TUT: MY EPIC BATTLE TO SAVE THE WORLD
by P.J. Hoover
Age Range: 8 - 12 years
Grade Level: 3 - 7
Series: Tut: My Immortal Life (Book
2)
Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Starscape (February 28,
2017)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0765390825
ISBN-13: 978-0765390820
Tut: My Epic Battle to Save the World by P. J.
Hoover is the second action-packed novel in a fast and funny series for young
readers about the adventures of King Tut, now an immortal eighth-grader living
in Washington, D.C.. This rollicking fantasy adventure begins with Tut: The
Story of My Immortal Life.
Tut sets out to find his brother and protector, Gil, who has gone missing from
their Washington, D.C., town house. Tut discovers that Gil is being held
prisoner by the Egyptian god Apep. With the help of the Sun god, Ra, Gil
managed to vanquish Apep thousands of years ago, and now the god is back for
vengeance. It’s up to Tut and his friends Tia and Henry to stop Apep before he
succeeds in his evil scheme to swallow the sun and plunge the world into
darkness forever.
Praise for TUT: MY EPIC BATTLE TO SAVE
THE WORLD
“Hoover (Solstice) brings her interest in
mythology to a middle-grade audience with this entertaining tale, which
reimagines the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun as a perpetually 14-year-old
immortal…The entertaining premise and fast pace keep this adventure on track,
while the way Hoover reimagines the Egyptian pantheon—Isis owning a chain of
funeral parlors, for instance—is pleasantly reminiscent of Rick Riordan’s
work.” —Publishers Weekly
“Being an immortal 14-year-old pharaoh isn’t all
scepters and servants; there’s also the overthrowing of a homicidal cult—and
finishing one’s homework…Merging the voice of an outspoken contemporary
14-year-old with centuries-old expletives (“Holy Amun!”) renders Tut both
comedic and devoted to his origins…A pyramid history buffs and fantasy fans
will delight in excavating.” —Kirkus Reviews
“[R]eaders will be pulled into this adventurous
story of the young boy ruler and his ordeal….it quickly becomes a fast-moving
adventure with surprising twists. The ending is satisfying, with a hint that a
sequel may be in the works. The author provides historical notes about the real
King Tutankhamen, which may spark an interest in learning more about Egyptian
History. Fans of Rick Riordan’s “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” series
(Hyperion) will surely enjoy this title. A fine purchase for libraries where
historically based adventures are in demand.” —School Library Journal
Where Horus Tries to Kill Me
There
were spells and wards all over the door to my townhouse when the shabtis and I
got there. I felt chills run over my skin as I pushed past them. But I didn’t
have time to ask Horus about it, because he came out of nowhere, landing in
front of my feet.
He hissed loudly. “Go away, Tut.” His good eye
roved the room, not focusing on me. Huge hunks of his fur were missing,
contributing to his mangy look. I’d never seen Horus look so horrible, not even
when he’d gone missing with amnesia for a couple decades.
Maybe it was the stupidest thing I’ve ever
done, but I needed to start making forward progress. I squatted down to Horus’s
level and slammed my hands on the ground.
“No, Horus. I am not going to go away,” I said,
letting all the frustration running through me filter into my voice.
“I mean it, Tut,” Horus said, but his voice
wasn’t as certain as before.
I took advantage of it and moved forward. Horus
scooted back. So I took another step. He did, too. And we continued this until
I got him into the family room. Behind me, the shabtis slammed the door closed.
The chill in the air evaporated.
“Great Master,” Colonel Cody said. “It seems
the cat is not feeling well.”
“He’s a god. He’s Horus,” I said, still not
taking my eyes off Horus.
“Yes, exactly what I was saying,” Colonel Cody
said. “It seem the god cat is a bit under the weather.”
“Horus is fine.” I pressed my hand forward,
hoping to make peace, hoping Horus didn’t take this moment to swipe out at me.
To tear one of my fingers off.
I held my breath and waited, counting the
seconds. One. Two. I got to twelve when Horus finally backed off. He hissed one
last time then scurried across the room, grabbing a scarab beetle and biting it
in half.
I sank onto the futon. Lieutenants Virgil and
Leon ran up balancing a tall glass of ice and a soda on a tray. There were also
two warm scones on a bright blue plate. Cranberry maybe? They always knew
exactly what I needed.
I nodded at them in thanks, and they ran back
into the kitchen.
“What in the name of Amun Ra is going on with
you, Horus?” I said.
Horus chewed the scarab beetle slowly, almost
like he wasn’t planning to eat it. But then he swallowed it whole.
Uh oh. This was not a good idea. He jumped onto
Gil’s chair and started heaving. I knew what was coming. I tried to cover my
ears and close my eyes, but the heaves got louder and louder. Finally Horus
hacked up a giant scarab beetle hairball all over Gil’s chair. Then, to make
matters worse, he started digging his claws into the chair. It was the only
time I was glad Gil wasn’t around. He would have skinned Horus.
“It’s the sun and the moon,” Horus said, rolling
around in the hacked up hairball.
“What about the sun and the moon?” I said,
trying to ignore what he was doing. It was gross. Horus went crazy during the
new moon, but we had almost two weeks until then.
“It’s growing darker,” Horus said. “Everything
about the world is growing darker. And the tides. Have you seen the tides?
They’re way off. The sun and the moon aren’t in the right places. It’s messing
everything up. It’s not good, Tutankhamun. I’m telling you that it’s not good.”
Moon. Tides. The world growing darker. It all
fit together with what I’d just heard. “This is about Apep, isn’t it?” I said.
Horus didn’t act surprised that I knew. He only
flicked his tail in acknowledgment.
“How long have you known?” I asked. The bigger
question was why hadn’t Horus told me?
Horus eyed another scarab beetle, but he didn’t
pounce. Instead he dug his claws deeper into Gil’s chair, pulling out stuffing.
I cringed but kept my mouth shut.
“Since I went to the underworld,” Horus said.
“Remember that little trip? Where I went to check up on Horemheb?”
“Oh, I remember, Great Master,” Colonel Cody
said. “It’s when the cat god retrieved me from an eternal life without you.”
This must’ve rekindled some fond feelings for
Horus because the little shabti immediately ran off and ordered the filling of
Horus’s milk bowl.
“You learned about Apep escaping six months
ago, and you didn’t think to tell me?” I said.
“There was no reason to tell you, Tut,” Horus
said. “I’m a god. He’s a god. It’s a god issue. I’m going to take care of the
problem.”
“By doing what? Hacking up hairballs at anyone
who comes near you? Attacking people? Don’t you see how this is affecting you?
You aren’t yourself.”
“I’m fine,” Horus said.
“Fine? Then why the wards? Why have you tried
to rip my eyes out not once but twice in the last week? Why do you look like a
rabid alley cat who lost five fights in a row? Does that seem like you’re
fine?”
Horus scowled, but he didn’t have much of an
argument to make.
“Did you know that Apep kidnapped Gil?” I said.
I still couldn’t believe it. Gil was in serious trouble.
Horus stopping digging. Pieces of stuffing
clung to his claws. “He what?”
“He kidnapped Gil. He’s looking for an
immortal, and he thought he got one.”
“Oh, you have got to be kidding me,” Horus
said. “He can’t still be stewing over that whole mess. When I find that snake,
I am going to pull his tail through—”
I put up my hand. “Enough.” I didn’t need a
visual of what Horus planned to do to Apep.
Horus and Gil may have their differences. They
argued all the time. But Horus’s claws went up and he snarled. Gil, like me,
was one of Horus’s people, whether he wanted him to be or not. And as such,
Horus was going to watch out for Gil.
“How do we stop him?” I asked.
“Stop Apep, the Lord of Chaos? The Devourer of
the Sun?” Horus said. “We don’t. I do. You stay here and stay safe.”
“Great Osiris, no!” I said. “I am not sitting
in this townhouse doing nothing. I’m going looking for Gil with you or without
you.”
And this is when things turned ugly. Horus
launched at me from Gil’s chair, and landed on my head. His claws dug into me,
even as I grabbed at him, trying to get him off me. I fell from the futon, onto
the floor, and using strength I didn’t know I had, I clenched my fingers around
him and pulled him from my head, throwing him across the room. And before he
could get up and come back after me, fireballs ignited in my hands. I held them
out, menacingly.
“Don’t take another step,” I said.
Top Ten List
Ten 10 characteristics of a great friend (based on
characters in TUT: MY EPIC BATTLE TO SAVE THE WORLD)
1)
Makes you cookies (Tia)
2)
Isn’t afraid to face-off against Egyptian
gods to help you out (Henry and Tia)
3)
Never leaves you hanging when it comes to
World History projects (Henry)
4)
Is pretty cute (Tia)
5)
Makes even things like Science Camp fun
(Henry)
6)
Has always done the research ahead of time
(Henry)
7)
Always had the perfect comeback (Tia)
8)
Likes video games (Henry)
9)
Is prepared for any situation (Tia)
10)
Will stand by you through anything (Tia and
Henry)
P. J. (Tricia) Hoover wanted to be a Jedi, but when that didn’t
work out, she became an electrical engineer instead. After a fifteen year bout
designing computer chips for a living, P. J. decided to start creating worlds
of her own. She’s the author of Tut: The Story of My Immortal Life, featuring a
fourteen-year-old King Tut who’s stuck in middle school, and Solstice, a
super-hot twist on the Hades/Persephone myth. When not writing, P. J. spends
time with her husband and two kids and enjoys practicing kung fu, solving
Rubik’s cubes, watching Star Trek, and playing too many video games. For more
information about P. J. (Tricia) Hoover, please visit her website www.pjhoover.com
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