The Eerie Mystery at the Egyptian Library

The Mystery
of the
Haunted
Library
Book Two—
The Eerie Mystery at the
EGYPTIAN
LIBRARY
A Carole Marsh Mystery

Copyright 2024 Carole Marsh Longmeyer
All rights reserved
For information about permission to reproduce selections from
this book, write to Let There Be Learning Books, 710 Water
Street, Beaufort, SC 29902.
Book design and illustrations by Lee Barrow
Printed in the United States of America
This book, in any format, in any database of any kind, is still the
protected copyright of Carole Marsh. To protect copyrights, it is
imperative that everyone cease and desist from any form of copying,
scraping, or any other illegal use of copyrighted books. Thank you.
Original illustrations by Lee Barrow of Coconut,
the author’s dog, are the copyrighted property of
Carole Marsh Longmeyer.

Table of Contents
Chapter 1 - Spanish Moss School.........................................................
13
Narrated Non-Fiction: No Paper, No Books....................................... 18
Chapter 2 - Egypt, It Is!........................................................................ 21
Narrated Non-Fiction: Mummification.............................................. 24
Chapter 3 - To Go or Not to Go?—That is the Question!.................... 27
Chapter 4 - Eerie Egypt........................................................................ 33
Narrated Non-Fiction: Papyrus........................................................... 36
Chapter 5 - Arrive Alive....................................................................... 39
Narrated Non-Fiction: Alexandrian Library....................................... 47
Chapter 6 - The Problem...................................................................... 51
Narrated Non-Fiction: Hieroglyphics................................................. 74
Chapter 7 - Valley of the Kings............................................................. 77
Narrated Non-Fiction: Who Else Was Buried in the Valley of the
Kings?.................................................................................................... 81
Chapter 8 - Felucca to You, Too, Buddy!............................................ 85
Narrated Non-Fiction: The Nile River................................................. 91
Narrated Non-Fiction: King Tut and His Curse............................... 102
Narrated Non-Fiction: The NEW Library of Alexandria................. 108
Narrated Non-Fiction: The OLD Library of Alexandria................... 109
Chapter 9 - Awash in History.............................................................. 111
Narrated Non-Fiction: Awash in History!......................................... 116
Chapter 10 - Did We Dream All That?............................................... 119
Narrated Non-Fiction: Crocs, Real Ones!......................................... 120
Narrated Non-Fiction: What Lies Beneath?..................................... 124
Chapter 11 - What a GEM!................................................................. 129
Chapter 12 -No End to the Mysteries................................................. 137
Glossary.............................................................................................. 140
WATCH ME WRITE!.........................................................................141
More Carole Marsh Books for Kids!.................................................. 142
Questions for Discussion................................................................... 143
About the Author................................................................................144
Excerpt from THE MYSTERY OF THE
HAUNTED LIBRARY Book Three—
The Creepy Mystery at the Library of Congress................................ 145

Books in This Series
The Mystery of the Haunted Library Book One—
The Trembling Tower Library of Timbuktu
The Mystery of the Haunted Library Book Two—
The Eerie Mystery at the Egyptian Library
The Mystery of the Haunted Library Book Three—
The Creepy Mystery at the Library of
Congress
The Mystery of the Haunted Library Book Four—
The Narrow Escape at the New York Public
Library
The Mystery of the Haunted Library Book Five—
The Ghostly Mystery at the British Library
The Mystery of the Haunted Library Book Six—
The Scary Mystery at the Shakespeare
Library

Preface
Since 1979, award-winning author Carole Marsh
has written more than 100 “Real Kids/Real Places”
chapter book mysteries for girls and boys ages
7-14.
In 2023, she had the brilliant idea to create a new
kind of Carole Marsh Real Kids/Real Places
mystery book series: THE MYSTERY OF THE
HAUNTED LIBRARY. “Guess where I got this
idea?” she asks. The answer: “From librarians!”
What librarians told her kids would really love to
read were chapter book mysteries that included a
graphic novel element and also had fun narrative
non-fiction fact components.
The author wrote one book and “it was so much
fun” that she decided to write trilogy, each set at a
different library around the world. That was “so
much fun” that she went on to write six books.
How many will there end up being? “Oh,” the
author says, “there are sooooo many haunted
libraries! The real kids and I may want to visit
them all?!”

Meet the Cast
Neemie
Rabon
Sally

George
Author
Carole Marsh
AKA “Mimi”
Coconut
the rescue pup

10

The Mystery
of the
Haunted
Library
Book Two—
The Eerie Mystery at the
EGYPTIAN
LIBRARY
A Carole Marsh Mystery
11

Train
library!
Plane
library!
Camel
library!
12

Chapter 1
Spanish Moss School
AFTER THEY RETURNED from their trip to
Timbuktu with author Carole Marsh, Neemie,
George, Rabon, and Sally were celebrities. They
wore some of the special clothing they had bought,
such as hijab or headscarf for the girls. They
shared stories of bobbing about atop camels,
visiting mud mosques that had been built
centuries ago, and eating with their hands.
“You are making all this up!” one student
said. “Timbuktu is not even a real place, it’s a
myth, a fable.”
“I can’t believe you flew on an airplane that
was a library and a train that was too,” said a
seventh grader. “And I really don’t believe there
was a camel bookmobile!” He sneered and gave a
smart-alecky laugh.
“Well, it’s ALL true!” swore George. The
other kids nodded, as did Carole Marsh.
They had photos to prove it and when the
school librarian put them up on a large screen and
showed them, many of the kids gasped at the
amazing sights of endless desert, towering
buildings made from earth, and shopping bazaars
13

filled with everything from foods and spices to salt
and even gold.
But the naysaying kids would not give up.
“Well, where are you going next, hotshots?” they
asked with a jealous, intimidating tone in their
voices.
The teacher called the boys out, but the rest
of the students and teachers jumped up and
applauded.
Coconut, Carole Marsh’s rescue pup,
paraded back and forth across the stage like she
was the star. She gave a big smile, took a doggie
bow, and sat up and begged for treats.
When everyone quieted down, the Spanish
Moss School librarian took the microphone. After
the last trip, the author had given her a jar of red
herrings which still sat on her desk. She
challenged Carole Marsh: “Well…where are you
taking the kids next?”
All eyes were on the author—the entire
school, especially the four kids who’d gone with
her to find The Best Book in the World. Even
Coconut stared up expectantly.
Carole Marsh, a local author at the
Beaufort, South Carolina school, who was often
called Mimi by her fans, just smiled. She gazed
around the auditorium, walked over and took the
mic from the librarian and said loudly:
14

15

All the kids in the audience began to cheer:
“MIMI! MIMI! MIMI! MIMI!” The two boys
who had not believed all they heard folded their
arms across their chests and frowned.
But George, Neemie, Rabon, and Sally just sat flat
down on the stage, mouths wide, eyes big, shaking
their heads in their hands. Even Coconut stopped
in her paw tracks.
“And what will you search for in Egypt?”
the librarian queried. “Mummies? Curses?”
All the children gasped.
Carole Marsh just smiled. “Perhaps,” she
said, her blond hair bobbing and green eyes
gleaming. “But mostly, we’ll look for The Oldest
Book in the World.”
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh,” swooned the kids in
the audience.
But the four kids on stage—after their
recent harrowing, hair-raising, mysterious
adventure with the author—did not know whether
to laugh or cry.
16

17

18

Oh, curses, can I
borrow some scissors?
I have to go to the
bathroom!
19

20

Chapter 2
Egypt, It Is!
BACK AT HER writing desk, children’s mystery
book author Carole Marsh sighed. “Why do I do
this to myself?” she moaned to Coconut...
21

Egypt is so far away. The kids did
not look too happy about my
surprise announcement of the trip.
They might miss too much school
and homework.
Oh, yeah, I guess they will be happy
to go? But, Coconut, what IS the
Oldest Book in the World? I have
no idea and if it is really old, does it
even exist? If it does not,
how can we find it?!
22

Oh, dear, Coco,
what has Mimi
done?!
23

24

Canopic jars used in the
mummification process
25

26

Chapter 3
To Go, or Not to Go?
—That is the Question!
AFTER THE SURPRISE in the auditorium, Carole
Marsh’s four traveling companions scampered into
the Spanish Moss School library. No one was
there. They sprawled on the floor to ponder the
matter of going to Egypt...
27

28

29

Sally put her small hand down flat in the middle of
the kids. Finally, George placed his on top of hers,
then Rabon slapped his down. With a sigh—and as
they all held their breath—Neemie reluctantly
added her hand to the top of the stack.
“It’s a GO!” the kids shouted. “I mean how
will Carole Marsh survive without us?” said Rabon.
“Besides, I want to see a real, live mummy!” said
George. “I want to go to the kasbah, whatever that
is,” added Sally. “I want to stay home,” whined
Neemie, “but I guess with friends it’s one for all
and all for one?”
The kids looked thoughtful. “Yeah,” said
George quietly. “I think we’d better stick close on
this trip. Pyramids, curses, mummies, Death on
the Nile…anything could happen.”
At that moment the new librarian entered
the room. “Not getting cold feet are you?” she
asked. She straightened a cobweb over her checkout
desk. The kids thought she was the most
curious school librarian they’d ever met.
“Would you go?” Sally asked her.
The librarian slapped the desk. “Bet your
bottom dollar, or drachma, or whatever the
currency is in Egypt, I would! What selfrespecting
librarian would not be eager to search
for The Oldest Book in the World?” Then she
looked sad and pouty. “Too bad I’m not invited.”
30

“Well, someone’s got to feed the red
herrings,” said Rabon, hoping that might cheer her
up.
But it did not.
31

Oh, let’s
go!
32