The Egypt Game characters

Appears from the start

An imaginative eleven-year-old sent to live with her grandmother in a California apartment building while her actress mother pursues work elsewhere. April protects herself with theatrical clothes, invented sophistication, and stories about her mother's career, but she is lonely and wary of being pitied.

First appears in chapter 2

A girl in April's apartment building who shares her appetite for books, make-believe, and ancient Egypt. Melanie sees through some of April's performance without humiliating her, and their quick friendship gives the new arrival a place in the neighborhood.

First appears in chapter 2

Melanie's four-year-old brother, a quiet and remarkably attentive child who carries a stuffed octopus named Security. The older children include him in their play, where his serious observations often register details they miss.

Appears from the start

April's practical, affectionate grandmother and the manager of the Casa Rosada apartments. She gives April a stable home while allowing her room to settle in, even when April insists that the arrangement is only temporary.

Also known as The Professor

Appears from the start

The elderly owner of a neighborhood shop crowded with antiques and curiosities. Children call him the Professor and regard his silence and severe appearance with suspicion. A storage yard behind his shop becomes the hidden setting for their Egypt game.

Appears from the start

April's mother, a glamorous aspiring actress who has left her daughter with Caroline while pursuing her career. April idealizes her and expects an invitation to rejoin her, interpreting their separation as temporary.

First appears in chapter 7

A younger girl who moves into the Casa Rosada with her Chinese American family. Her regal appearance inspires the Egyptian name Neferbeth, and her eagerness and composure make her a natural addition to the game.

First appears in chapter 13

An inventive neighborhood boy whose humor and taste for tricks initially put him at odds with the girls' secret society. Once admitted to Egypt, he brings fresh ingenuity to its rituals and mysteries.

First appears in chapter 13

Toby's friend and a well-liked neighborhood boy. He begins as an amused outsider to the girls' elaborate play but becomes one of the participants when the secret of the storage-yard Egypt reaches him.