Although the kids in The Egypt Game are pretty engrossed in their land of make-believe, it's not all fun and games. Everyone in the neighborhood is on edge because a child has been kidnapped and murdered, and a similar kidnapping happened the previous year. Throughout the story, the unsolved murder remains in the background, haunting the kids and making it difficult for them to play alone outside without parental supervision. Which is more annoying than scary—at least, until things get scary.
Questions About Fear
- Why do the kids want to go outside and play even when the murderer hasn't been caught?
- How do April and Marshall eventually solve the murder?
- Do you think that the Professor was scared when he saw the murderer attack April?
Chew on This
Although the kids are well aware of the dangers of being outside while the murderer is still at large, they are willing to brave this threat in order to continue playing the Egypt Game. That's because the Egypt Game isn't just a game to them: it's a critical part of their lives.
The Professor has spent the last few decades living frozen in fear and depression, and it takes seeing April and Marshall almost getting kidnapped by the child murderer to force him to get over his internal fears. If it hadn't been so serious, he'd still be locked up inside.