THE AKHENATEN ADVENTURE: Children of the Lamp Trilogy, Book 1
by P.B. Kerr
Orchard Books/Scholastic
ISBN: 0439670195
Ages 9-12
355 pages

• Read an Excerpt
• Author Interview -- October 2004

John and Philippa Gaunt are the most unidentical twins ever. They don't look one bit alike or even wear the same colors. They do, however, think in similar ways. Their parents are wealthy, and another odd pair. Mrs. Gaunt is young, beautiful, tall and athletic. Her husband is very short with gray hair and glasses.

The twins would like to change the names of the family dogs from Alan and Neil to Elvis and Winston. Despite Mr. Gaunt's strenuous disapproval, they get their mother's permission. Somehow it doesn't seem all that unusual that the dogs take themselves to the vet when they're sick and put coins in parking meters. But the twins do find it odd that, when their wisdom teeth are removed, they share a dream under anesthesia --- a dream in which they meet their estranged Uncle Nimrod, who suggests they ask their parents to send them to London to visit him for summer vacation. Amazingly, their parents agree. Even more incredibly, their father acts rather afraid of his children.

Other weird things have happened to the twins lately. John had a nightmare and woke up to find the mirror on his wall cracked in the identical way that a wall in Cairo cracked during an earthquake. John's pimples cleared up. When people wish out loud around Philippa, their wishes mysteriously come true. But the most startling event of their lives will occur when Uncle Nimrod tells them who they really are. John and Philippa are off for a tremendous adventure, which will include traveling to Cairo, the Arctic Circle, and to the inside of a vase (!). They'll also fight evil for the good of mankind, giving them quite a bit of material for those "What I Did for Summer Vacation" school essays.

I wholeheartedly recommend THE AKHENATEN ADVENTURE to anyone who enjoys fantasy. This is not a Harry Potter knock-off (thank goodness), but is totally original and every bit as much of a great read. I can't wait to get my hands on the next two books in the trilogy. I'm sure they'll be, as this one is, the answer to my wish for a magical reading adventure.

   --- Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon (terryms2001@yahoo.com)

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