Middle-Grade Reading: The Eye of Ra Series

I love stories with time travel, so when I saw a middle grade book featuring time-traveling siblings and their first adventure was to ancient Egypt, I was all in. 

In November 2020 I read the first book of the The Eye of Ra series (book one is the same title as the series) by Ben Gartner. I thoroughly enjoyed it! It was an action-packed, historical romp in time. Book two in the series is Sol Invictus and I had the opportunity to read an ARC in January 2021. It’s equally action-packed with even higher stakes. I loved the book, reading it in less than two days!

When Ben offered to send me an ARC of the third book in the series, I couldn’t say yes fast enough. I have reviews of the first two books up on Goodreads if you want to check them out. Below are my thoughts on the third book: People of the Sun.

People of the Sun by Ben Gartner whisked me away on a time-traveling adventure filled with humor, heart, and history. This story is book three in the “The Eye of Ra” series featuring a sister and brother duo who find themselves traveling back in time to help save the future.

Sarah and John have traveled back to the ancient Egyptian town of Saqqara via a cave portal in Colorado and to the ancient Roman town Aventicum via a portal at a museum in Washington D.C. People of the Sun opens with the siblings hiking in California with their aunt when an earthquake hits.

I love that author Gartner immediately hits the reader with action—the earthquake, the arrival of two mysterious older individuals, and a quick trip into the future. The roller coaster of time travel action kicks into high-gear for John and Sarah from here, as they’re assigned a mission to go back to the ancient Aztec civilization.

People of the Sun effectively wraps up the time travel saga that began in “The Eye of Ra” giving readers the final reveal about why and how the kids have been selected for these missions.

It’s a fun story!

Gartner balances heart-thumping action sequences with smart dialogue, vivid descriptions, and history lessons that never feel like actual lessons. I highly recommend People of the Sun and the full “The Eye of Ra” series for any middle grade reader and for the adults who enjoy well-crafted stories.

You can find more information about “The Eye of Ra” series on author Ben Gartner’s website. Go check it out and make sure to get your copies of these fantastic middle grade books.