Deltora Quest , av Emily Rodda
Deltora Quest är en 15-boksserie uppdelad i 3 delserier - 8-boks Deltora Quest, 3-boks Deltora Shadowlands och 4-boks Deltora Dragons.
Den första serien är inriktad på att hämta en uppsättning av 7 ädelstenar för ett magiskt bälte.
Från Wikipedia:
The first series of Deltora Quest follows the journeys of Lief, the son of a humble blacksmith [in disguise], who, on his sixteenth birthday, sets out to fulfill his fathers quest to restore the Belt of Deltora. Joining Lief is an ex-palace guard named Barda. Along the way they meet with Jasmine: a wild girl from the Forests of Silence, who has long, black hair and emerald eyes. She can speak to trees and has two pets: a raven named Kree and a small, gray, furry creature called Filli. Their quest is to find the seven gems of the fabled Belt of Deltora: the topaz, the ruby, the opal, the lapis lazuli, the emerald, the amethyst, and the diamond. The gems each have a special power and are hidden in dangerous locations around Deltora. The three friends must face numerous perils to reach them. Once the Belt is complete and the proper descendant of the first King of Deltora, Adin, wears the belt, the evil tyranny of the Shadow Lord will be forced back to the Shadowlands. The books in this series are The Forests of Silence, The Lake of Tears, City of the Rats, The Shifting Sands, Dread Mountain, The Maze of the Beast, The Valley of the Lost, and Return to Del.
Bolding är min, för att betona de delar som stämmer överens med dina påminnelser.
Många av de utmaningar de mötte var pusselbaserade, och medan jag inte kommer ihåg ett puss-och-scarab-pussel specifikt, är det i stil med de typer av hinder som de stött på.