Hunt for the Golden Scarab (Time Keys)
For ages 9+
The world as we know it today is at great risk from time travelling magical artefact hunters who could alter our reality forever! Sim and Jeopary travel to Ancient Egypt in their first ‘Time Keys’ adventure
“Books are unsurpassable tools when it comes to understanding life’s mysteries.” - from ‘Hunt for the Golden Scarab’ by M. G. Leonard (Macmillan, 2025)
Take it from me, Ancient Egypt is going to be BIG in Children’s fiction in 2025, and here’s the first offering - ‘Hunt for the Golden Scarab’ book one in an exciting middle-grade time travel adventure series from award-winning author, M.G. Leonard (Adventures on Trains, Beetle Boy, Twitch) with illustrations throughout from Manuel Šumberac, published by Macmillan. For ages 9+ (or confident readers 8+) this initial ‘Time Keys’ mystery brings together the author’s passions for music, history and adventure, for without music, or should I say, the children in this story and their playing a musical instrument, the world as we know it today is at great risk from time travelling magical artefact hunters who could alter our reality forever!
Sim and his mum live in a museum filled with ancient wonders and history. By day, Sim goes to school with his best mate Nelson, while his mum works as the museum’s caretaker. By night, they train together in martial arts, with Sim squeezing in time to play his beloved piano. A break in at the museum one evening leaves this small family running for their lives, but Sim has absolutely no idea what’s going on and why his mum has suddenly transformed into a ninja warrior super-spy in the blink of an eye. What on earth?!
Hiding out with Sim’s newly acquainted with cousin Jeopardy in her rather shifty dad, Emmett in their secret rooms hidden below famous luxury department store, Liberty’s in London, Sim starts to find some family resemblance in that they each have a gift for playing musical instruments, and that it’s not just important to play in the right ‘key’, but having the born-with gift of perfect pitch and intonation means that he and his family members have an unusual magical power… they can open time portals, they’re ’Keys’. As children they are vital to adult Keys who as they grow older loose their natural ability to detect frequency and high pitch.
Sim and Jeopardy are drawn into a risky globe-trotting mission to stop the ancient Egyptian golden heart scarab from Nefertiti’s tomb from falling into the wrong hands, because a mythical and magical artefact like this one in particular is believed to give the owner eternal youth! They must protect it at all costs! Travelling incognito they head for Egypt and thanks to the author’s extensive (and probably very fulfilling) research, the Egyptian setting comes alive with vivid descriptions of the landscape, architecture, and culture, all carefully woven into the action-packed narrative.… there’s even a ‘hassle free’ bookshop!
The small team of musical time travellers must follow clues, problem-solve, face dangers and duplicity in a race-against-time, all the while conscious that if they mess with history there could be catastrophic consequences! When they travel back to ancient Egypt, Nefertiti has recently passed into her afterlife, the mummification process still so recent (and smelly), a young Tutankhamen is coming into his power and life is so starkly different for our modern day time travelling children, they have to think on their feet, watch what they say, try to blend in, and most importantly, avoid the hunters, find the scarab and return to their own time before they get stuck and found out!
‘Hunt for the Golden Scarab’ is a thrilling middle-grade for fans of history, adventure and magic. The story explores the power of music not just as a skill but as a source of magic and connection. Fantastic read for a insightful supportive text in schools or for home educators. Looking forward to book 2!
PRAISE
'A complete triumph of imagination . . . readers are going to fall in love with this brilliant new series.' A. F. Steadman, bestselling author of Skandar
'Classic and fresh - a breathtaking adventure.' Eoin Colfer, bestselling author of Artemis Fowl
'A spellbinding, seat-of-the-pants adventure . . . fabulous, fast-paced and thrilling.' Jonathan Stroud
