The Egypt Game, a celebrated work by Zilpha Keatley Snyder, was honored as a Newbery Honor Book in 1968 and had already garnered several awards in 1967, including the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award and the George G. Stone Recognition Award of Merit. The book also claimed first prize at the Spring Book Festival and was featured on the American Library Association’s List of Notable Books as well as the Horn Book Honor List.

The genesis of The Egypt Game lies in Snyder's own "Egyptian period" during her childhood, a time when she was utterly fascinated with ancient Egypt. This compelling interest, coupled with her experiences as a teacher in Berkeley, inspired the setting and the diverse cast of characters in her story.

The six children central to the narrative form friendships that defy racial considerations, a notable choice given the era in which Snyder was writing. Among them, April and Toby are of European American descent, Melanie and Marshall are African American, and Elizabeth and Ken are Asian American. Snyder’s portrayal of the African American parents, Mr. and Mrs. Ross, breaks stereotypes of the time; Mrs. Ross is depicted as an elementary school teacher, while Mr. Ross is a graduate student with aspirations of teaching poetry and literature. In a nod to T.S. Eliot, Mr. Ross affectionately refers to April as “the cruelest month.”

The influence of libraries and reading is woven throughout the narrative, reflecting Snyder's own childhood reliance on the public library as a source of inspiration. Within the story, Caroline works at the university library, and the young protagonists, April and Melanie, frequent the public library so regularly that they earn the nickname the Egypt Girls. Toby, another character, uses his father's book, Somebody’s Famous Quotations, to add depth to his role as the oracle in their imaginative play.

Snyder's vivid imagination, nurtured since childhood, clearly informs her storytelling, making The Egypt Game widely regarded as her finest work for children.