Curse of the Nomed, written by BB Taylor and perfectly illustrated by Holly Bushnell, a roller-coaster ride of emotions and intrigue from the first page, was written in conjunction with the pupils from Four Dwellings Academy incorporating their experiences of starting at senior school level.

It’s the first day of school for pupils Nora, Jacob and Stef and they are late for their very first assembly at Nomed Acadmey!

Unwilling to interrupt the headmaster’s address and face certain punishment, they watch the gathering of pupils from a window. They soon realise that all is not what it seems. Mr Siriso, the headmaster, appears to have all the pupils in a trance, a spell made possible by the school badge they are all wearing – a scarab beetle. It’s meant to be a mascot for the school, to be worn with pride, but in reality it’s a vessel that allows him to control them all.

The glowing green eyes from the hundreds of zombie-like faces of their fellow pupils can only mean one thing – their first day jitters are about to get a lot worse.

Running for their lives, they hide in the nearest room – the library, but they are not alone. A strange collection of Egyptian books draws them in, the symbols and markings recognisable from a school project they did the year before.

Touching the historical books brings Miss Ali to life. She has been held there under a spell guarding the entrance to the chambers of the House of Life. She is the Keeper of the Books from the Great Library from a land and time long ago. Her tales of wars between the God Amun-Ra and his son, Sett makes them shiver with disbelief as they come to learn that their headmaster is in fact an Egyptian god and wants to control them all with his dark magic. The only way out of this, for all of them, is to find the Book of Life – a powerful book of spells that will stop the headmaster once and for all.

The three friends ignore their anxious thoughts about their new school, potential bullies and homework and embark on a journey to save their classmates. Booby traps and danger meet them along the way as they head down the narrow path beneath but their determination and team spirit get them to the inner vault and the treasure they seek. With two books to choose from, how do they know which is the right one? Will it break the spell that Mr Siriso has over all the pupils and teachers? Will they get out of this without getting detention or even expelled?

Curse of the Nomed is a fantastic story of forging new friendships, courage and adversity when all seems lost – a journey every pupil takes as they enter high school for the first time.

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