1. Ciaran: This is about two people called Hylas and Pirra, who are dumped ashore in Egypt by their crew because they said foreigners are bad luck. Hylas and Pirra have no food, some water and a dagger (to get food and to defend themselves with). They also have their pets: a bird and a lion. There is also a kid called Alekto, who tries to take their water but is stopped. Hylas and Pirra question him about why he is there and where he comes from. He is a slave to the Crows (their enemies) and is the only person to escape.

I think this is a good book because there is good vocabulary, description and grammar. This is also quite a good idea for a story because it has adventure and you don’t know what’s going to happen next because it’s full of surprises. This makes you want to read on.

The book does explain about some Egyptian history such as beliefs and gods, but it didn’t make me want to find out more.

2. Daisy:  I didn’t enjoyed this book, because it’s not my type of adventure and it’s not written in my style in how I would write it.  I didn’t have a best character in this book because you couldn’t tell who was who.  I found the event of a journey in this book of adventures. The book taught me about the (period of history) of Ancient Egypt and it allows you to learn in a fun way.

It didn’t make me want to learn more about this period because it doesn’t sound interesting. I would like to read more books by this author, because I could learn more about different periods.

3. Eve:  I enjoyed this book, because I liked how it was described but at the same time I didn’t like it because it was a bit confusing.  The best character in the book was the leopard because he moved slowly and it seemed like forever like a sloth. I found the event of the story adventurous and there was a big long journey. The book didn’t teach me about the (period of history)Ancient Egypt’s   because I have learned about the and I know most things about them.

It didn’t make me want to find out more about the author.  I wouldn’t like to read more books by this author, because this book is a bit confusing and the author  might make it like this in her other books.

4. Katie: I did not enjoy this book, because it is too complicated for me to read. The best character in the book was I couldn’t choose because I thought the animals were people and the people were the animals. I found the event tricky to understand. The book taught me about the (period of history) was hard if you were poor and living on the street in the heat.  It has didn’t made me want to find out more about the time of history. I wouldn’t like to read more books by this author but I would tell my cousins (aged 13 and 15) to read it. 

5. Manny: The Crocodile Tomb by Michelle Paver is a historical fiction book about Ancient Egypt. The main characters are Hylas and Pirra, two Greek children forced to leave their country because of their enemies, The Crows. They have to find the Dagger of Koronos before it`s too late, and so starts a gripping adventure through an unknown country.

I enjoyed how fast paced and exciting this book was, for example, the main event of the story was told in less than one chapter, and then it moved onto the resolution in the next! This was a good feature of the book, although there were a few holes in the plot. In the story, the characters magically get from one side of Egypt to another, and then find a hidden tomb that had not been seen for a thousand years (completely by luck!).

The way Michelle Paver described the characters was amazing as well. She wrote whole sections from the point of view of the animals accompanying the heroes after each major event of the story. The only fault in the characters were the extremes between the heroes and villains. There was a massive difference between Hylas and Telamon (his enemy).The crows were literally inhumanly evil, were completely bent on the retrieval of the dagger of Koronos and would stop at nothing to get it back! For example, Telamon kills his aunt Alekto purely for the spite of it, and then murders his own bodyguards when they questioned the killing he had just committed!

The author had a good sense of imagery in the story, and used a lot of powerful similes and metaphors. For example, she said: “Pirra spent the night on Itineb`s roof with his family, each of them shrouded like corpses against the midges”. This shows a strong sense of description and I can picture this in my head. I also noticed a range of strong phrases and varied sentence structures throughout the book. For example, a particularly strong complex sentence was “Hylas, who was ignoring the disturbing smell of the dead crocodile, lay still and waited.” I think this was a strong phrase because it had a mix of humour and seriousness in one sentence.

The settings were a mix of real and made up places. Pa-Sobek was based on a real-life place called Kom-ombo but the made up Pa-Sobek was further south in Egypt than its inspiration.

As it says at the end of the book, the author spent a year studying about Ancient Egypt at The Institute of Archaeology, which must have played a massive part in the writing of the book as Mrs. Paver was able to describe mummification in intricate(and gory!) detail.

I would recommend this book to children between ages 9-13, as this book contained a few concepts that were quite difficult for children of younger ages, such as why the villains want the dagger of Koronos so badly. I also think that this book is only for readers that enjoy very adventurous and slightly violent stories. I would definitely not recommend it to any sympathisers of strangely evil Mycenaean villains, or people that do not enjoy the thought of more than one God.

6. Ruby: I really enjoyed this book because it’s an adventure and I love adventures. My favourite part is when a thief comes and steels the waterskin from Pirra and Hylas. I think it’s really realistic. The book didn’t make me want to find out more about the history, but I did enjoy the book. I would read more from this author. I would love to have a pet lion!

7. Luca. The Crocodile Tomb is an amazing book of adventure and thrill.  There are four books in the series, written by Michelle Paver, called ‘Gods and Warriors’.  This book is set in ancient Egypt, 2,500 BC but the other books are set in the Bronze Age in Greece.

There is a boy called Hylas, who is strong, brave willing and protective and a girl called Pirra, who is argumentative, stands up for herself and is adventurous.  They have their pets too, Havoc the Lioness (she is dependent on Hylas, but is quite strong) and Echo the Falcon (who is independent, helpful and long sighted).   They are all trying to get the Dagger of Koronos, which is in Ursereff’s (Pirras’s guardian) tomb.  However, the team face a terrible problem – the Crows (an evil clan), led by Telamon are trying to get there first.  Can they do it?

I thought the book was very interesting and in the just the first paragraph you get totally hooked.  Paver uses great vocabulary and the book is really well organised.  First it goes to Telamon’s point of view, then to Hylas’s and his friend’s point of view.  I really want to read the other books in the series and the new book which is coming out this year!

All in all this is a great book and I hope the author will keep writing historical books like this for many years to come.

8. Cameron. The story was about a boy and a girl, an owl and a leopard, and they were trying to find the dagger of Coronos.  The other characters were called Telamon, Alekto , Meritamen and Kerasher.  Lord Telamon is also trying to find the ‘Dagger of Coronos’.

The prologue of the book was enjoyable and I liked it at the end when they were trying to find out where the Dagger of Coronos was.  To make the servant talk they started torturing him and the way it was written,  made me want to know what was happening next.  I found it exciting to read.

Although I haven’t actually finished it yet, I have got to the bit where they are trying to find the dagger.  I think the ending might be that they find the dagger and Lord Telamon might steal it and they have to get it back.  I think that they might have to take it to an important place for a special reason.

Overall I would recommend this book if you are into Egypt and want to read an adventurous book.