THE CURSE OF THE PHARAOH'S STONE

A young boy, searching for a way to break a curse, struggles to keep an Egyptian artifact out of greedy adults’ hands in this debut 1920s middle-grade adventure.

When 12-year-old Oklahoma “Okie” Smith wished that his bullying older brothers would die, he didn’t think it would really happen. Then both were victims of the 1918 flu epidemic, which also took his beloved mother. In the four years since, Okie has convinced himself that he’s cursed, and he believes that it’s connected to an ancient stone tablet that his archaeologist uncle, Harry, stashed at the Smiths’ Philadelphia home for safekeeping. He thinks that maybe he can stop this curse if he deciphers the tablet’s peculiar symbols, and that’s where Emma Goodwin, a local professor of ancient languages and a museum curator, comes in. Okie soon learns that the tablet has ties to the Egyptian Elixir of Life, which could resurrect the dead. A mysterious Englishman apparently believes this, too, and sends his minions to steal the artifact, even if it means kidnapping Okie or Goodwin’s tween daughter, Alex. The pair, along with Okie’s 20-something brother Monty, must fight to protect the tablet as well as themselves. Hanson’s sprightly novel drops numerous obstacles in Okie’s path, including Goodwin’s professor colleague, Wendell Wright, who seemingly despises Okie, and some boys who are after the scarab amulet that Okie’s uncle gave him. Things frequently appear grim for the young protagonist, but he continually perseveres, and despite his difficult home life, one of his family members later becomes a worthy ally in his battle against dangerous tablet hunters. The story takes several exciting and suspenseful turns as Okie and others dodge baddies, seek escape, or notice a person trailing them. The wholly satisfying ending makes it abundantly clear that this book is the likely start of a prospective series.

A rousing, energetic tale with an indelible adolescent hero at the helm.