Aria and Liam: The Coded Papyrus by Alizee Monsarrat follows two best friends as they embark on an epic adventure that takes them back in time to ancient Egypt. Aria is counting down the days until school ends and summer begins. She has so much to look forward to as her father promised to take her and her best friend Liam to see the sea. Aria takes on the challenge of teaching Liam everything she knows about Ramesses II and his life in Egypt. She never could have predicted that it would soon become her reality and all thanks to following a mysterious cat. The two friends are quickly swept into the past where they befriend a boy named Asim who takes them on a harrowing journey that involves epic voyages, sinister chases, dangerous riddles, and even murder. The three will have to work together if they hope to help Ramesses II in his plight to save Egypt.

The theme of the story is quickly established through Aria’s love of ancient Egypt which is her main source of excitement as she trudges through the mundane existence of school life. She’s counting every second until summer so she can have amazing adventures with Liam. Alizee Monsarrat foreshadows their epic adventure by immediately establishing the subject of ancient Egypt and Aria’s excitement about Ramesses II. The story quickly turns when they enter Egypt, becoming more suspenseful, action-packed, and humorous with a blend of history, mystery, and two friends having fun. The Egyptian setting creates the opportunity to teach history in a way that is exciting and fun through endearing characters that children will love. Their adventure includes elements such as murder, a magical labyrinth, mythology, and a mysterious coded papyrus.

The story centers around the friendship between Liam and Aria who are total opposites with her impulsive nature contrasting against his more serious need not to break the rules. They have a deep bond though they do have some clashes as Aria is always dragging him into crazy situations. The writing is delightful with details that will amuse children. The story also includes vocabulary that adds whimsy to the story as well as teaching middle-grade children a fun set of new words such as exuberant, ultimatum, quagmires, transcendent, nostalgic, gesticulating, meticulously, tyrannical, and cylindrical. The Coded Papyrus serves as a great resource to inspire children to love history through adventure, mystery, humor, and a delightful writing style.

Aria and Liam: The Coded Papyrus by Alizee Monsarrat is a light-hearted and amusing children’s story about fulfilling your destiny and overcoming any obstacles that may stand in your way. Aria and Liam both have wildly different personalities, but that’s what makes them such good friends. That’s also why Liam gets dragged into a predestined adventure to ancient Egypt with Aria when he only wanted to play soccer during their break. A mysterious cat leads Aria and Liam through time and space to Memphis, where they meet Asim, a young boy with a vital task – to get an important papyrus to pharaoh Ramesses II as soon as possible or risk the fall of the great Egyptian empire. With this mammoth task on their shoulders, Aria, Liam, and Asim brave the beauty and peril of ancient Egypt to seal its fate.

I utterly love ancient Egypt and thus I couldn’t wait to read Aria and Liam. Alizee Monsarrat has written a wonderful adventure that can be enjoyed by children and adults alike, as I surely did. Her knowledge of Egypt's history, mythology, and geography is spectacular and she’s combined them all into a magnificent novel filled with trials, feats of wisdom and bravery, and even the ancient equivalent of a car chase. This is a must-read for anyone interested in ancient Egypt and any parent looking for a delightful children’s adventure that will ignite and satisfy any child’s imagination.