The Mummy Snatcher Curse - (The Wand Keepers) by Tiffany McDaniel

About the Book

"Spella and her friends work together to stop a new villain from kidnapping mummies and awakening the sleeping giants beneath Mummy City"--

Book Synopsis

Spella the young witch must save her friends from a dangerous mummy snatcher in this second "clever, magical romp" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) in the whimsical Wand Keepers middle grade fantasy series perfect for younger fans of Witchlings and Eva Evergreen.

After Spella and her friends successfully rescued her magical hat-making aunt from the dangerous Dragon King, Spella is back! This time, she is off to relax and have some fun with her aunt and best friend, Tolden, in the vibrant and colorful Mummy City. But all is not as calm and weirdly wonderful as it seems in this magical place. After the defeat of Dragon King, another dangerous threat has appeared--the terrorizing mummy snatcher!

It's up to Spella to stop this monster from kidnapping any more mummies--including Spella's mummified, talking cat, Egypt--before the worst happens. If the mummy snatcher succeeds, it will awaken the slumbering giants beneath Mummy City, throwing the entire city into chaos! To save the city and her friends, Spella must out-magic her bullies and call upon her skills to defeat the mummy snatcher and get Mummy City back to its unique and whimsical self. But doing so means confronting a hard truth--the terrifying Dragon King may not be gone for good.

Review Quotes

Bursting with imaginative detail, this whimsical fantasy series follows Spella ­De-broom Cauldroneyes, a blue-freckled magical foundling and her very extensive family. Discovered in the bottom of a cauldron as a baby, Spella lives with centuries-old Aunt Cauldroneyes, a mummified cat named Egypt, and a vast assortment of anthropomorphic hats. An unfortunate accident that turns her best friend's feet purple at the beginning of the book sparks a journey that eventually leads the crew to visit Mummy City, where dastardly smoke heart Stonescare may once again be up to no good. In addition to the densely detailed text, this book contains footnotes about various flora and fauna, articles by Madam ­Millith ­Muddles, an advice columnist for mummies, and illustrations, which were not complete at the time of this review. This lengthy ingredient list comes together to make a vibrant reading experience that can also be overwhelming. The major conflict doesn't fully arrive until very late in the text, stalling the action, and sweet plot lines and themes centering found family, kindness, and loyalty are at times difficult to follow against the elaborate worldbuilding. Major characters cue white. VERDICT Recommended as a secondary purchase or for libraries where complex fairy tales are popular. --School Library Journal "10/1/25"

In this second series entry, blue-freckled foundling Spella De-broom Cauldroneyes and friends take an exciting shopping trip to Mummy City--arriving just in time to help save the world.

Gathering up both her shy best friend, Tolden Tutters (whose dragon, Softfang, serves as his hearing aid), and the many fantastical hats of her green-skinned guardian witch, Mathilda Cauldroneyes, 8-year-old Spella leaves jolly Hungry Snout Forest for the big city. There, the disappearances of a certain very powerful old cauldron and a rising number of the city's residents signal that trouble's beginning to bubble. ("Toothless Toz is ten feet tall and smells of old cheese...His arm fell off in 3356 BC and was never found again, so he used a feather duster in its place.") As it happens, Stonescare, a "frightful, mean wizard," has recruited some scary allies for a new scheme. Readers fond of stories filled with silly names, ingenious spellcasting both helpful (a sandwich-dispensing cardigan pocket) and otherwise (screaming farts), and engaging magical creatures (booger-eating purple unicorns, tree wart trolls quaintly collecting roozle wart for their morning tea) will echo Spella's favorite expression of delight--"toadfire!"--at the many comical twists. They'll also appreciate the summary way the fledgling wand-wielder sends a pair of sneering bullies packing. The ending promises more adventures to come. Final art not seen.

A clever, magical romp, overflowing with high drama and low humor. --Kirkus STARRED REVIEW "August 15, 2025"

About the Author

Tiffany McDaniel is the internationally bestselling author of Betty, The Summer That Melted Everything, On the Savage Side, A Sky Full of Dragons, and The Mummy Snatcher Curse. Drawing from her Cherokee heritage, she is a poet, a novelist, and a visual artist. She is the winner of over a dozen literary prizes, including The Guardian's Not the Booker, the Ohioana Reader's Choice Award, Friends of American Writers Chicago, the Society of Midland Authors, and the FNAC. She lives with cats and a dog surrounded by the trees and wildlife that she loves. When not writing, she may be found in the garden or walking in the woods. Tiffany was awarded the prestigious title of Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters in July 2021.