On a creaking, windblown night, 11-year-old Madeline Mott's dad disappears from the museum. He's the Keeper of Unusual Items, so it's no surprise that she finds a strange amulet on his desk. And when the amulet jolts her deep into the past she soon discovers where her dad's gone?to ancient Egypt!

But she won't have much luck finding him if she can't get rid of Jack, a street urchin whose talent for picking pockets leads Madeline to discover it was the same amulet that swept him into the past, too.

He insists that Madeline can help him get back to Victorian London, and when the pharaoh's palace turns out to conceal a deadly enemy, it might just be the clue to the entire mystery.

This is the first book in the Madeline M. series, and it launches Madeline and Jack on their time-travel adventures in an ancient land full of mummies, tomb robbers, and man-eating crocodiles. For readers 8 and up.

For author S.D. Livingston, it's all about history, mystery, and books. Her first novel was published by Avalon Books in 2008, and she soon followed that up with several self-published novels, including Kings of Providence (a political thriller) and A Queen's Revenge.

She writes in several genres, from sci-fi to suspense and historical fiction. She also enjoys working out the twists and turns of the spine-chilling Madeline Mystery series for young readers.

She's been a member of The Writers' Union of Canada since 2008 and holds a BA History.