This book is fantastically eye-opening and informative. I've always been as charmed by Egyptian art and history as the next girl. But I'm embarrassed to say that I did not know what the Rosetta Stone was before I read this book. There are many other shocking and interesting facts to be uncovered as well. I couldn't count how many times I said, "huh!" out loud while reading it.

Ancient Egypt is such a high-interest topic for many middle grade readers, and the latest in Messner's History Smashers series is not to be missed. As she notes in the text, the Egyptian civilization spans a huge amount of time; even so, this title covers a lot of ground. As in previous entries in this series, the topic is explored not only through each chapter, but in brief (and humorous!) asides, comic panels, photographs, and cartoon-style grayscale illustrations interspersed throughout. The variety of formatting keeps the pace moving and will engage readers who may prefer shorter texts or be more accustomed to browsing online. The book also makes a wonderful mentor text for nonfiction, and as always, Messner dutifully cites credible sources and makes diverse, inclusive suggestions for further reading/learning. A fantastic selection for any reader who enjoys nonfiction and history; fans of the series and budding Egyptologists will not be disappointed!

Egypt is a favorite topic and I love this series, so a win-win for me. Kate Messner manages to squeeze in lots of information and frequently with humor. Given the huge stretch of time Ancient Egypt falls into, there's lots of information, too, as well as fact-checking, so to speak. Her light touch makes it an easy, enjoyable read and there are lots and lots of pictures. It's divided into sections, giving you a sense of where you are in history as you read and, quite frankly, helping not overwhelm us with too much at one time. Obviously there is some overlap, such as in the evolution of pyramid building, starting with Imhotep's first pyramid way back in, well, you'll get all that info as you read, which is a good thing since I didn't write down the date. I did note that the Great Pyramid used over 23 million blocks weighing about a ton each, so my attention to detail was obviously scattered.

In any case, my scarcity of notes aside, you'll learn a great deal about Egyptian history, not to mention the ancient mythology which I've always found fascinating. Mummies? Of courses there is info on them. I found the discussion of the taking, okay, theft, of some of Egypt's wonder artifacts by various other countries quite pertinent in light of current chatter about a valuable painting stolen by the Nazis being discovered recently. Another timely subject might be that in the time of Ancient Egypt rulers tended to try to erase the accomplishments or even existence of prior kings by destroying as much evidence of their rule as possible, whether it be by re-engraving their own name in stone (literally) as a claim to accomplishments or simple having them destroyed. And, of, much, much more. All done with a deft hand and frequently light touch.

Bottom line, this book would be an excellent addition to any social studies teacher or library, not to mention your own. There's a handy timeline, too, to help you sort out the multitude of info you can pick up from this fun offering. The whimsical cover is an excellent preview of the tone light, even whimsical tone of much this full-of-facts work, making it an easy read. The Ancient Egypt Yearbook spoof near the end is a hoot and includes things like misuse of ancient musical instruments and, well, mummies themselves. I won't tell you some of the things they were used for. Read the book. As noted, lots to learn here, even if it may make you cringe more than once. The humorous illustrations of ways our culture has been influenced by all things Egypt is fun, too, from architecture and Vegas to actor-author-comedian-musician Steve "King Tut" Martin, albeit I didn't see his name mentioned. Just knew immediately what was being referenced, again showing the power of the connection. Thanks #RandomHouseChildrensBooks and #NetGalley for allowing me an early peek at this fun book.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the eGalley to review!

The History Smashers series does it again and I can tell you right now that this is going to be a BIG hit for kids in their Ancient Egypt phase!

As someone who had that phase and is still into Egyptology, I also really loved this book. It shed light on so many things that have been mysterious or muddled by years of misinterpretation or half truths, setting the record straight on many things pertaining Ancient Egypt. Not everything that could possibly be the subject of an obscure history trivia night is in here, but the most important things are and that's what matters. It also advocates for the better treatment of Egyptian national treasures (such as those still housed outside of the country) and provides a marvelous bibliography and additional reading list in the back of the book.

If you could have one book on Ancient Egypt as a whole in your nonfiction, make it this one.

History Smashers: Ancient Egypt
by Kate Messner
Pub Date: Oct 07 2025
Read courtesy of https://www.netgalley.com/
Book 11 of the "History Smashers" series

With its illustrated sections within chapters and comic book-style storytelling mixed with text,
I really liked the formatting of the book. However...

I felt like there were missed opportunities to define some key words for 8-12 year olds (grades 3-7). For example, early in the book the word 'dynasties' is used. Children might know that word if they are familiar with anime or manga, but even then they might have a skewed meaning of the word. Another example is the use of 'BCE,' which is also never defined nor written out the first time as Before Common Era. Other words in the book, like 'mastabas' and 'bas-relief', should have been described or defined.

I also felt misled that the book was to be about Ancient Egypt, but it was heavily focused on kings, gods, and pharaohs. Even the first chapter was called "People of the Nile," but was only about kings, gods, and pharaohs. Short of a discussion of hieroglyphics and the Rosetta Stone, I found very little through the book about other topics such as daily life or science and medicine. For example, at one point the book randomly mentioned some diseases present in Ancient Egypt, but it didn't relate them to any of the kings being discussed. And why would they tell that people ate desiccated mummy but not tell if people got sick from eating desiccated mummy?

At one point I was confused that the book abruptly switched from telling a story in comic form to text, even though it was a continuation of that story. I also felt the book could have benefitted from offering the readers URLs or some key search words to search rather than a static bibliography.

I wanted to like this much more than I did. History isn't one of my stronger subjects, so I was really hoping I'd learn something more about Ancient Egypt than its kings, gods, and pharaohs.

⭐⭐ 2 stars

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.