“WRAPPED,” by Jennifer Bradbury, Atheneum, May 24, 2011, $16.99 (young adult)
Ancient Egypt has intrigued people since before it became “ancient.” Pyramids and mummies call to mind rituals and mystique.
“Wrapped” by Jennifer Bradbury works off of the 19th century fascination with all things ancient.
Agnes Wilkins is “of age.” The time has come for her to enter society and find a good match. Too bad she wants nothing to do with the whole process. She’d much rather further her studies.
Yet, here 17-year-old Agnes is, the center of attention during a lawn party. To be fair, the real center of attention is the Egyptian mummy lying in front of her. She, along with two others, is about to cut the wrappings.
Hidden inside the mummy’s wrappings are treasured artifacts, some of them quite impressive. So when Agnes discovers a small animal head, it’s easy for her to hide it in her dress pocket. No one will miss it, she reasons, they didn’t even know it was there in the first place.
It’s no big deal she tells herself, until people who attended the party start getting attacked. Homes are ransacked, and rumors of a curse start to circulate. There’s a story to this mummy that goes far beyond it’s wrappings, and Agnes is determined to discover it, even if it puts her own life at risk.
“Wrapped” is an awesome adventure that mixes the allure of ancient Egypt with the political intrigue of 1815 London. Agnes is a young woman before her time, who is totally believable and instantly likeable. Her spunk will resonate with readers from Page 1.
Author Jennifer Bradbury has artfully weaved an intriguing mystery into a young woman’s life. She plays on people’s past and present interests while creating a unique story of her own. If Egypt has ever piqued your interest, then “Wrapped” most likely will as well.
