***GUEST POST BY SIXTH GRADE DARLA***

Darla read this story as a part of her social studies/literature class. She wrote this review after reading only a part of the book. She later finished it and loved it.

In the story, Mara, Daughter of the Nile, there are quite a few main characters – Mara, Sheftu, Nekonkh, the new master, and maybe Zasha. Mara is the main character. She was a slave, but was just bought to be a spy for Pharaoh Hatshepsut. She is boarding a ship called the Silver Beetle, and has just met Sheftu and Nekonkh. Mara has her own personality and really doesn’t seem to be like anyone else.

If anything, I think she and Sheftu both have adventure in their veins. Nekonkh is the captain of the ship and does not like Hatshepsut at all. He is a bit suspicious about Sheftu, and maybe a little about Mara. Nekonkh adds suspicion to the book and a more interesting ride to Thebes, but we don’t know what yet. Sheftu is a man on the ride to Thebes on the Silver beetle. He seems to be hiding something, but we don’t know what. Nekonkh and Sheftu are both sailor-type people and that is how they are alike.

Zasha is Mara’s old master. He is terribly mean and seems to be a bit afraid of her. Zasha helps the fact that Mara was a slave and how terrible that masters can be. Zasha and the new owner are alike because they are both slave owners of Mara. The new master is very mysterious. He will probably be a very confusing character. In my opinion, he doesn’t seem very nice. I think between him and Sheftu, they will add much confusion to the book. Mara has her own personality and really doesn’t seem like anyone else. She and Sheftu have adventure in their veins.

There is a lot of action that has happened in the story. One of the main events so far is that Mara got a new owner and that she met Sheftu on the boat. The problem so far is that she is working for two “masters” at the same time, and that one master has her against Hatshepsut and for Thutmose, and the other is against Thutmose and for Hatshepsut.

In my opinion, the story is very exciting. I really like the character Mara, she is clever and adventurous, and like many of the characters in the books I have read. I think Sheftu is a very confusing character, and is a bit challenging to read about. I think the new master is very reserved and secret, with many secrets and opinions- just like a spy would be.

I have a few predictions. First of all I think Mara will come into huge trouble with the double masters because they will probably find out about each other and will be very angry, although I also think that Thutmose will end up becoming king, after some fatal death of Hatshepsut. I think that because Hatshepsut is older and is spending money like crazy, and that is a reason not to like her, where Thutmose hasn’t done any thing to get on anyone’s bad side. The only reason not to like him is if you only like Hatshepsut.

This review is a part of the Carnival of Kids Book Reviews.