Mara, Daughter of the Nile (Puffin Story Books)

Still, who cares? This version makes a wonderful, swashbuckling story, and also provides an excellent introduction to the culture of ancient Egypt for kids who are curious about its history.


Mara brings Ancient Egypt to life!   March 28, 2000
Katherine Mann (Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada)
31 out of 32 found this review helpful

Mara is a wonderful heroine for young girls. Set in the time of Hatshepsut, Pharoah of Egypt, this small novel brings to life a distant era with remarkable clarity. McGraw has crafted her vision of the period around an exciting palace intrigue. The character of Mara, a young slave girl, is an excellent example for young women and it is remarkable to find in a book that was written in the 1950s. If you know a young woman of 9 to 14, give her this book.

This is one of the best books that I have ever read - how fortunate that it is still in print after all these years! I first encountered this excellent novel in 1961. I read it at least 20 times. I was too poor to purchase, so I copied the book out in about 10 school scribblers. True! When my daughter was 10, I bought a copy for her and another for myself.

McGraw's interpretation of the era can easily be faulted, but her sense of "Egypt" cannot. This book sent me on an investigative journey into the subject of Egyptology that has been a distinct pleasure all my life. I highly recommend this wonderful tale.


An Interesting Read   September 11, 2001
Cindy (Black Hills, SD United States)
22 out of 30 found this review helpful

Mara is a combination spy thriller, historical fiction, and romance novel which appears to be aimed at an audience consisting mainly of teen girls. I enjoyed the book and found it not too offensive to read to my 9-year-old daughter. The plot moves right along, contains many interesting details of day-to-day life, offers interesting characters and situations. My favorite character was the Caananite princess. The author is talented with words and writes smoothly.

Mara herself seems a bit unbelievable around the edges, however. Having had a former master who was a scribe, Mara can read hieroglyphics fluently. This seems unlikely in the extreme, given the difficulty of this form of written communication. I'm guessing this knowledge was intended to make her seem a more acceptable heroine to modern audiences, but it was unnecessary. It's a little (but only a little) more believable that she can speak a second language fluently. This factor is, however, more essential to the story than the literacy bit.

I don't object to a bit of romance in a teen story, but in this case, I didn't like the way it was presented. There was no sex and very little sexual inuendo, however the romantic hero was the classic dark, dangerous type, and though his abuses were committed in the name of a greater good, I don't think this particular romance gives girls a reasonable picture of what a desirable young man should look like.

Given these factors, I wonder how much research went into presenting the daily details of Egyptian life? I know very little about the subject myself, so it's difficult to judge. Though we enjoyed the book, I don't believe I'd buy it again. If the above doesn't trouble you, Mara is a good choice and will be an enjoyable read.


An enchanting introduction to the ancient world   October 23, 2004
Rebecca East
21 out of 21 found this review helpful

This was the first novel I ever read (when I was 12) that transported me to the ancient world. I loved it so much that, many years later, I still have a copy of it on my bookshelf. Mara is a terrific heroine: courageous, imaginative, adventurous, and self confident. However, she also has the ability to be deceptive when she needs to be in order to survive. Because of her gift for languages, Mara is bought out of slavery to serve as interpreter between pharoah Hatshepsut's brother Thutmose and his betrothed, an unhappy Babylonian princess. She is supposed to be a spy on behalf of Hatshepsut's supporters, but circumstances force her to become a double agent, who also reports to Thutmose. This places her in the center of dangerous court intrigues. The story combines vivid historical detail, engaging characters, suspenseful adventures, and a touching love story. Although it was written for a young adult audience, adult readers can also find this very enjoyable. I agree with other reviewers: this would make a wonderful movie!


Beautiful!   April 27, 1999
18 out of 19 found this review helpful

I usually don't buy books unless 1.It's part of a series I like. 2.It's by an author I like. 3.I had borrowed it and loved it. This one wasn't any of those, but when I was browsing through the teen section of the bookstore I saw this one and remembered that it was on the "if you like this, you'll like.." list here for a book I had liked, The Reluctant God. I read the first chapter right there at the bookstore and was hooked. Just today I finished it, reading for 2 hours straight because I had to find out what was going to happen!

This I loved this book!! Of course, the story is very captivating. Spys, romance, an Ancient Egyptian setting, what more could you want? Mara was awesome! I loved her strong, clever personality. (I always like those types of girl characters, or else the tomboy type) And Sheftu! I want my own Sheftu!! There's also other interesting and endearing characters, but I can't write about them all.

There is a lot of beautiful descriptions, but I confess I would catch myself unknowingly skimming over those parts, because I was so anxious to find out what would happen next! It doesn't matter though, when I read it again (for I know I will, many times!) I can go slower and catch all those parts.

This is a must-read for anyone who has an interest in Ancient Egypt. Also, if you like a good spy/romance book, you'll love this!