The Golden Goblet (Newbery Library, Puffin)

I think this book was a great story line so here is what is happening right when you start reading. This book is about a boy named Ranofer and his evil half-brother, Gebu. Ranofer's father died so he needed to live with Gebu. Gebu hardly gave Ranofer any food and he wouldn't let him keep any of the money he made. Ranofer's dream was to be a goldsmith's apprentice, but Gebu only let him be a worker at the gold shop. Ranofer has a big adventure ahead of him, but he doesn't know it yet. This has a few hard words in it, so it should be for older kids. It was a great story though!

The Golden Goblet by Eloise Jarvis McGraw is an incredible tale of a young boy's fight for his dreams. Ranofer, son of Thutra the goldsmith, is a pauper that has been taken in by Gebu, his evil older brother. Every day, Ranofer must go and labor in a gold shop, seemingly destined to work within sight of his dream of becoming a goldsmith, but to never fulfill that dream. Each night, he comes home to eat a half-loaf of bread, curl up in a corner with his ragged blanket, and sleep for the next long day of drudgery. Ranofer notices, however, that his half-brother Gebu is living well beyond his means. He begins to suspect that his brother is a criminal. Ranofer cannot tolerate this, but he cannot live without Gebu either, since Gebu provides food for him. This is an astoundingly moving story of a young boy's departure from innocence, and his grim determination to live his dream of becoming a goldsmith. I really do not know why anyone would not like it. This is a tightly woven tapestry that has you rooting every step of the way for Ranofer, celebrating with his victories and mourning his defeats. It is a beautifully written story.

The Golden Goblet by Eloise Jarvis McGraw is about a boy named Ranofer who is forced by his half-brother, Gebu, to work as a lowly porter in a goldsmith's shopin Ancient Egypt. His life's goal is to be an apprentice to Zao, the best goldsmith in ancient Thebes. Ranofer learns about a crime operation Gebu is involved in, and tries to stop him and his accomplice. Along the way Ranofer makes two friends, Heqet and the "Ancient One." They keep his secrets, encourage him and help him in his crusade to prove Gebu of his heinous crimes. I liked this book because it was very well written. The author did a very good job in bringing the characters to life. She does this by making their feelings apparent. For example, when the chief goldsmith called Ranofer "shari" meaning "small one," this little bit of kindness "brought sudden tears to Ranofers eyes, so vividly did he recall his father's voice using that very endearment." There are many times in this book where the author describes Ranofer's inward thoughts and speculations. These often include plans to defy Gebu and escape from his evil clutches. Other times he chastises himself for being rude to his friends. The author also describes the pain and suffering when Ranofers half-brother beats him. When Ranofer is apprenticed to Gebu in a stone cutting shop, he earnestly tries to learn this trade by asking Gebu a simple question. Gebu strikes him for no apparent reason other than asking this simple question. For the most part the plot of the book moves a bit slowly, but towards the end it becomes very exciting. I earnestly recommend this book to children 8 years old and up.

I started reading this book aloud to my daughter, and I couldn't put it down after the first few chapters. I had to read the whole book to find out what happened to Ranofer, and to find out how he could resolve his problems with his abusive half-brother and fulfill his dreams. Reading this book really helped spark my interest in learning more about ancient Eygpt. The book is beautifully descriptive, and made me feel like I was there. It really helped me see the beauty in that culture. As I read other books about ancient Egypt, I realized I had already learned and retained quite a bit about it already just by reading this children's book! I think the author really researched her subject well.I would highly recommend this book as an educational book, or just for fun. After the first few chapters, the story does become pretty exciting, and at the end I was left wanting more.

Young Ranofer, an orphan, lives with his half brother, Gebu, who beats and mistreats him. Ranofer discovers that there has been a thief at the goldsmith where he works. He thinks that it is Gebu's friend, Ibini, but later learns that Ibini is actually working for Gebu, who is behind the thefts. Then, one night about six months later, a hungry Ranofer ventures into Gebu's room, which is forbidden to Ranofer, for food; and he discovers a golden goblet with hieroglyphics spelling out, "Thutmose the Conqueror"! The discovery leads him to believe that Gebu is a tomb-raider. On the day of the festival when the Nile rises and makes the soil rich with nourishment, Ranofer secretly follows Gebu and Wenamon, the mason, into a tomb. But they soon discover Ranofer and start chasing him. Ranofer escapes, traps them in the tomb, and runs to tell the queen about the tomb-raiders. At first, no one believes him, but then the queen sends some people to investigate. When they find out what Ranofer has said is true, the queen rewards Ranofer with the donkey he asks for. Because I enjoy reading about Egypt, this book was fun to read. It was a good adventure and mystery. I recommend it to other people who also enjoy mysteries and adventures.