The Missing Mummy

A to Z Mysteries #13

by Ron Roy, John Steven Gurney (Illustrator)

Make storytime a little spookier and help Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose solve mysteries from A to Z!
 
Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose want their mummy! It’s Mummy Monday at the museum, and the kids get to see a child mummy in an actual tomb. But then someone robs the tomb and steals the mummy. Can the three friends unravel the mystery?

Kids love collecting the entire alphabet and super editions! With over 8 million copies in print, the A to Z Mysteries® have been hooking chapter book readers on mysteries and reading for years. 

Genres: Mystery, Childrens, Fiction, Chapter Books, Middle Grade, Audiobook, 2nd Grade

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Ron Roy has been writing books for children since 1974. He is the author of dozens of books, including the popular A to Z Mysteries®, Calendar Mysteries, and Capital Mysteries. When not working on a new book, Ron likes to teach tricks to his dog Pal, play poker with friends, travel, and read thrilling mystery books.

Reviews

[Meagan Mayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this with my five year old and it kept him on the edge of his seat. This is the first of this series we have read and he asked if we could read more. Along with being entertaining, it provided good information and vocabulary regarding ancient Egypt. Also provided good discussion on the importance of hard work and not stealing.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally found a series similar to The Magic Tree House books WITHOUT all the things I dislike about TMTH. Did this as a read aloud with my 4-year-old who loved it!

[~Silv (ilpianetadeilibri) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Questo è quello che mi è piaciuto di meno nella rilettura di questa serie di gialli per bambini. L'ho trovato davvero troppo più semplice e frettoloso.
Ho notato tante situazioni assurde e strane e fin troppo buoni i personaggi adulti... a volte mi è risultato inquietante da quesro punto di vista
Comunque il piccolo trio insieme è ciò che rappresentava per me l'amicizia da bambino e non lo dimenticherò mai.

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

the perfect read aloud for my 6 year old

[Brent Ecenbarger · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third chapter book we read with our three and five year old was book thirteen from the A to Z Mysteries series, The Missing Mummy Everybody really liked this one. It featured masked robbers, a bomb, a dead mummy family and stolen gold. The big people solved the mystery by Chapter 6, the kids by Chapter 8. It was fun to see them use some deductive reasoning to figure out a problem in this way.

The plot is that three kids on a field trip to see some mummies are interrupted when a woman steals the child mummy from the casket. A short time later a bomb goes off and the kids see two masked adults stealing gold from the mummy exhibit. The crime happens on Mummy Monday, and by Wednesday they've solved the crime. There are illustrations on about every six pages and they're cartoony but very helpful with the story.

As far as content warnings, the book talks about how the mummy child died when he was a little boy, maybe at the same time as his parents, so it might lead to talk about death. The robbery and bomb are as non-violent as they could be, given the circumstances. Nobody gets hurt, no bad language or sexual innuendo. I think we'll definitely return for more of this series at some point.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a decent entry in the A to Z Mysteries series. We've only read three of the books so far and they are all entertaining. Our oldest loves them, and they offer just enough clues that she can solve at least part of the mystery. These are great books for more advanced readers or for parents reading with their children.

[Ci546_marissaojeda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was a cute story that would have caught my attention as a child because I enjoyed mysteries. Although I wouldn't say it's great literature, it's a fun read.

[Micah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked it because it was interesting how people stole stuff.

[Kat V · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was nothing special. Not good or bad. 3 stars even

[Macey Levenhagen · Rating 3 out of 5]

My boys (5 and 3) were both dialed into this one. I felt like it didn’t have a lot for the adult reader, though. I also would have loved to bundle in some more ancient Egypt facts. Still, anything that gets two squirmy boys to sit and read does get some points in my book!

[Rebecca Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are looking for a fun, quick and easy read for your kids this summer, check out these books! I listened to The Missing Mummy through Scribd, and it took me less than an hour to listen through.

Three friends are looking forward to some fun at the museum during the week. The first item up is Mummy Monday. But while the professor is showing them the mummies, someone steals one of the mummies out of the case! The three friends stumble upon a few clues and work to help the police solve the mystery.

If your child is learning to read on their own, or just looking for some summer books, then you need to check these out! My boys and I will be finding these books at the library and working through them together.

[Faith Patterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

*homeschool read

[Blue · Rating 1 out of 5]

It is Summer again (it was the start of Summer for book K, and Winter for book L); with the books moving this fast I wonder if the goal is to have them out of high school by the end of the series. The characters, strangely enough, do not seem to be aging. (N, the next book, also takes place in Summer, so that could be this same Summer or a year later.)

It is odd that the book starts without any money, ~6months from helping Lucky get 7mil dollars. Even if he picked installments (he, unlike his siblings is/was over 18 so he could cash it himself) he ought to have paid them back for helping him go to school. (Not sure he can go now though as winning probably ended any financial aid.) At least this book isn't centred on Dink's house.

Nitpicking:
- Why, after the mummy goes missing, do people all flee instead of waiting to give police statements? Or even wait for refunds to the program? Later, the children go to their local police officer instead of calling the ones investigating who gave them a phone number on a card to call.
- The pebble in the kitchen is a piss-poor clue. It could have gotten into the resturant from anyone who visited the exibit on any of the days since it opened, and gotten kicked into the kitchen. Well, technically they ought to sweep better but then it wouldn't have been there since at least the previous day.
- Josh never calls the police about the smell.
- Another dream epiphany - is this the 3rd time?
- Bad Logic: Tweed could have planted the bomb whenever - anyone could have given how easily the children keep sneaking in - and so there was absolutely no reason for that to be a clue, nor any reason for the mummy to be stolen in the first place. Well, maybe for a hiding spot but there were plenty of places for that, even the closet if it didn't have snoopers.
- The writing has gotten so lazy that the criminal is now consistantly the first suspect/guess- no more mistakes, and the only surprise is how simple it is.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you, Dink Duncan, Josh Pinto, Ruth Rose Hathaway, and Ron Roy, for the childhood memories. These books helped me to become a lifelong reader and lover of mysteries. This book, as well as R.L. Stine's The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb, was one of my first introductions to ancient Egypt and its mythology.

[Caitlin Hunter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was so happy to see this book in my Coordinating Teacher's classroom because I read these when I was in elementary school! That being said, the books in the series can be used in upper elementary, grades 3-5 (younger for advanced readers). It is a great introduction to chapter books. It is a fictional book because most of the adventures these kids go on usually include a lot of make-believe characters and situations. The special features of the book is that it is a good transition book to chapter books, the chapters are short and the words are not too difficult.

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read these books when I was a kid and greatly enjoyed them, figured I'd give them a second read for kicks.

I certainly recommend any young mysteries fan devote time to this series, it's certainly a grand adventure for a young mind, the imagery of Ron Roy's words and his settings and unique character descriptions and personalities really help kids imagine a whole movie in their heads as they read each exciting page.

[Sawyer K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sawyer (almost 6) really enjoys these. I enjoy them, too. They feel a little more engaging than the Magic treehouse stories so they don’t bore me as much. And the chapters are short, which is great because we have a deal: he reads one baggie story for school and I read one chapter. He’s suddenly so motivated that we’re flying through his baggie books. I even had him read a paragraph on his own and he had no troubles with it. I think these will be great for daily summer reading practice.

[Laura Burkhart]

No stars bc I didn’t finish. This one was too much for my kindergartner. Discussion on how the mummies died, including the mother, father and child mummy. Lots of discussion of tombs and coffins and was a bit on the creepy side. One look at my little’s wide eyes and I realized this was too much for right now. I’m sure the mystery is fun and I don’t anticipate the book going into much more detail than what we already covered, but I’ll be looking for an alternative book for ancient Egypt.

[Haylee Batzer · Rating 3 out of 5]

-Mystery
-Grades: 1-3
-"The Missing Mummy," is just one of the many mystery books that make up this series. In this story, a mummy goes missing from the tomb, and it is the children's job to try and find it. I really enjoyed the detectives being children, so that the younger students can relate and maybe even imagine themselves being detectives too!

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

My six-year-old daughter says:
I really liked it because they found a mummy in the bathroom! That part is very funny!

My 4-year-old son says:
The mummy was in the potty.

Mom says:
The mummy in the bathroom is early on and not much of a spoiler. The kids took such delight in it I thought I had to put it in the review. This one was fun. Had a couple layers to it.

[Madison Henson · Rating 3 out of 5]

It really good series. In Wadsworth Museum for a mummy, happen missing child of the mummy in the sarcophagus as coffin in tomb, but Ruth Rose found the missing mummy in ladies's room. Thieves who stole the treasure at all, after that three of kids saws them when kids in the closet for hidden.

[Kira Nerys · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seems like poor museumship, to me. (Merriam-Webster tells me "museumship" is not a word. Museum policy, then.) Not a particularly standout A to Z Mystery, but at least an average one, with some decent sleuthing. Had fun re-reading it; particularly enjoy the cover.

[Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

"It's Mummy Monday at the museum, and Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose are excited about the new Egyptian exhibit. It features a child mummy in an actual tomb! But then the mummy is stolen and the tomb robbed of its treasure.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose decide to spend their time at the museum in Hartford, Connecticut every day for a week. But their first day there someone steals an Egyptian mummy from a sarcophagus. In their search for the thief, the trio uncover the real crime behind the theft of the mummy.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series for upper-elementary students are quite well-constructed. There are clues for readers to follow. It is a bit older, so some references are a bit outdated, but if you are looking for a solid example of the mystery genre to younger students, this series is it.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Josh, Dink, and Ruth Rose help solve a mystery about a stolen mummy, missing gold and...what was that smell? We love how Josh is always hungry. We love Ruth Rose's ability to think on the spot. And we love how Dink thinks outside the box. Love hearing my son say, "One more chapter, please?".

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was impressed by how the author walked young readers through the logic used to solve the case. My very logical four year old nephew would figure things, and his eyes would light up. A good, fun, logical read.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The "M" book of the alphabet series that has a different mystery (solved by the kid characters) each time. A very fast read for a chapter book and includes pictures to help bring the story to life a bit more for the early readers and listeners.

[Hikari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruth Rose, Dink, and Josh will be going to the week programming. The Monday was mummy day. But, the while the director explains, someone took mummy and put inside the bathroom. Dink, Ruth Rose, and Josh tries find out who took it. But it led the kids to many troubles!!!

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

" ... In tutta questa confusione, disse, mi sono dimenticato che giorno è oggi. I ragazzi si guardarono sogghignano "Oggi è Mercoledì a Mollo!" ridacchio Josh ... "
Breve avventura del trio di piccoli investigatori divertente e ironica.