Talking mummies! Human-sized rats! Aliens! A treasure hunt in an exotic location! An identical twin who's jealous of her younger sister's amazing talents finds fantastical powers far beyond anything she could have imagined. Isis Firma, the oldest of identical twins, envies her younger sister Electra's superb musical and athletic skills. Then, on her twelfth birthday, a mummy comes to life and tells Isis she's inherited fantastical powers. To use those powers, she must find the Purple Staff of Death. Before she can do that, enemies attack. A squirrel delivers a strange message, her parents' car is rear-ended, and Isis is injured. Through a mind meld she glimpses the maroon-red eyes of her enemy, a human-size rat. Released from the hospital, Isis seeks the Purple Staff of Death. Enlisting her sister and their friends, they discover long-hidden secrets about the Firma family and the house in which they live. After her sister and parents are kidnapped, Isis and her friends must locate the enemy's secret lair and do everything in their power to rescue the Firmas and prevent the kids' classmates and, well, all of humankind from being annihilated by the aliens. The Firma Twins and the Purple Staff of Death is a fast-paced science fiction novel for kids 9 to 13 with many different twists and surprises that leave you hungry for more. A long-time reader of science fiction, fantasy, and mystery, author D. H. Timpko combines the best of all three genres in A Firma Twins Adventure, Book 1.