Eleven-year-old Horace j. Edwards is an ordinary boy whose family has just moved to Niles, Michigan. But on the first day of sixth grade, mysterious things start to happen. His grandfather dies and Horace receives a strange gift--a stone scarab beetle. As he works to uncover the secrets surrounding his grandfather's death and the beetle, Horace is transported back in time to the ancient Egyptian city of Amarna. He meets the future pharaoh, young King Tut, and together the two boys become engaged in a fight to save the city from total destruction and Egypt itself from Tut's evil uncle Smenk. In the process, Horace discovers that he is the heir to an order of guardians, known as the Keepers of Time. The Secret of the Scarab Beetle is the first book in the middle-grade fantasy series Horace j. Edwards and the Time Keepers.

Jean-Henri Fabre was a famous French entomologist whose observations of insects were praised - this examination of various beetles is characteristic of his meticulous yet engrossing descriptions. Fabre's greatest talent was rooted in his genuine passion for entomology; a natural ability to observe the quirks and habits of small creatures, and describe them to others in a plain but lively way. As demonstrated in this book, he wrote about insects as if they were his friends - seeing their lives play out, it is thus that qualities of biography are found alongside the scientific value of this work. In life, Fabre met with backlash for his unique style - formal schools, whom he in turn criticized for dryness of tutoring - considered his books long-winded, or even frivolous. Nevertheless he managed to connect atmospheric pressure to the behavior of certain insects, while contemporaries such as Charles Darwin held Fabre in high esteem, to the point of finding his studies inspirational.

Kayli Winchester is living in poverty, forced to be the parent to her drunk father and teenage brother who she's desperate to keep in school. The only way she scrapes by is to utilize her talents as a pickpocket. Thinking she's been unobserved, Kayli has no idea the Academy has been watching, and now they need her skill. Offering her a job or jail, Kayli chooses to work with them. But the job turns out to be more than any of them baragined for, and now the boys of the Academy have to find a way to keep Kayli safe.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.