Horus and the Curse of Everlasting Regret by Hannah Voskuil

Peter can't imagine spending summertime home.  His father will be gone on a trip and he'll be there with his stepbrothers and stepmom.  The stepmom is nice enough but his stepbrothers devil him every chance they get.  And they get lots of chances.  He wants to go to summer camp, but it's expensive.  His only hope is if he can find this missing girl and get the reward.  He's willing to do almost anything to go to camp but he doesn't anticipate just how hard this case is going to be...

Knopf Books for Young Readers and Edelweiss gave me the opportunity to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published August 9th.

Peter and Tunie meet each other at the museum.  Tunie is there doing her father's job because he's ill and Peter sneaks in through an unlatched window.  He's getting away from his brothers but when he tells her about the missing person case, she's ready to help.  He's not sure he wants her help, but he will need it.  Imagine their surprise when the museum director catches them in the building and wants to eject them and a mummy makes them invisible!  How can a mummy be alive?  Horus explains.

Tunie is a good friend.  She even speaks up to his stepbrothers and makes them stop picking on him in the alley.  It helps that she has a pet bat that works with her.  It doesn't take long until Peter is glad she's his friend.

This is not a pleasant case because one of the kidnappers is a cop.  When they report their findings to him, he has his accomplice remove the evidence and they move the girl.  When Tunie and then Peter get caught by the kidnappers it looks bad.  But Tunie has left a note and her bat behind and the bat manages to get the point across.

The story is exciting, you learn about Horus' background and the curse he has on him and he helps save the kidnapped kids, too.  It's an adventure that could have ended badly but with the bat and the mummy and smart children involved, it comes out just fine.  This was a very good read.