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The Cat of Bubastes


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I found this at a thrift store awhile back and had heard I thought good things so since we are studying Ancients I thought I would read it aloud to my kids.  We are only a couple of chapters in and there is this looming sense of dread of all that is yet to be read. It is a very long book and my kids are just not engaged. Is it just us?  Does the book get better as you go along??  I'm thinking about scrapping it. TIA!

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I'm afraid that I also fall in the "disliked it" camp for similar reasons as above posters. Others find it to be a fun adventure tale, and that's great too -- different books click for different folk. :)

 

Books we did like (two boys here):

 

Archeology

Motel of the Mysteries (Macauley) -- VERY tongue in cheek look at archeologists "interpreting" their finds

Ancient Israel / Hittite
God King (Williamson) -- Egypt/Israel
Hittite Warrior (Williamson) -- ancient Israel/Hittite
The Bronze Bow (George) -- ancient Israel/Rome

Ancient Egypt
Tales of Ancient Egypt (Green) -- myths, and several folktales
The Golden Goblet (McGraw)

God King (Williamson)
Shadow Hawk (Norton)

 

Ancient Greece

Jason and the Golden Fleece (Riordan)
Black Ships Before Troy (Sutcliffe)
The Wanderings of Odysseus (Sutcliffe) -- OR -- The Odyssey (McCaughrean)
Ides of April; Beyond the Desert Gate (Ray) -- well-written and I really enjoyed these, but many teens don't click with these

Ancient Rome
Detectives in Togas (Winterfeld)
Mystery of the Roman Ransom (Winterfeld)

Eagle of the Ninth (Sutcliff) -- Roman troops in Ancient Britain

Edited by Lori D.
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Thanks for this! We have read The Bronze Bow and The Golden Goblet (and really liked them) and several of these other ones are on my list for the year. This helps a lot!

 

I'm afraid that I also fall in the "disliked it" camp for similar reasons as above posters -- not a great writing style -- no real character development; anachronistic; stereotypes; and not very historically accurate. Others find it to be a fun adventure tale.

 

Books we did like (two boys here):

 

Archeology

Motel of the Mysteries (Macauley) -- VERY tongue in cheek look at archeologists "interpreting" their finds

Ancient Israel / Hittite
God King (Williamson) -- Egypt/Israel
Hittite Warrior (Williamson) -- ancient Israel/Hittite
The Bronze Bow (George) -- ancient Israel/Rome

Ancient Egypt
Tales of Ancient Egypt (Green) -- myths, and several folktales
The Golden Goblet (McGraw)

God King (Williamson)
Shadow Hawk (Norton)

Ancient Greece

Jason and the Golden Fleece (Riordan)
Black Ships Before Troy (Sutcliffe)
The Wanderings of Odysseus (Sutcliffe) -- OR -- The Odyssey (McCaughrean)
Ides of April; Beyond the Desert Gate (Ray) -- well-written and I really enjoyed these, but many teens don't click with these

Ancient Rome
Detectives in Togas (Winterfeld)
Mystery of the Roman Ransom (Winterfeld)

Eagle of the Ninth (Sutcliff) -- Roman troops in Ancient Britain

 

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Forgot to add that Shadow Hawk may go over better with teens than with your younger DSs. But these may work for your 9yo and 11yo:

 

Mesopotamia = Gilgamesh the Hero (McCaughrean)

 

Egypt = The Wadjet Eye (Rubalcaba)

Egypt = Zekmet, the Stone Carver (Stolz) -- may be young for your DSs; but the story is cool

 

Assyria = To Ride the God's Own Stallion (Wilson)

 

Greece = The Librarian Who Measured the Earth (Lasky) -- again, may be young, but so cool!

Greece = Theras and His Town (Snedeker) -- may be a little young

Greece = don't forget myths! there are a lot of good ones out there; one option might be Nathaniel Hawthorne's Tanglewood Tales and A Wonder Book

 

Rome = Roman Mystery series (Lawrence) -- The Thieves of Ostia is book 1

Rome/Israel = Ben Hur (Wallace) -- geared for teens, but you never know--your DSs might like it

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I read it with a 14 year-old who loved it.  It's really a book for older kids.  My 9 year-old's eyes would've glazed over if I tried to read that book to her.  You're right that it's very long.  It was actually a huge joke in our house.  We started it like in January...and finished it in June/July...somewhere around there.  I thought we were going to throw a "I survived the Cat of Bubastes" Party.

 

The part in the middle where he is describing Egypt when they're taking that hunting trip and then describing the home is actually very good.  Also, the battle scene in the beginning is excellent (we thought).  But, yeah, it's hard to get through - a book for much older kids, IMO.

 

I would drop it - especially with those ages.

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Eagle of the Ninth (Sutcliff) -- Roman troops in Ancient Britain

 

We're actually reading this right now (the 9th grader and 8th grader).  They are really enjoying this book.  The oldest told me I have to buy the next two books (I guess they're The Silver Branch and The Lantern Bearers?).  

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I read it with a 14 year-old who loved it.  It's really a book for older kids.  My 9 year-old's eyes would've glazed over if I tried to read that book to her.  You're right that it's very long.  It was actually a huge joke in our house.  We started it like in January...and finished it in June/July...somewhere around there.  I thought we were going to throw a "I survived the Cat of Bubastes" Party.

 

 

LOL. Yes, I hoped that since I was reading it aloud it would be okay but I feel like it will take four months to finish it!  Thanks for the encouragement!

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I read one Henty book.  Not that one.  I was so utterly turned off.  Very boring, annoying to read, and a lot of stuff said like "those idiotic savages of the wrong religion from that country/place over there".  Nope!  Not my thing, and not something I want to promote with my kids.

 

Which one was it?  

 

We're going to try In Freedom's Cause later this spring.  Not sure how that one is. 

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My dd14 is reading it at the moment and she has been a bit ho-hum about it mostly. Until yesterday...she was reading Cat of B in the orthodontist chair while waiting for him to come because things were getting more interesting and she wasn't wanting to put it down yet. So..it must improve somewhere in there 😉.

Edited by LindaOz
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My kids actually liked it but I felt like I was getting hoarse reading it. We are in our 2nd rotation of Ancients and this time around we are going to use the audiobook.

 

 

ETA: I can't remember any offensive language in that particular one but I usually adjust that as a go we I run into it. (I usually skip the words, for example)

Edited by MyLittleBears
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ETA: I can't remember any offensive language in that particular one but I usually adjust that as a go we I run into it. (I usually skip the words, for example)

 

I don't remember anything offensive in it, either.  We haven't read any of his other books, though.

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