GIDEON AND THE MUMMY PROFESSOR

It's 1855; Gideon, 12, and his ne'er-do-well-father (``the professor'') are traveling down the Mississippi performing a hokey vaudeville act starring George—an authentic 4,000-year-old mummy, the closest thing Gideon has to a friend, that's a souvenir from better times, when the professor worked at the US consulate in Egypt. One night, George gets poked and prodded one time too many; out pops an emerald scarab, a treasure from Tutankhamen's tomb. Gideon and his dad head for New Orleans to sell it, only to find that they must fend off a cast of colorful fortune-seekers. Tarring and feathering, kidnapping, pistol fights, and voodoo ceremonies take place at a dizzying clip—but only Gideon remains competent and sensible. In the end, all the adults are still selfish and bungling while Gideon emerges, rueful humor intact, ready to strike out on his own. Once again, Karr (Oh, Those Harper Girls!, 1992) comes up with an evocative vocabulary and a nonstop adventure. There's an appealing jacket, too. (Fiction. 10+)