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Rosetta Stone
32 pages, Library Binding
Published August 1, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 7, 2025
This is a book written to US literacy standards for pupils of grade 2-3. It provides a simple account of the discovery of the Rosetta Stone, with some explanation of its significance. It includes some comprehension questions at the end.
Broadly, it is an interesting book which I could well imagine using in a classroom. However, as the text stands at the moment, I did have a few concerns.
Chapter 1 opens in a strange ‘present historical’ tense, where the past is described in odd sounding present tense sentences. As the later chapters of the book use the past tense, why didn’t the first chapter do so, especially as that would have provided a more natural English?
There were also occasional over-complications in the text. For example, Napoleon is described as leading France in the late 1700s and early 1800s, before the text tells us that he went to Egypt in 1798. Do we really need 3 dates?
There were also a few inconsistencies. The weight of the Rosetta stone is given only in imperial pounds. But its size is given in both imperial and metric units. Why not use both sets of units for both measurements?
I was also a little disappointed that the questions at the end didn’t offer students a way to engage with the reality of using the Rosetta stone as a translation aid, so that they can experience its significance, as well as reading about it. Clearly for grade 3 it would have to be done in a very simple way, but surely it is possible to take a sentence or two from the Rosetta stone with some English alongside it, so that the students can experience the ‘guesstimating’ of meaning which the original decipherment involved?
Finally, I was a little surprised in the very narrow focus of the book to meet the US internal market literacy standards. What about standards for English as a Second language? And what about the use of books like this in International schools all round the world? International schools have curricula (IB, Pearson, Cambridge, etc) which level books to their own reading standards. Wouldn’t it be helpful to include some leveling information for those main curricula, especially as it might improve the marketability of the book into new international markets?
(This are honest comments based on a free copy of a ARC digital version of the text. Readers should be aware that the publication version of texts can differ from the earlier version seen by a reviewer).
Broadly, it is an interesting book which I could well imagine using in a classroom. However, as the text stands at the moment, I did have a few concerns.
Chapter 1 opens in a strange ‘present historical’ tense, where the past is described in odd sounding present tense sentences. As the later chapters of the book use the past tense, why didn’t the first chapter do so, especially as that would have provided a more natural English?
There were also occasional over-complications in the text. For example, Napoleon is described as leading France in the late 1700s and early 1800s, before the text tells us that he went to Egypt in 1798. Do we really need 3 dates?
There were also a few inconsistencies. The weight of the Rosetta stone is given only in imperial pounds. But its size is given in both imperial and metric units. Why not use both sets of units for both measurements?
I was also a little disappointed that the questions at the end didn’t offer students a way to engage with the reality of using the Rosetta stone as a translation aid, so that they can experience its significance, as well as reading about it. Clearly for grade 3 it would have to be done in a very simple way, but surely it is possible to take a sentence or two from the Rosetta stone with some English alongside it, so that the students can experience the ‘guesstimating’ of meaning which the original decipherment involved?
Finally, I was a little surprised in the very narrow focus of the book to meet the US internal market literacy standards. What about standards for English as a Second language? And what about the use of books like this in International schools all round the world? International schools have curricula (IB, Pearson, Cambridge, etc) which level books to their own reading standards. Wouldn’t it be helpful to include some leveling information for those main curricula, especially as it might improve the marketability of the book into new international markets?
(This are honest comments based on a free copy of a ARC digital version of the text. Readers should be aware that the publication version of texts can differ from the earlier version seen by a reviewer).
October 10, 2025
Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.
Rosetta Stone is an interesting archaeology title and part of a series for primary school readers, Digging Up the Past. This volume is by Trudy Becker. Released 1st Aug 2025 by North Star Editions on their Apex imprint, it's 32 pages and will be available in library binding and paperback formats.
This is a well written set of illustrated books aimed at early readers (~7-9 years). Simple text and full page photographs explain some of the background, discovery, and importance of the Rosetta stone to our current understanding of Ancient Egyptian language, culture, and life.
This would be a superlative choice for public or school library acquisition. The author/publisher have included a simple glossary, a few discussion questions, and some links to more information and further learning. It would also make a good addition to the home library, especially for science interested youngsters. The series covers lots of interesting topics in archaeology, natural history, and anthropology in understandable accessible language.
Four stars. Well written, clearly illustrated, and age appropriate.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Rosetta Stone is an interesting archaeology title and part of a series for primary school readers, Digging Up the Past. This volume is by Trudy Becker. Released 1st Aug 2025 by North Star Editions on their Apex imprint, it's 32 pages and will be available in library binding and paperback formats.
This is a well written set of illustrated books aimed at early readers (~7-9 years). Simple text and full page photographs explain some of the background, discovery, and importance of the Rosetta stone to our current understanding of Ancient Egyptian language, culture, and life.
This would be a superlative choice for public or school library acquisition. The author/publisher have included a simple glossary, a few discussion questions, and some links to more information and further learning. It would also make a good addition to the home library, especially for science interested youngsters. The series covers lots of interesting topics in archaeology, natural history, and anthropology in understandable accessible language.
Four stars. Well written, clearly illustrated, and age appropriate.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
January 2, 2026
My third look at this series shows the same issues as the others – that the bulk of the learning is done through fragments of text, in box-outs, bit-bots of writing, and picture captions. How ironic, when this is about how it was one large chunk of text written three times that taught us so much. The young historian can get all they need at this age level about the Stone, but they have to look in multiple directions to gain all that could have been told them in one fell swoop.
December 27, 2025
⭐ Nonfiction | Educational | Historical
Thank you to North Star Editions | Apex for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!
Rosetta Stone offers an engaging overview of one of history’s most fascinating archaeological discoveries. Divided into four chapters, the book explores the stone’s origins, its inscriptions written in three different scripts, and how scholars eventually cracked the code that unlocked the secrets of ancient Egyptian writing. It also details the stone’s complex journey, how the British took it from Egypt during the Napoleonic War, though the French managed to make copies before losing possession. The book balances informative text with photographs and side markers that highlight key facts, making the material accessible to both children and adults.
With comprehension questions included at the end, Rosetta Stone is an insightful, educational read that encourages curiosity about language, history, and discovery.
Since this is an ARC, it may be missing some details. I didn't see the answer key page for the comprehension questions. It would have been interesting if it shared more information on how the stone has impacted us today. I know there are gift shops for it, but other than that, the only new thing I learned about was how it was obtained.
Thank you to North Star Editions | Apex for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!
Rosetta Stone offers an engaging overview of one of history’s most fascinating archaeological discoveries. Divided into four chapters, the book explores the stone’s origins, its inscriptions written in three different scripts, and how scholars eventually cracked the code that unlocked the secrets of ancient Egyptian writing. It also details the stone’s complex journey, how the British took it from Egypt during the Napoleonic War, though the French managed to make copies before losing possession. The book balances informative text with photographs and side markers that highlight key facts, making the material accessible to both children and adults.
With comprehension questions included at the end, Rosetta Stone is an insightful, educational read that encourages curiosity about language, history, and discovery.
Since this is an ARC, it may be missing some details. I didn't see the answer key page for the comprehension questions. It would have been interesting if it shared more information on how the stone has impacted us today. I know there are gift shops for it, but other than that, the only new thing I learned about was how it was obtained.
November 21, 2025
[Read as a release from NetGalley] Rosetta Stone is part of Apex Edition’s Digging Up the Past nonfiction series. I love the intentionality and thought that Apex put into these books. The layout is clear and easy to follow, with simple text to make it easy to comprehend. Large colorful pictures, and small fact bubbles draw the reader’s eye across the page without getting overwhelmed. Comprehension questions, an index, and a list of additional resources make it easy for teachers, home educators, or parents to work on reading skills with their student or child in an easy and engaging way. Bolded text and glossary give young readers visual cues and resources to learn new vocabulary without bogging them down in overly specific text. The book is advertised as a 2nd – 3rd grade reading level, and they’re spot on, they really focused on scholastic standards and Common Core levels to get this right. They also advertise the book as a 3rd – 7th grade interest level, and I think they’re setting that level far too high. I could see a super keen 1st grader being fascinated with this book up to a 4th grader who just needs one more reference book for a school paper; but I feel it’s far too simplistic for an average middle school student. I would add this to a library collection for 1st – 3rd grade level – informative and engaging, with great follow up questions and resources. This is an excellent introduction to the Rosetta Stone for young readers, and Trudy Becker and Apex Edition’s do a fantastic and well thought out job.
October 3, 2025
“Rosetta Stone” is another book in the Digging Up the Past series from Apex books. Readers learn about the history and decoding of the Rosetta Stone in just a few paragraphs. It is designed with a low reading level for struggling readers in grades 3-7.
The book is well-designed for struggling learners with just a bit of text in the middle of a page. There are engaging images of the Rosetta Stone and items related to it and the field of Egyptology. Images are accompanied with a brief caption. Fast Fact bubbles are throughout the book. The book also has comprehension questions at the end, a glossary, and suggestions for further reading. Standards connections are listed in the front of the book.
“Rosetta Stone” is sure to capture the interest of elementary and middle school students and leave them wanting to know more (the BEST thing for struggling readers).
I received an advance review copy for free from Netgalley and Apex, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The book is well-designed for struggling learners with just a bit of text in the middle of a page. There are engaging images of the Rosetta Stone and items related to it and the field of Egyptology. Images are accompanied with a brief caption. Fast Fact bubbles are throughout the book. The book also has comprehension questions at the end, a glossary, and suggestions for further reading. Standards connections are listed in the front of the book.
“Rosetta Stone” is sure to capture the interest of elementary and middle school students and leave them wanting to know more (the BEST thing for struggling readers).
I received an advance review copy for free from Netgalley and Apex, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews