Horn Book

Photographs. Suspense keeps the reader glued to this fine piece of nonfiction as the mystery of hieroglyphs is slowly unraveled. The author has done a masterful job of distilling information, citing the highlights, and fitting it all together. Bibliography, index.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Copiously illustrated with drawings and historical prints and photographs, this accessible account explicates one of history's greatest discoveries. Ages 8-12. (Feb.)

School Library Journal

Giblin chronicles the lives of several scholars, namely Thomas Young and Jean-Francois Champollion, who struggled to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphs and break the code of the Rosetta Stone. Most children's books on Egyptian history make mention of the Rosetta Stone, but few (if any) give it the detailed attention of Giblin's book. This isn't a biography of Champollion, nor is it a dictionary of how to read hieroglyphs (as is Katan's Hieroglyphs: The Writing of Ancient Egypt McElderry, 1981). It's actually more of a ``biography'' of the stone itself. The writing style is a little dry, and somber photos and black-and-white illustrations lack the vivacity to catch a young reader's eye. But both adults and children will find this a solid reference source for reports or for more detailed information than general books on Egyptology provide. --Cathryn A. Camper, Minneapolis Public Library