The Egypt Game (1967 original; edició 2009)

In The Egypt Game, six children - five sixth-graders and one younger brother - discover a secret place behind an antiques/junk store and make it their own. But their northern California neighborhood is menaced by a murderer who targets children.

April is white and has been sent to live with her grandmother; Melanie and Marshall are Black; Elizabeth is Asian; and Toby and Ken are white.

See also: From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, by E.L. Konigsburg, One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia, Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

Quotes

"Many things are possible." (the Professor to April, 21)

"None of my friends know how to play imagining games the way you do...I like imagining games better than anything." (Melanie to April, 32)

"Dad says being a baby offended Marshall's dignity."
"Heck, I guess everybody has something they're not very grown-up about." (Melanie and April, 58)

It seemed that sixth grade boys just normally kept a lot of things around that were perfect for the altar of an evil god. (123)

...wasn't that like a boy. They got things into a mess and then expected a girl to get them out of it. (Melanie and April, 170)

...and when they were through, they all stood and looked at the temple that they had made themselves, out of ordinary stuff and their own imaginations, and felt - well, maybe a little like Dr. Frankenstein had when he created the monster. (174-175)

Being scared to do something had always made April more determined to do it than ever. (180)

Imagination is a great thing in long dull hours, but it's a real curse in a dark alley, and April's imagination had always been out of the ordinary. (181)

It had been a terrific game, full of excitement and mystery and way-out imagining, but it had been a great deal more than that. (197)

[April]...felt around inside herself for reactions. She found some, all right, both good and bad; but not nearly as much either way as she would have expected. (202)

"It's just awful when you go back to something that was so great the way you remembered it and it's no good any more. It even ruins remembering." (214) ( )

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I have read this book many times, though I don't actually remember when any of them were. I remember loving it. I'm pretty sure it influenced my Halloween costumes in the past. Beyond that, though, I don't remember much about it.

Ugh. This book is not nice. I mean I did like the last two chapters, but the rest of the time I was thinking I should just quit and never re-start. The characters are doing idol worship. ( )

A wonderful story for middle grades and advanced younger readers. Superbly written with an authentic voice that reflects the children's perspective. In the narrative, a great deal of imagination on the part of the characters translates into an elaborate game, secret from the adults. The plot is a nifty, natural-teaching moment which engaged readers might find very inspiring for their own purposes.

In re-reading this novel (with a 20+ year gap), I was struck by a particularly adult realization: the story never dips into a conversation about the dangers of playing secretively or admonishing the kids about sneaking out at night. I think that's because Snyder wrote the story in 1967, so it's very much a narrative of 'back in the day'. Kids are still loving this tale so I was delighted to find a reprinted copy. ( )