michelle l Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 I'm prereading this right now for next year's SL 6. I was just trying to get a feel for the reading level. However, I'm having trouble getting into it and I don't think it will be a great fit for my boys 5th and 7th. Did you/your kids love this book? Hate it? What is a good substitute for those who didn't like it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 I loved this book as a kid, and my DD loved it as a 5th or 6th grader; I forget which. It starts VERY slowly. My suggestion is to give it more of a chance. "The Golden Goblet" by the same author is also good, and doesn't have the romance element, but I think that although it is more engaging at the start, Mara is better overall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 The Golden Goblet is AMAZING. We read it aloud and the entire family was sad to see it end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABQmom Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 The Golden Goblet is AMAZING. We read it aloud and the entire family was sad to see it end. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom@shiloh Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 We loved the Golden Goblet also. I preread Mara. My pre-teen boys wouldn't enjoy it at all. Teenage girls would probably enjoy it, but since being "corrupted" by way too many romance novels as a teenager I'm skittish about encouraging it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyGrace Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 Mara=yuck. I preread and she flirts to get her way, and so on. No redeeming value. Golden Goblet was one of our fave reads this yr! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momling Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 My 9 yr old said it was okay... she says "It got slow in the middle and overall it's kind of romantic and so boys might not like it." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 Golden Goblet doesn't work as a substitute, it is already included in Core 6 along with Mara. We all loved Mara. Dd enjoyed how smart she was, ds (6th grade at the time) enjoyed the espionage. He didn't like the romance aspect at the end, but was willing to overlook it because she almost died which made it cool.:lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narrow Gate Academy Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 We liked The Cat of Bubastes by Henty although other do not. Another idea from the Veritas catalog that I have not read yet is Shadow Hawk by Norton. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenNC Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 You might enjoy Andre Norton's "Shadow Hawk." I will admit that I loved both this and Mara, but this has a male protagonist. http://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Hawk-Living-History-Library/dp/1883937671/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1308183584&sr=8-1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pooh bear Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 My ds, 11, must be the odd duck. He really liked Mara, but did not like Golden Goblet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerryAtHope Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 We did both Mara and Golden Goblet as read-alouds, and my kids thoroughly enjoyed both. Mara has enough adventure and deeper themes that are worth discussing to engage boys--my son liked it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 Yeah, my older son was not thrilled. I didn't know the first time around that it was a love story. I skipped it with my younger son. Do you already have The Golden Goblet on your list (McGraw)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JessaMae Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 My dd grade 5 LOVED Mara - I think it was her favorite book of the year (school-wise.) She also like The Golden Goblet. My dd grade 4 also read Mara and liked it...but didn't rave about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michelle l Posted June 16, 2011 Author Share Posted June 16, 2011 Well, she just met the princess, and it is maybe starting to pick up a little. I'm just not sure we'll make it through the first few chapters though. I wish she had just cut to the chase in the beginning. I'm not sure if I'll use it or not, but appreciate hearing all the thoughts on it. For the record, we LOVED Nathaniel Bowditch. Go figure.;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nikkid Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 Well, she just met the princess, and it is maybe starting to pick up a little. I'm just not sure we'll make it through the first few chapters though. I wish she had just cut to the chase in the beginning. I'm not sure if I'll use it or not, but appreciate hearing all the thoughts on it. For the record, we LOVED Nathaniel Bowditch. Go figure.;) It took a bit for us to get into it, too. I read aloud to my advanced 2nd grader since she LOVES historical fiction. I did have to edit part of it that I thought was inappropriate for her age (all romantic stuff). Very suspenseful towards the end. We thought it should be a movie almost! BUT having said that, I'm not sure my son when he's old enough would like it unless I edited out even more of the romance. Glad to hear others' boys like it though. I won't rule it out. Haven't tried the other book...can't wait to get it. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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