Kathleen Isaacs (Children's Literature)
Theodosia Throckmorten is preternaturally aware of charms and curses. The eleven-year-old daughter of the head curator of London’s Museum of Legends and Antiquities, she practically lives in the museum. She even sleeps in a sarcophagus when her father absentmindedly works all night. When her archaeologist mother returns with newfound treasures, Theodosia is thrilled to see her. She is both fascinated and repelled by the most important: a curse-ridden amulet called The Heart of Egypt. Then the artifact vanishes, and Theodosia’s quest to find it soon involves her in a much larger effort to save humanity from the Serpents of Chaos. She must use her abilities and research into Egyptian magic to find the purloined Heart of Egypt and return it to its rightful home in Amenemhab’s tomb before it destabilizes pre-World War I England. Both mystery and adventure, this first-person narrative leads readers through the back streets of London and deep inside a tomb in the Valley of the Kings. The story builds slowly, setting the stage in time (1906) and place, as well as introducing minor characters (e.g., her younger brother Henry, a helpful pickpocket named Sticky Will, The Brotherhood of the Chosen Keepers), but it ends with gripping suspense. An off-beat historical fantasy, this is good fun for adventure lovers, especially those who are interested in Egyptology. 2007, Houghton Mifflin Company, $16.00. Ages 8 to 12.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, April 1, 2007 (Vol. 75, No. 7))
Intrepid Theodosia, age 11, narrates a fantasy steeped in invented and authentic Egyptology, clashing secret societies and pre-WWI European intrigue. Theo's workaholic father runs the Museum of Legends and Antiquities, its inferiority complex (with the British Museum) assuaged by the artifacts that Mum ships from her excavation of Thutmose III's tomb. Theo obsessively researches ancient Egypt, uncannily able to physically intuit and ameliorate curses and "black magic" intact in the ancient objects surrounding her. A complex plot involving the return of the bejeweled "Heart of Egypt" to its proper place in Thutmose III's tomb pits Theo against evildoers bent on destabilizing Europe and seizing power. LaFevers overplays happenstance and Theo's naiveté as unreliable narrator to pass off bits of fortuitous plotting. Theo careens off to both Giza and the Valley of the Kings without her parents' knowledge. Stock characters and a school of red herrings crowd the narrative; the cracking good tomb showdown rewards persistent—or unfussy—readers. 2007, Houghton Mifflin, 368p, $16.00. Category: Fantasy. Ages 9 to 12. © 2007 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Tena Natale Litherland (Library Media Connection, November/December 2007)
Middle school readers, particularly girls, will be delighted with this first title set in London shortly prior to World War I, featuring Theodosia Throckmorton, a highly resourceful eleven-year-old. Both of her parents are archeologists, and she spends much time alone secretly ridding her parents' museum of the curses that are often attached to the exhibit pieces. When her mother returns from Egypt with an ancient amulet cursed with an exceptionally evil power, Theodosia is thrust into adventure and mystery, uncovering a secret society whose mission is to bring chaos to the entire world. Suspense and humor blend together in this creative first person narrative. Theodosia's voice will charm readers for the humor and her yearning for love and attention. The action carries readers to the heart of ancient Egypt in a race against villains who do not stop short of murder. The satisfying conclusion leaves readers hankering for further adventures of this high-spirited protagonist. A sequel is planned. Pair this with the contemporary Sammy Keyes series by Wendelin Van Draanen (Alfred A. Knopf (Random House)) for middle schoolers or the Mary Russell mystery series by Laurie R. King (Bantam Books) for older readers. Highly Recommended. 2007, Houghton Mifflin, 343pp., $16 hc. Ages 9 to 14.

Cindy Welch (The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, May 2007 (Vol. 60, No. 9))
Theodosia Throckmorton lives an enviably unsupervised life for an eleven-year-old in Edwardian London: her American mother is hunting down relics in Egypt, and her British father is an absent-minded museum curator, who often forgets to take his clever daughter home for a real meal and a sleep in her own bed. Her parents have also forgotten to replace her last governess, so she spends her days reading hieroglyphics and hunting down cures for the curses and malevolent spirits that infest the items housed in the small museum. Her mother returns from her latest treasure hunt with the Heart of Egypt, a cursed object that threatens to bring down the whole British Empire unless Theodosia and her pair of unlikely junior assistants (eight-year-old brother Henry and young London pickpocket Sticky Will) can return the amulet to its rightful place in the tomb of the Egyptian pharaoh Thutmose III. Danger, mysterious museums stuffed with exotic treasures, and children who best adult evildoers are surefire ways to engage young readers, and LaFevers has combined them to good advantage here. Theodosia walks a fine line between precocious and unbelievable, but young readers will have no problem putting themselves into her self-assured shoes; they will particularly revel in the triumph of youth over stuffy adults, who should know by now to pay attention to really smart kids. Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2006, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2007, Houghton, 352p.; Reviewed from galleys, $16.00. Grades 5-8.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Fall 2007)
Theodosia Throckmorton has an uncanny ability to detect curses and black magic. This skill leads her to the Valley of the Kings to return an artifact that threatens the fate of the world. Though some characters are wooden (the villains are of the mustache-twirling variety), the story is bolstered by fast-paced action and fascinating Egyptian lore. Category: Intermediate Fiction. 2007, Houghton, 344pp, 16.00. Ages 9 to 12. Rating: 4: Recommended, with minor flaws.