| Title | : | The Golden Goblet |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 248 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 1961 |
| Awards | : | Newbery Medal (1962), Vermont Golden Dome Book Award (1963) |
Newbery Honor Book
The Golden Goblet Reviews
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I really liked this book when I was 11, and I really liked this book twenty-one years later. Somehow
Eloise Jarvis McGraw makes Ranofer, the main character, easily relatable without turning him into a kid that thinks, talks and acts like a twentieth century American kid who happens to be living in ancient Egypt. To me, that's one of the most annoying things about historical fiction: the author tries to make the main characters more likable by making them just like us, no matter what century or continent they lived in.
I especially respect the level of writing here. This is a pretty advanced children's book, with detailed descriptions of Egyptian life (especially goldsmithing and stonemasonry). The vocabulary and pacing is challenging, too. The mystery that Ranofer and his friends try to solve is a rather grueling process, one that some people will call boring but I call deliberate. This is clearly a well-researched, engaging and intelligent novel. -
I remember when my mom read this one aloud to us - we simply could not put it down! A great option for an action-packed, family read aloud.
#ancientegypt
Cleanliness
Children's Bad Words
Mild Obscenities & Substitutions - 5 Incidents: stupid
Name Calling - 40 Incidents: The pig, the son of Set the Devil, Accursed One, Useless One, scum, Worthless One, stupid, Fatherless One, Homeless One, ingrate, brats, Slow-witted One, Spawn of Crocodiles, Tardy One, idler, donkeyhead, Imbecile, fool, lazy clod, son of a jackal, riffraff, Cursed Ones, Mad One, Rash One
Religious Profanity - 23 Incidents: By Amon, Osiris the Merciful forbid it, Thoth’s mercy, as Maat is my witness, “For the sake of Ptah the Bearded!”, Great Ptah’s whiskers, Holy Mother Mut, "Why in the name of Amon", Oh, Mother of Amon, Great Bast’s whiskers, Hathor’s mercy
Religious & Supernatural - 10 Incidents: Mentions khefts (evil spirits) and bas (good spirits) throughout the book. None appear. Describes Egyptian beliefs about the afterlife and burying the dead with their treasures. “The gods would smile on him, and Osiris himself, Osiris the Merciful, would speak out of the wind to him and direct all his affairs.” “He fingered his amulet nervously, hoping it had protected him, but he knew it had no power over the Evil Eye. That required a different amulet, the ouzait,...” A boy gets a good idea while he sleeps and credits it to a god, then thinks it was his father’s spirit and so visits his tomb. “Because of these wicked ones and their thievery, the ba of some long-dead pharaoh was now starving and destitute in the Land of the West …” Such phrases as “praise be to the gods” are said in the book. It explains the superstition regarding the khefts coming out at night. “His child has the falling sickness. Rekh fashioned a little amulet … so the priests might say their spells over it.” A boy “who loved his pharaoh and the gods of Egypt.”
Attitudes/Disobedience - 10 Incidents: Lying: a boy does not disclose his real reason for being at the marsh. A boy hates his mean half-brother for making him a thief and a coward. A boy is offered a fig but because of his pride, he lies, saying he doesn’t like figs (he does though and eventually takes it). A boy wants to bring a stone “down with a crack” on his mean boss’s head. A boy says “Curse if you like. There’s no one to hear but me, and I don’t mind.” A boy has no food but lies saying he already ate. He wonders why he hadn’t thought of this “excuse.” He then gets into a fight with his friend because of his pride. A boy lies to his half brother (so that he’s not suspicious and can catch him in his thievery). A boy lies to his friends, not telling them he has been spying on his brother’s ways. A boy lies to his friends about where his half brother is going. A boy lies to his friend, saying he’s only curious when he actually wants information to help him catch his half brother.
Conversation Topics - 5 Incidents: Wine is mentioned throughout the book. Lying: A boy is asked who beats him and he says “It is nothing, no one!” (his half brother is his guardian and beats him often. The half brother is the bad guy of the book). Mentions barley-beer a few times throughout the book. A man is drunk. Mentions gambling at hounds-and-jackals.
Parent Takeaway
The morals in the story are pretty black and white. There is a half brother that is a villain. He beats his young ward. When the boy finds out that he has been unknowingly assisting his half brother with thievery, he decides to be brave and makes a plan to stop him. Most of the lying is done by the boy, as he chooses not to disclose his plan about stopping his half brother (which was unnecessary as his friends wanted to and agreed to help him).
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on Etsy! -
Exciting and thrilling, The Golden Goblet is by far one of the most exciting books I have ever read. Even though I read it a year ago just for fun, it still gave me the goosebumps because of how descriptive the author is. When reading this book, for the second time, i realize how slow it is in the beginning and I feel like I get it a lot more when we read it together. Another thing is that I don't really think that the title matches the book and I think it should be called Ranofer's Life or something.
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This was not the first time I read this out loud. I liked the book but my student loved it. He liked it much better than its companion Mara, Daughter of the Nile by the same author.
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Very readable & modern. I could easily imagine it being published now instead of half a century ago. There's even some humor. And a fantastic (yes, that's the exact word I mean) ending. I mean to say, don't get your hopes up that it's the best book ever, but considering how much about ancient Egypt is in school curricula and also fascinates people, I'm surprised this isn't more widely read.
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Gebu was such an asshole that I couldn't even deal with it. And Ranofer always needed chapstick. (The author kept saying that he had to lick his lips before he said anything.). I liked the parts about the marketplaces and golden scarabs, though. It made me want to go to the big flea market that takes place one county away from me. I disliked Ranofer so much that my 11-year old self used my new White-Out Pen to deface the cover of the whole book and make Ranofer's eyes look really messed up. Then I handed it down to my younger brother, who also calls this book a "piece of garbage" because we discussed this 10 minutes ago. We are 25 and 26 right now.
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I really enjoy Eloise Jarvis McGraw's writing. I think we must have shared a similar taste in both history and books. The Moorchild still ranks as my favorite, but this book about a young boy in Egypt who is apprenticed to his evil half brother, is quite engaging.
Highly recommended for a piece of middle grade historical fiction. -
Should be on every kid’s shelf. Sometime ago, I came across Eloise Jarvis McGraw, a prolific author of children’s fiction and a recipient of multiple Newberry Honors. On my shelf today (no kid here, but kid at heart?), I have a handful of her books including The Golden Goblet set in ancient Egypt. Ranofer, 13 years old and maltreated by his step-brother, won me over with his plight and a doggone stubbornness to not give up. My impatience somewhat outpaced the build-up towards story climax, but the slow middle might work for those who like their suspense cooked long. At its core, the story was about courage, and friendship, and tenacity, and pride in one’s craft. Goldsmithing featured vividly in the story, and I took delight in soaking in the experience through Ranofer’s eyes. Though The Golden Goblet is over 60 years old, I think it holds up well for any avid middle-grade reader and their much older counterparts.
3.5 stars rounded up because Heqet, friend of Ranofer, made me laugh with his droll analogies:
On offering his hungry friend a fig, "It will quiet your rumblings, as the man said when he tossed his right leg to the crocodile."
On handling a tough task, "Simple if you know the trick of it, remarked the vulture as she laid a falcon egg."
On not paying attention, "I fear my mind is not on my work, as the worm said when the lark bit its head off."
On perspective, "Though of course we both have our natural beauty, as the hippopotamus said to the rat." -
I loved this book! I found it very interesting, it started out slow, but you have to give books time! Mrs, Bushkin, my English teacher, recommended this book to our class. The Golden Goblet started to get more and more interesting as I read on. The main characters in this book fitted their roles perfectly, Ranofer, one of the protagonists, was brave, determined, and kind. On the other hand, Gebu, the main antagonist, was very nasty! He was everything you would expect a villain to be, nasty. cruel and completely unfair. The author was incredibly descriptive, with every page turned I felt more indulged in the story. Interesting and intense, the plot kept me on the edge of my seat the whole story. The ending was a bit of a disappointment, but that is okay, I still enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it!
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Have you ever wondered what life was like back in ancient Egyptian times? Twelve-year-old Ranofer knows all too well, and in some cases, he wished he didn't. The Golden Goblet by Eloise Jarvis McGraw is a fascinating story on a boy's point-of-view on ancient Egypt. This book was well written, and for sure a page-turner, full of suspense. Although the beginning was a little slow, some parts of The Golden Goblet just won't let you put it down, and for all the right reasons. At these certain parts, the book is very intense, and is a perfect example of what the beginning is missing. This book is a for sure recommendation for the high-level reader in you,
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This is one of the worst books I have ever read. If I could I would give it 0 stars. The book drags on and never becomes engaging. You sit there reading waiting for something mildly good to happen but it never does. Don't waist your time reading this book. The only reason I had to read it because it was assigned for me to read in school and everybody reading it at school found it to be the most boring book ever too!!!!
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The Golden Goblet, by Eloise Jarvis McGraw was a fantastic book. Beautifully and elegantly written, the author used such wonderful descriptions that made the book that much better. While reading this book with my class, I enjoyed the action and suspense that the author offered. I would definitely rate this book five out of five, it was such a fun book to read, I wish there was a sequel.
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This book is SO GOOD! It's a shame that my local library system didn't have it, but now I'm glad I've bought it because I am sure to revisit it often. Fans of ancient Egypt, historical fiction, or just really good stories: this one is worth seeking out.
Content: the main character is beaten by his guardian. Criminals are executed. Not graphic. Age 10+. -
I read this aloud to my 10-year-old so, and he really enjoyed it. In his words, "It was like a real book, but you didn't notice you were learning things about ancient Egypt, too."
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I picked The Golden Goblet for our October audiobook to go along with our fall history (Story of the World Volume 1). I remember enjoying it as a kid, (though I didn't love it the way I adored Mara Daughter of the Nile) but I couldn't remember anything specific about the plot.
The girls were all enthralled by the plot and a little stressed out by the cliffhangers. The writing quality holds up to an adult reading (which isn't always the case when you return to childhood favorites as an adult), and it was a delightful addition to Morning Time. -
I just finished reading this book aloud to my 11 yo. I read it several years ago myself when I bought it for the kids' school, but I found I didn't remember much about it but the descriptions of goldsmithing. I think I liked reading it aloud better, and my 11 yo really loved this book. I think he probably liked it more for the intricate descriptions of Egyptian goldsmithing rather than the mystery involved, but even after the goldsmithing chapters were over, he was still on the edge of his seat for the rest of the book. I think that I most enjoyed McGraw's descriptive prose.
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My mom read this book to me as a child, and I enjoyed it just as much as I remembered!
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I teach 6th grade boys. They liked it!
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The good:
- The Golden Goblet has a terrific sense of place
- The research is very well-done, and is great for teaching kids about Ancient Egypt.
- The ending is exciting
- Hequet. He is awesome.
- The writing. A well-written story
The average:
- The storyline. It meanders a bit, but is satisfying
- Characters. Fairly typical, a bit flat, but ultimately likeable.
The not-so-good
- Extraneous details/scenes. Is it just me, or are all older children's books like this? This might not be so bad if those scenes contributed to character development, etc, but... many events seemed to be there for the sake of it. I guess they did help with a larger picture of Ancient Egypt, as a result made the plot boring. Which brings me to my next point...
- The first half of the story barely held my interest. Not enough plot to make up for length.
- Gebu. He was a cliched, flat character. He is your typical Mean Brother Who Is Mean Because He Is crossed with The Greedy Villian. Blah.
- Some of the details were innacurate. For example, when you eat very little, you aren't constantly hungry - your body gets used to your food intake, so you don't always feel starved
Anyways, a worthwhile read, if you are interested in Ancient Egypt. Despite my qualms, I enjoyed it.
Alternatives:
- I admit I haven't read it, but
Cleopatra's Moon is apparently a great book about Ancient Egypt. It has many positive reviews, and I think it's worth checking out. It is on my TBR list -I'll come back and update once I've read it (which likely isn't soon.) -
Ancient Egypt has always interested me ever since I was a kid. I am shocked I never read this growing up. McGraw weaved an awesome tale. I loved how she really allowed the reader to see the culture of the ancient Egyptians through the eyes of her characters. She used many terms, authentic names, and an engaging plot to allow the reader to really peak into the past.
The book was set in the capital of Thebes (Waset) during the New Kingdom. Every generation faces new challenges and during this time pyramids became huge "ROB ME" signs for tomb raiders. Pharaohs needed to abandon the construction of pyramids and aim for a safe and more secure burial ground. The Valley of the Kings held the answer to the pharaoh's dilemma...or so they thought.
I immediately loved Ranofer, the protagonist, because his struggle was something I could identify with. We all strive for a dream, but sometimes it is taken away by fear and a series of unfortunate events. This tale is about finding the courage to take back the dream, even when danger and death loom around every dark passage. -
With suspense and excitement, this book really kept me reading. The only part that i didn't enjoy about this book was the first six chapters. To be honest, it was one of the most boring six chapters I have ever read in my life. Yet, the chapters after that made up for all the boredom. Chapters seven and on were the most exciting chapters of my life. When Ranofer, the main protagonist, opens the chest to find a golden goblet, it was his dream come true. Ranofer could finally turn his evil stepbrother in, enabling him to live a abusive-free life and be apprenticed to a master goldsmith. As a reader, I could tell it wasn't going to be that easy. They have to go on one last journey to turn his step-brother in. This should definitely be a book all sixth-graders should read! I really enjoyed it!
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¨There in his hand lay a golden goblet more beautiful than the sun.¨ The golden goblet is one of the most interesting books I have ever read. My life froze, as the words of the book took me all the way to the street of the Crooked Dog. I must admit that the beginning of this book is not very great, it was hard for me to pay attention because I was not interested. But believe me, do not give up on Eloise Jarvis McGraw, she has plenty in store for you. Intense and extraordinary, this book swept me off the ground and into the sky. In some parts of this book, my heart was beating as fast as the speed of light. To read this book, scholars must be prepared for suspense. If you want a book of great thrill, I suggest The Golden Goblet by Eloise Jarvis McGraw.
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Exciting and suspenseful, this is one of the best books I have read! This story is about Ranofer, a young boy in Egypt, trying to prove that his evil half-brother is a criminal. The events that follow keep you reading and keep you guessing. This book really makes you think about friendship and trusting others, while also teaching you important life lessons on keeping with your passions. Once you read a chapter, your mind will just tell you to read another one. I wish there would have been an epilogue at the end to show what he is doing now, but overall, it was an amazing book that I would definitely recommend to anyone :)
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The book Adventurous and additive and boring at parts. But over all its a pretty nice book. We read the book for a class project and when we where at chapter 8 i was already done with the book it was so good. Honestly towards the beginning of the book it was very slow and boring but closer to the climax the pace picked up and then there were huge cliff hangers that just left me on the edge of my seat. Also its dramatic book like Ranofer's parents are died and he has to fend for himself when he was left with his evil step brother.
