Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx Review

Synopsis from No Brow Press:

Join Marcy as she decodes hieroglyphs, solves puzzles and learns about the ancient gods of Egypt in this thrilling second book in the Brownstone’s Mythical Collection series.
Marcy’s father, Arthur, is a world-famous adventurer, but she doesn’t quite share his enthusiasm for exploration. Determined to bring out her adventurous side, Arthur sets off to find the legendary Book of Thoth. When he doesn’t return, Marcy must follow in Arthur’s footsteps.

About: The Brownstone’s Mythical Collection: Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx is a children’s picture book written and illustrated by Joe Todd-Stanton. It was published on 10/1/17 by Flying Eye Books, a children’s imprint of NoBrow Press, hardcover, 56 pages. The genres are picture books, adventure, mythology, and fiction. This book is intended for readers ages 5 to 9, grades K to 4. There are two books in The Brownstone’s Mythical Collection: book 1 was called Arthur and the Golden Rope. According to the publisher’s website, “Nobrow burst into existence in late 2008 as the joint creative endeavour of two friends and ex-St Martin’s alumni: Sam Arthur and Alex Spiro.” They “sought to bring new stories to life, as well as to revive well-worn yarns for new generations of people.” They also “speak with boldness because we are proud: of our team, our collaborators and our fans.” Please see below for more information about the publisher and the author.

My Experience: I started reading Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx from The Brownstone’s Mythical Collection for my 7 year old son as storytime on 11/18/18 and finished it that same day. This book is an excellent read! I love this story right from the first page because Marcy’s dad is an unlikely hero. She doesn’t believe her father’s adventures to be true because he looks old and frail. I like that her dad brings her on an adventure to give her an opportunity to experience something of her own. My son likes the illustrations a lot. Each page is filled with abundant of activities to look at. My son also likes the Star Map on the inside of the book cover. He knows about the Big Dipper and looks for it.

In this book, readers will follow Marcy, from the adventure stories of her father she loves to hear every night to the adventures she takes of her own. Marcy is afraid of the dark, at home before sleep and out on an adventure with her dad. When a week has gone by and her father hasn’t returned from his urgent business away from home, Marcy decided to go rescue him. From her father’s office, she learns that he has gone to Egypt. Aim with a mission, she feels braver as she climb onto Wind Weaver to travel to Egypt. When Marcy arrives, she meet Thoth, god of knowledge and asks for his help to rescue her dad. He gives her two choices, either go into the belly of the Sphinx in the dark or find Ra, the sun god. Through many challenges, courage, and test of virtues, Marcy must decide the right path to take to rescue her father.

Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx is very well written and beautifully illustrated. My son and I love the step by step illustrations of Marcy as she takes to reach her destination like the picture below or how she travels through the maze of obstacles to rescue her dad. The illustration of Egypt is an eyeful. There are lots of Egypt history to look at. It could have been helpful if there were names next to each picture. This book is fantastic for kids who are afraid of the dark and for those who loves an adventure. I like the riddle and wish there were more of it. I highly recommend everyone to read this story!

Pro: fast paced, page turner, illustrations, actions & adventures, Egypt, exploration & discovery, unlikely hero, overcome fear of the dark, female protagonist

Con: none

I rate it 5 stars!

Buy it here for free shipping: Book Depository or No Brow’s website

About the Author:

Joe Todd-Stanton grew up in Brighton and studied at UWE Bristol, receiving a first class degree in Illustration. Joe has been commissioned to work for clients such as Oxford University Press, Usborne Publishing and Aquila magazine. His first picture book, Arthur and the Golden Rope, was published by Flying Eye Books in 2016. He lives and works in London. (Info & Photo obtained from NoBrow’s website, images of books obtained from Edelweiss book details, author photo obtained from Amazon.com).

More Information about NoBrow Press:

Website: http://nobrow.net | Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NobrowPress | Twitter: https://twitter.com/nobrowpress | Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nobrowpress

More Information about Flying Eye Books (children’s imprint of NoBrow Press):

Website: http://flyingeyebooks.com | Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FlyingEyeBooks | Twitter: https://www.instagram.com/flyingeyebooks | Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flyingeyebooks

***Disclaimer: Many thanks to NoBrow for the opportunity to read and review. Please be assure that my opinions are honest.

xoxo,
Jasmine