I really struggled with this one, probably because it wasn't what I wanted it to be about. I was hoping for some time travel or something, or to be more engaging like a Rick Riordan book that entertains AND teaches. I felt it was really dated and I wonder who I'll be able to pass it off to in class.

Two girls make up some rituals based on some Egyptian rituals they read about. They play in a storage yard behind a store in town. The man who runs the store is sort of mysterious, and when things start to go wrong in town, he is a suspect. The friendships between the kid characters did seem real, especially when a couple of boys from school want to get in on the "game." They are torn between wanting to get involved in the secret game and wanting to just play basketball and be cool at school. The side story of one character being abandoned by her mother, her relationship with her grandmother, and dealing with being the new girl at school was the most interesting part of this book.