The Golden Bull

by Marjorie Cowley

A brother and sister's search for a new life and new home . . .

5,000 years ago in ancient Mesopotamia during a terrible drought, Jomar and Zefa's father must send his children away to the city of Ur because he can no longer feed them. At fourteen, Jomar is old enough to apprentice with Sidah, a master goldsmith for the temple of the moongod, but there is no place for Zefa in Sidah's household. Zefa, a talented but untrained musician, is forced to play her music and sing for alms on the streets of Ur.

Marjorie Cowley vividly imagines the intrigues, and harsh struggle for survival in ancient Mesopotamia.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, Ancient History, Childrens, Fiction, Historical, School

206 pages, Hardcover

First published June 15, 2008

Reviews

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book to my son while we were working on the history of Mesopotamia. (No Harry Potter at night, the kid is gets ancient history.) Not alot of stories about the cradle of civilization, so I was glad to find this at the library. It was well done, good story and gave an interesting and convincing picture of life in Ur long ago. Accompanied by some of the great picture/history books for kids, it was a good resource. Of course, the first thing to read is a kid's version of Gilgamesh. I liked "Gilgamesh the Hero" by McCaughrean.

[Monica Hills · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book because it was recommended to me as a book my sixth grade students might enjoy. I always appreciate a book set in ancient times and I love that this one was set in Mesopotamia as there are not many books set during that time period. This is a story about a brother and sister who are forced to leave their family farm to try and find a better life in the city of Ur. Jomar is apprenticed to a gold smith but his sister, Zefa, has to find some type of work. She is however an accomplished player of the lyre. On the way to Ur they meet some trouble and Zefa is taken as a slave. They get away but trouble also awaits in Ur.

Overall this wasn't a bad book but the writing felt a little choppy to me. There were some good historical points and I loved the author's note that explained the history. I think I would recommend this book if I had students who wanted to learn more about Mesopotamia but as a whole class read I do not see this keeping my students attention. It was ok and I appreciate what the author did but it was just lacking that exciting spark that would really capture my students' attention.

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

It became clear that being 24 while reading this was going to be a problem. I wish I had found it when I was a kid. 

Zefa started to get on my last nerve. Their parents have to send them to the city because they don't have enough food to take care of them. Her brother Jomar already has a job set up as an apprentice for a goldsmith. He has to take Zefa with him and be responsible for her. She demanded to have her lyre, a musical instrument, brought with her even though it would make her pack heavy. Then on the trail she couldn't keep up and when Jomar said he would stop and wait for her she actually said that wasn't fair because he would get to rest. When they stopped to eat she complained about the food, wrinkled her nose and said the pomegranates looked like leather, and the emmer was tasteless. What girl in a position of being poor and starving would complain about the food not being good enough? Her mom gave her better food, almonds, raisins and an egg. When Jomar told her to eat she stuffed over half the egg in her mouth and didn't even think of sharing. Right from the get go she was made too annoying and whiny and I disliked her intensely.

It took such an unwanted twist when as they're going to the city, Jomar asked her to sing for him and a work crew overhears her singing and basically demanded to have her. So Jomar had to agree to work just to be with her. I didn't like being promised they were going to the city, him to work with the goldsmith and construct the bull for the temple, and then to have them waylaid by a group of nasty men.

Characters that sing usually get on my nerves. Their songs are stupid and I find their need for praise highly annoying. The work camp leader asked her to play and she's happy to play for the men because they like her music. The only one who appreciated her music at home was the pig. I don't care. 

Once the leader fell asleep the slave helped them to escape by distracting everyone with a wrestling match, allowing them to run away, so at least they escaped quickly. On the way to the city they run into a group of people with a crying baby. Of course Zefa brings out her lyre and sings a song and the baby goes right to sleep. When they got to the gate the guard wouldn't let her in but she sang a song and the guard instantly changed, entranced by her beautiful music, as was everyone within hearing distance because her voice is so pretty. One person even said she honors their god. I was so irritated.

But when she got mad at Jomar for saying they had such a cruel custom (where the guilty is put into a river and if they're innocent they'll make it out but if they're guilty they'll drown) and she said he didn't believe in the test I was like this girl actually sucks. Who could hear of that and think it's a rightful test of guilt? I know that's what they did back then and people accepted it, but I would have liked the characters to disagree with it and find it mean, not wholeheartedly believe in it.

I liked the bits of information interspersed throughout the story. I found the book very informative. Timber, gemstones and metals had to be imported and were regulated in the city and only used for royal use, so any sellers in the city claiming to have lapis lazuli would have been selling fakes. Merchants would take clay beads and paint them blue to pass them off as real. Timber had to be tied together and floated down river. 

Zefa braided her hair and piled it atop her head which signified she was a lady, and wearing them down was a sign of being a slave. Poor, country people would offer themselves as slaves in order to survive.

They were already sitting on the work bench, so how could Sidah physically place Jomar somewhere? Shouldn't it be that he placed the tray in front of Jomar?

I came to dislike Sidah and didn't like it when the author had him do a personality change. He had been so nice and supportive of them, but then on the second day he became impatient with Jomar's questions and spoke to him coldly, especially when they found out a lapis head was missing and they both thought it was Zefa. Too many problems to deal with. And for some reason Zefa seemed perturbed that Sidah had Jomar take the good drinking straw to the temple, said that he was too trusting too soon. Odd to have the little baby crying over getting scolded for stuffing most of the egg in her mouth suddenly wide enough to make a statement like this. And if all this wasn't enough Jomar runs into Malak, who's intent on getting Zefa back as his slave. 

It was so irritating the things that didn't add up, like saying Sidah placed Jamar somewhere-as if you can place a grown boy somewhere-when he was already sitting down. Then Malak came to the house demanding Zefa and found her bedding on the floor, when she was sleeping in the storage room because they only had 3 cots and she had to sleep on the floor. Nari, Sidah's wife, told Malak that Zefa had also stolen from them, so he threatened to put her in the river for the drowning test. He only agreed to not do that if she was given to him when he got back to town. Zefa, who had recently gotten mad at Jomar for not believing the test, popped out crying that she had heard what Malak said, had seen the man at the bridge and couldn't bear to watch. Are you kidding me?! She was so cold and uncaring about the poor man being drowned to death, but when it's for her she suddenly can't stand the thought of it.

This story was at best boring. It wasn't awful, but it had no point to me as there was barely a plot. I got so sick of hearing about the process of hammering the gold, putting the tar on and making beads. Like 4 times we had an in-depth, huge paragraph about them making the bull and I just didn't care.

There was some insight into the culture. They had inflated animal bladder as balls. Interesting that they thought writing was a gift from the gods.The only things their land didn't need to import was the tar they used like glue, mud, clay, and reeds. They have ceremonial rites for the dead, and they offer food and drink for the afterlife. And the women wear clothes that reveal one shoulder. There really wasn't too much to learn about life back then, so it just average in that aspect.

I hate when characters do all of the wrong things. Omar asked too many questions, did what he was told not to do, withheld important information, forgot what he was told. I got so irritated as his constant comparing to Sidah's dead son. It was inane the way he was jealous of the dead son-whose father had trained him as a goldsmith-and his abilities, despaired he wouldn't be as good as him, blah, blah, blah. Very annoying. I didn't like Zefa at all, not once.

It felt like it was always on the cusp of something happening. I kept waiting for major action, but it was all low-key and any promise of anything good happening was resolved way too easily. Jomar had gone to the high priestess and told her about Malak wanting Zefa, that Malak threatened her favorite goldsmith, and she couldn't have that, so she got Malak out of the royal position and gave Zefa a job as a temple musician. Jomar agreed to stay with Sidah and learn the trade. His parents could come and see them for the new year celebration. The dead son's friend had the bead, not Zefa, and in a lame plot contrivance had been trying to tell Jomar that but Jomar was too rude and impatient to ever let him speak. So I didn't like Jomar either. Especially since he knew the boy's mom was sick and in pain but never made time for the boy and always put him down. Turns out the son had showed off the bead on the day he died, had been on the way to the harbor and gave the head to his friend to keep until he returned. So that was that. Malak had come back and demanded Zefa do the river test, but the family claimed they had been wrong and Jomar had stolen the bead, so Jomar jumped from the bridge and miraculously learned how to swim for the first time in his life in the raging river...which proved to Sidah and Zefa that the river test really does work...Yeah, good idea to have someone who couldn't swim just suddenly figure out how to use their arms and legs in a life and death situation and make it out alive of the dumbest test of guilt I've ever heard of, to convince 2 idiots that it really does work. The friend saved him and gave him the inflated ball to use as a float and pulled him out of the river. Zefa agreed to play the lyre for the funeral ceremony and everything was resolved just like that. A very boring story with unlikable characters. The best character was the friend but no one gave him a chance until the end. I definitely wouldn't read this again and wish I hadn't gotten it in the first place because it was a waste of time. The only thing that can be said was that I learned a little about the culture back then. And I like the cover. It really is a pretty and attention-grabbing cover. But Idk how Zefa's hair would be brown because it's black in the story.

typos
Pg. 78 "Sidah placed Jomar in front of the tray.."
183 He was in a hurry to grow the harbor..

[Brohgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am prereading this before reading it to my kids this summer. There’s not many novels set in ancient Mesopotamia, and that’s what initially drew me to this. I’m sure that my child who loves all the Magic Treehouse books will appreciate this book, but I don’t expect it to become anyone’s favorite. I wish the brother/sister relationship would have been more caring. The author’s note at the end was my favorite part.

[Bethany Dattolo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my cup-of-tea for a pleasure read or anything, but a really good accompaniment to studies on ancient history. It presents a decent picture of life in the city of Ur and is a good way to immerse yourself (and your kids) in that time period while studying facts and life of ancient Mesopotamia.

[Anna Thill]

Might teach this with Wendy jejejeje

[Lara Lleverino · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an easy to read book that brings alive a time period that is hard to imagine for young kids of our time.

[Lev]

The Golden Bull Review


What makes a compelling book? A compelling book has memorable characters, an exciting climax, and intriguing events. The Golden Bull is a Mesopotamian novel about the adventure of two kids trying to survive in the big city of Ur. While this novel by Marjorie Cowley is helpful to understanding life in Ancient Mesopotamia, it is not a compelling book overall. The characters are not well developed, the story doesn’t build up to a main conflict, and there are no unpredictable or gripping features throughout the book.

Although Cowley writes from a narrator’s perspective, she does not make the reader feel the characters emotions, or feel connected to them. When Jomar goes to Ur, Cowley does not write in a way the reader can feel Jomar’s nervousness or anxiety. In addition, when Jomar goes to Bitatti’s palace without permission, it does not make the reader suspicious about what is going to happen to him. Cowley tells the reader what the characters feel, but she doesn’t often show it through actions. When Nari requests that Zefa play lyre for Abban’s funeral ceremony, Cowley lists Jomar’s feelings. “As he listened to Nari, Jomar churned with reactions that warred against each other. He was surprised by her request. He was moved by her apology.” (141) If Cowley showed the characters feelings, it would have been easier to feel engaged.

Another reason Cowley’s novel is not enjoyable is because there is no main conflict; instead, it was full of smaller conflicts that weren’t as captivating, and confused the reader. A book has to have some conflicts to keep the reader interested, but Cowley writes too many semi-climatic events, rather than having her story build up to a central conflict that’s very exciting. When Jomar and Zefa get intercepted by Malak it is a good gripping event, but when Zefa isn’t allowed to come in to Ur, and then when they get to Sidah’s house, Zefa is questioned again. The same thing happens when Zefa disappears, when Jomar goes to Bitatti’s palace, then the river test, and when Malak comes to take Zefa back “‘That would be a young slave girl who escaped with her brother from my work camp.’” (115) It all gets too confusing. It would have been a better story if there was one central part that could easily be distinguished as the main conflict.

In The Golden Bull, there is no unpredictable or intriguing elements, and the story does not pull the reader in. Throughout the novel there are no surprising events that happen through the book, like someone dying, or going away somehow. When Jomar and Zefa finally get to Ur they are troubled by a guard that questions Zefa. “The man gestured toward the gate. ‘Then enter.’ He looked at Zefa. ‘And this young girl?’” (46) This situation doesn’t make the reader feel anxious about whether Zefa will be allowed into Ur or not. When Jomar goes to Bitatti’s chambers without permission it does not cause curiosity. The situations that Cowley introduces are not tantalizing.

The Golden Bull is not an enjoyable book, and is not compelling to read. It does not have well-developed characters, has too many conflicts and no main climax, and finally the events that happen throughout the book are not unpredictable or captivating. It is possible to combine non-fiction plots with a fascinating book, however, The Golden Bull is not one of those. It is educational, but is not an entrancing book overall. If you want an easy, non-interesting, and confusing book, then read Marjorie Cowley’s The Golden Bull!

[Margo Tanenbaum · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best things about good historical fiction is its ability to draw us into other countries and other times that we may know little to nothing about. I will admit that I don't know much about ancient Mesopotamia (now Iraq) beyond what I learned when I took college "Western Civ" (as we called it back then) quite a few years ago. So I was delighted to travel to this exotic time through Marjorie Cowley's engrossing novel The Golden Bull. Cowley has taught prehistory to school children from first grade to high school for many years, but didn't begin writing for children until her 60's. Her first two books focused on prehistoric times, but The Golden Bull fills a special niche by focusing on Mesopotamia, an area covered in 6th grade history here in California.

Times are hard in the countryside where our main character, 14-year-old Jamar, lives with his sister and family; crops are failing because of a long-lasting drought and there is not enough to eat. Hoping to save the children from famine, their parents send them to the city of Ur, where Jamar will be the new apprentice to Sidah, a master goldsmith for the temple of the moon-god. But his sister, a gifted but untrained musician, is not wanted in Sidah's household. Jomar takes quickly to assisting the goldsmith with crafting a magnificent gold and lapis bull which will embellish a special lyre to be used in the temple. But will his sister, too, find a place in the city? When she is accused of stealing a valuable lapis bead, she must face a terrible test of determining guilt or innocence--being thrown into the water of the sacred Euphrates river, a river whose existence was as critical to this region as the Nile to Egypt.

Cowley peppers her fast-moving story with many historical details about life in the era, as well as including an author's note which explains how what we know about the period is based on the work of archaeologists who have uncovered ruins and every day objects. I especially liked that the golden bull of the title as well as other items described in the text are actual treasures found in a burial site in Ur. Obviously these items sparked Cowley's creative imagination and led to the creation of this well-researched story.

Recommended for grades 5-8.

[Willow · Rating 4 out of 5]

We both learned so much about ancient Mesopotamia. This was a fun read-aloud that prompted discussions about things like "Why did people think innocence or guilt could be decided by a river?" And "why did the city take so much food from the farmers so that they were starving?" and "Why did men get to make all the choices in families?" I would definitely be interested in checking out the other historical fiction works by this author.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book with my 6 year old as part of her LA curriculum. It fits nicely into our studies of Mesopotamia and ancient times. Enjoyed seeing how some of the concepts we are learning about were incorporated into the journey of these two children.

[Chad]

Wasn't willing to persevere through this. Probably would be good if I were into more Mesopotamian history YA titles.

[Ben Berger]

Awful book, I would rather watch the grass grow than read this book. Though she tried to teach about Mesopotamia it was so dull I forgot every thing.👎

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect for our homeschool read-aloud (boys ages 7 and 12) while studying Mesopotamia

[Sam · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sam Mildenberg
Core 6C
Raphel
11/18/19
Historical fiction can be a great learning source. However, if it is not well written, a person might fall asleep in 10 minutes. One such book is The Golden Bull. The Golden Bull is about two children named Jomar and Zefa. They travel to the ancient Sumerian city-state of Ur and on the way they get into trouble.Although this book by Marjorie Cowley could help children understand ancient Mesopotamia, the book is atrocious. Sixth graders should never read it. The Golden Bull by Marjorie Cowley is so predictable, has horrible characters, and is just too dull.
The first reason why a person should never read Cowleys book is that it is so predictable. Firstly, the reader knows that the characters are going to escape from Malak the whole time. The reader knows this because the way Cowley writes it, the reader can almost be certain. Additionally, when Qat-nu says in a way to distract Malak “ a wrestling match!” From that point on, the reader know that Jomar and Zefa will escape. Towards the end of the novel, when Jomar is trying not to drown in the canal and Gamil comes and says in the river “ hang on to the ball” Cowley writes it so the reader knows that he will get out. These are just a few of the examples that show the book's predictability.
In addition, a person should not read Cowley’s book because the characters are unlikeable. First of all, Jomar,the main character, is doing nothing except working. He does no exciting stuff, he just puts gold on a bull. Though Zefa is slightly more exciting because she runs away, though she is still a brat. However, Malak (the bad guy) is probably the best character because he actually does stuff. He wants to kill people. For example, Malak says to Jomar in Sidahs house“ we have an excellent test for determining if a criminal is guilty. Someone accused of a crime will be thrown in our sacred river”. (118) Also, he thinks he is the best and is super sarcastic. For example, he says as a threat to Jomar when they first see Malak in Ur “ Am I? Then if she comes and works with me, I will forget she even stole something.” (118) That’s a good bad guy for any book. Those are the reasons why the characters are unlikeable.
Finally, a person should never read The Golden Bull because it is just too dull. For example, there is no action in the book. Jomar and Zefa spend five chapters walking, Jomar and Sidah spend more than seven chapters working on a lyre. As any person who has some common sense, the book has very little action. In too many chapters to count, Jomar and Sidah were stuck on embellishing the bull for too long and it just got too boring. For example, when Sidah says to Jomar “It will be the head of the Bull.” The reader can figure out that they will take super long to build the Bull.Finally, Cowley wrote the book so that it stays on the same thing for way too long. There are no interesting conflicts, the characters are never in danger. For example, the only real danger the characters were in was the river test, and when they got captured. For these reasons, you know the book is too dull.
The Golden Bull by Marjorie Cowley is so predictable, has horrible characters, and is just to dull. Though others could argue against this point, the plot to the book is too dull. So if anyone asks, then tell the person to save their money

[Maricel Moviglia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Golden Bull by Marjorie Cowley is a very conforting story to be included in Ancient The Golden Bull: A Mesopotamian Adventure by Marjorie Cowley is a captivating and educational book that tells the story of two siblings, a 14-year-old boy and his 12-year-old sister, who are forced by their parents to leave their farm to avoid dying of starvation. It is a well-written book that deserves to be considered a "living book" to be included in the Middle School curriculum for Ancient History and Reading. It is a great choice to encourage reading among siblings in their tween years and to discuss common topics like life transitions and how experiences differed for boys and girls in the past versus today.
The book’s writing style is not overly complex, yet its precise descriptions bring the world of ancient Mesopotamia to life. It skillfully illustrates the sharp division between rural and urban life. The book argues that despite the fact that agriculture and cattle husbandry were the lifeblood of each city and its Temple’s commerce, farmers were treated with less dignity than slaves. When the Euphrates River suffered from a long drought, there was no help or solidarity from the city, leaving desperate families with no choice but to sell themselves into slavery for food.
Another well-explored theme is the absolute centrality of religion in Mesopotamian society. The Sumerians feared their gods, seeing droughts as harsh divine punishment for their sins. They continuously sought to appease them with music, sacred rituals, ornaments, and sacrifices. This religious devotion is exemplified by the younger sister. Though considered a slave because of her condition as a peasant girl, she earns the respect of everyone around her by singing beautiful, glorious songs to the gods while playing her lyre.
The last topic that is interesting to explore is the relationship among siblings. The desperate parents send their beloved daughter to the city under the protection of her older brother. Despite the fact that the parents would desperately want them to have a caring and loving relationship between them, both brother and sister have to deliberately work on their relationship to understand each other and learn to love the other for their own uniqueness. As they have to transition to adulthood, they have to learn to be responsible for each other and embrace the profound concept of being a family.
Ultimately, The Golden Bull is a powerful and multi-layered narrative. It masterfully weaves together the historical realities of ancient Mesopotamia with the deeply personal journey of two siblings. The story of the siblings learning to understand and love each other as they transition to adulthood provides an emotionally resonant core, making this a fantastic read that explores not just a different time, but the timeless challenges of family, responsibility, and what it means to truly be a family.The Golden Bull

[ZekieJBHA · Rating 1 out of 5]

Jeannie Mancini posted a review on Amazon saying that The Golden Bull, by Majorie Cowley is “a bit sappy”, and, “very predictable ”. Although Amazon reviews are not always reliable, this one is spot on. The Golden Bull is a novel about two children who get thrown into the huge city of Ur and have to survive. The Mesopotamian adventure book is a horrible book to read for a sixth-grade class. The book has unnecessary details, zero sad elements, and is extremely predictable.
One reason why The Golden Bull is an unacceptable book for a sixth-grader to read is because there are a great deal of unnecessary details. First, the reader does not need to know about the making of Bittati the priestess’ necklace. Sidah is explaining how to thread the necklace. Sidah is saying to Jomar,“‘This makes the threading easier.’” (77) The necklace does not affect the final outcome of the story. Another time when Cowley uses unnecessary details is the golden bull lyre. The golden bull lyre is a major part of the book, but the reader does not need to know about the specific manufacturing of it. Unnecessary details is one reason why sixth graders will be absolutely dismayed when they read Cowley’s Mesopotamian novel.
The second reason why absolutely zero sixth graders should read Cowley’s uninspiring piece of literature is because there are no sad elements. Books need to have sad elements in order to be intriguing. For example, in the book, Harry Potter, by J.K. Rowling, one of the main characters die. After this happens, it makes all readers more interested in the novel. An example when nothing sad happens in The Golden Bull is when nobody dies. After Jomar survives the river ordeal, Sidah says to Malak, “‘The test has proved the boy innocent,’” (180) Zefa or Gamil should die in the river ordeal. Also, Jomar will be able to see his parents again. Sidah says that Jomar will be able to see them on New Years. Jomar should not be able to see his parents because nothing else sorrowful happens in the entire last part of the book. Something bitter needs to happen. That is the second reason why the all sixth graders will think that the Mesopotamian adventure novel is completely despicable.
How insanely predictable the book is is the last reason why all sixth graders will despise The Golden Bull. The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart is remarkably unpredictable. There are twists, turns, and huge surprises, something Cowley’s novel lacks. For instance, obviously Jomar and Zefa will get into Ur. On the back of the book, it even talks about the siblings and their adventures in Ur. Also, the river ordeal. Indisputably, Jomar will not die. Gamil, Sidah’s neighbor, rescues Jomar from the water. “...he slowly pulled himself and Gamil out of the canal.” (179) The Golden Bull is a children’s novel, meant for fifth to seventh graders. Cowley should have used a character that could or could not have died, like Sidah or Nari. That is the last reason why The Golden Bull is a horrendous book for a sixth grader to read.
The reasons why the Mesopatamian novel is unremarkable is because it has unnecessary details, zero sad elements, and is extremely predictable. For these reasons, nobody should read this book. So next time someone asks, “should I read The Golden Bull?”, tell him or her to never read the book. So Jeannie Mancini is absolutely correct. She is right that the book is a boring, uninspiring, unremarkable, despicable, piece of literature.

[Christie Russell · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this book. One of my favorite mysteries written in an ancient civilization is "Boy of the Pyramids" and since this was on the booklist for Beautiful Feet's Ancient History course I was eager to see what we could learn about Ancient Mesopotamia.

Pretty much everything having to do with Ancient Mesopotamia happened and was mentioned in the first 3-4 chapters. The rest could have been set at any time in any place in the world, really. The writing was very predictable, the vocabulary uninspiring and the plot fairly inane.

That being said; I don't know of any other well-written fiction for elementary kids set in Ancient Mesopotamia so, for now, I think this is the best there is. Its not a bad book, just not worth reading really.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a pre-read for our upcoming ancient history homeschool unit from Beautiful Feet. I gave the book 3 stars purely because a historical fiction novel about the ancient city of Ur in Mesopotamia is virtually nonexistent. A child would learn a bit about the customs of Ur from reading this book. I was able to read it cover to cover in about 3 hours. Besides the characters’ names in the novel, the vocabulary is not difficult. I would say a 5th grader and up would be able to read this without difficulty. I have a suspicion that there could be a more entertaining book written about Mesopotamia than this one though. It’s likely just not written yet.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is set in 2600 BC in Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq). I loved getting to glimpse in on what life could have been like during that time. This story follows a brother and sister as their life takes twists and turns because of a drought. From slavery to meeting a high priestess, this story was short but well-done.

I read this book because my son (who is homeschooled) is learning about the Fertile Crescent, Mesopotamia and life in ancient civilizations. I’m so glad that it was on our list to read though. Even though it’s historical fiction, I learned a lot and it was fascinating.

[Janette · Rating 3 out of 5]

My youngest child and I "read" this (we actually listened to another teacher read it on YouTube) as part of a homeschool history unit on ancient Mesopotamia and thought it was pretty good. It's a unique book in the sense that there don't seem to be many fictional novels on this subject, so I give the author kudos for originality and research. It's definitely geared more towards children, but students in middle and high school, as well as adults, can enjoy it too.

[C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jomar and Zefa have to leave home when a famine brought on by a drought means there isn't enough food to feed their family. Jomar is sent to the city of Ur to apprentice to a goldsmith, and Zefa goes with him. When Zefa is accused of stealing a lapis lazuli bead, she leaves the goldsmith's house and joins a band of children who play music for a living. Eventually, Zefa is accepted as a temple musician in training, and Jomar settles in his role as an apprentice.

[Cass 10e · Rating 3 out of 5]

We did this as a read aloud for our Mesopotamian unit for homeschool. For me (the adult) as a read aloud it was pretty slow. I give it three stars for not being very exciting and dragging in parts.
My 12 year old gives it 3.5 stars and my 8.5 year old liked it the best with a solid 4 stars. It has a sweet and satisfying ending, which left us feeling better about it by the end

[Cathy Barnette · Rating 3 out of 5]

My daughter & I read this book for a homeschool unit on Mesopotamia. We both enjoyed the book more than expected, because it helped bring that time period to life in a way that you can't always get from textbooks. While I wouldn't recommend it as a "fun read," it worked very well for our intended use.

[Luann Habecker]

Started as a read aloud and then I finished it on my own.
It seems to have a lot of build up for very little/quick reward/resolution....

pg 153 He could no longer make Sidah or his father responsible for his future. The decision to stay or go was his.

pg 199 The daily task of making order out of disorder was strangely satisfying

[Kristy Grove · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this for our study of ancient Mesopotamia. It did a fairly good job detailing the life of a young apprentice of a temple goldsmith as well as the religious beliefs of this culture. The story is set in Ur, which was a major city in this region. It held our interest pretty well and gave a good feel for the life of a commoner in this culture.

[Stacia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story itself was pretty good. However, I listened to this on audible and the best way I can describe the voice is strident. And the reader used all dialogue to speak harshly or as though the person was annoyed, there was never a tone of tenderness or care even when the story seemed to call for it.

This is definitely not a book to listen to.

[Clairette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for a 2-4th grader, though my 5th grader enjoyed having me read this to him. It would fit in the "drama" category, was not humorous, but was ok at transporting the reader to another time, place, and way of living. I can't see my son reading this book on his own motivation, but we enjoyed it well enough.

[A'Lyssa Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was more interesting than we expected! The plot was pretty exciting and we learned quite a bit about Mesopotamia and Ur. The only character I liked all the time was Sidah - Zefa was whiny, Nari was plain mean, and Jomar just seemed aloof a good chunk of the time. I would definitely recommend it to middle grade children who want to learn more about ancient cultures.

[Jasmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic middle grade book about Mesopotamia. The characters and events suck you into the story. We used this as a read aloud in our ancient history homeschool curriculum. My first and third Grader loved it.