn about Ancient Egypt.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. I love the History Smashers series, and the kid in me that grew up wanting to be an Egyptologist/archaeologist would have absolutely loved to have had this book in school. It’s a very basic overview of a ton of information, but she does it in an easy to follow way peppered with interesting facts and stories. I think she could’ve made it a tad bit longer to include a bit more, but overall, I think it’s a good length for the intended audience. The illustrations and images were well done and well-curated to keep student interest engaged. I do feel like the book very abruptly ended with the fall of Cleopatra and could have used a bit more information to bring things to a close, but, again, I think it is fine for the intended audience and will hopefully pique further study. Overall, well done and very interesting!

All of the History Smashers series that I have read, I have loved, to a certain degree, whether I agree with everything said there. The author is very careful to explain how things have changed since whatever is being discussed in the book, was first discussed. In this case, there is a lot of history that has been written.

The first thing to understand is that not only was Ancient Egypt’s history lost to the modern world, but during the time of Ancient Egypt, if a new king didn’t like the former king, he would go around trying to remove any mention of him, smashing statues, scratching out his name, revising history.

This makes it hard for people from about the Regency era, on, to figure out what is going on. And the author admits that some stuff is conjecture, and guessing. And what the author does best is to bring up myths, and explain why they don't’ work. There is a common story, for example, that Napoleon was responsible for breaking the nose off the Sphinx. However, there is evidence that the nose has been missing at least 80 years before that time, and is even mentioned as missing several hundred years before that.

The author not only goes over what is known and unknown about the history, but also the artifacts that were stolen from Egypt in modern times, and where they are, such as the bust of Nefertiti being in Berlin, and the Rosetta stone being in the UK.

For those who want to know about Ancient Egypt, this is a very comprehensive book to use. There is even a timeline of dates to get you to see just how long the kingdom lasted, and also the dates of when things were rediscovered.

I would recommend this for kids who want to know, and for adults as well. There are even little asides, throughout the book, such as how people thought aliens built the pyramids, and how we underestimate the ancient Egyptians by thinking that.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book is coming out the 7th of October 2025.

This is definitely the exact type of book that adds fun and information to my 6th Grade Social Studies classes.

The illustrations, graphics and writing are all perfectly engaging for 11-12 year olds who want to know a little bit more about what their good ole teacher is talking about. Now I need a book on Mesopotamia, Ancient China and Ancient India.

Thank you Random House, Kate Messner and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

I recently had a teacher recommend The History Smashers to me based on how much her son loves them. I think they are perfect for a middle school audience but they are a little bit more than most of my elementary students can handle as of now.

This is a fascinating book. The illustrations, comics, and text are highly engaging and will make this a more appealing nonfiction read to many kids. I enjoyed it and learned some new facts about Ancient Egypt.

Thank you to Net Galley, Random House Children's Books, and Random House Books for Young Readers for the ARC. All opinions are my own.