The Golden Bull [Hardcover]

Marjorie Cowley (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

It is circa 2600 BC in ancient Mesopotamia during a terrible drought, and Jomar and Zefa's father must send his children away to the city of Ur because he can no longer feed them. At fourteen, Jomar is old enough to apprentice with Sidah, a master goldsmith for the temple of the moongod, but there is no place for Zefa in Sidah's household. Zefa, a talented but untrained musician, is forced to play her music and sing for alms on the streets of Ur. Marjorie Cowley vividly imagines the intrigues, and harsh struggle for survival in ancient Mesopotamia.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5–8—Jomar, 14, and his younger sister have been forced to go to the city of Ur to bring income to their poverty-stricken family. Jomar will be an apprentice to a goldsmith, but Zefa has little talent for anything other than playing the lyre that her brother has made for her. He considers the instrument a toy and a burden, but Zefa's talent charms the siblings' way out of one dangerous situation after another. When they finally reach their destination, Jomar is warmly greeted, but Zefa is accused of stealing and runs away. The goldsmith's wife accuses her of stealing and she runs away. It is not until Jomar begs the help of a high priestess that he is able to clear the girl's name and entice her to play the honored temple lyre. This well-researched historical drama opens readers' eyes to the perils of starving farmers in ancient Mesopotamia. The simple story line, colorful descriptions, and endearing characters result in an entertaining tale.—Kimberly Monaghan, formerly at Vernon Area Public Library, IL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

The drought in the Mesopotamian countryside is so dire that Jomar and his sister Zefa, a gifted lyre player, are being sent away to Ur, where Jomar will apprentice to a goldsmith. En route, the children fall into the hands of a ruthless temple official, Malak, who gathers them up for his work crew patrolling the rural irrigation system. After a bold escape, they live in fear of Malak recapturing them in Ur. Goldsmith Sidah and his less-than-welcoming wife, Nari, are willing to shelter Jomar, but balk at the unexpected Zefa, who eventually slips away and joins a street troupe. Pulsing action, suspenseful dilemmas, and well-chosen details of goldsmithing and Mesopotamian justice add up to a fine tale that entertains as it reveals the sophistication of society in the cradle of civilization. By the author of Dar and the Spear-Thrower (1995) and its sequel, Anooka’s Answer (1998), this story’s setting in ancient Iraq may be a special draw for children curious about this in-the-news country and its culture. Grades 5-8. --Anne O'Malley

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 216 pages
• Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing; 1 edition (June 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580891810
• ISBN-13: 978-1580891813
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,154,338 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Simple and Predictable, July 25, 2008

By 

Jeannie Mancini "vernefan" - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Golden Bull (Hardcover)

I have always been fascinated with the history of ancient Mesopotamia and read many fiction and non fiction history books about it. When this young adult story about the ancient city of Ur was released I was eagerly anticipating an evocative and exciting tale. Wrong. I found this story beyond simple, a bit sappy, and very predictable. And, it had an unsatisfactory ending. The story line is a common one, we have Jomar and Zepha, a sister and brother who find themselves on their own after their parents apprentice Jomar out due to local famine and drought causing strife and poor economy. Not able to feed their children, the parents shoo the children off to survive alone working with a temple Goldsmith. My first disappointment was that although this supposedly takes place in ancient Ur, not once did I ever feel like I was there. Most of the story takes place inside a workroom where Jomar, apprentice to a goldsmith, works to assist the goldsmith on a decorative lyre for the temple priestess. In fact, this creation of the lyre, takes up an enormous part of the story and becomes boring. There is very little else going on besides a small mystery in the background. I cant imagine too many children or teens getting really into this story. There were no outside attractions or descriptions to make me realize I was in old Mesopotamia at this time, no historical background or myth. I actually felt that this story could have taken place in many cities in various ancient times, it was so strongly lacking in detail. My last point of disappointment was the ending. This famous lyre that is so laboriously worked on throughout most of the book was to be presented to the high priestess of Ur, and played on by Jomar's sister Zefa. We never get to see that happen, we dont know how the priestess reacts to the final piece or how impressed she is by the voice and music Zepha will bring to it. All and all the story is lame, not very interesting, and I have great doubts young teens would find this very good. You dont learn any history, there is no great excitement, the writing is very simple, and there is no great character development on any of the players involved.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Low reading level, October 1, 2011

By 

Ann Derby (Los Angeles CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Golden Bull (Hardcover)

The text is written at a fairly low reading level, certainly not at "young adult", but more like fourth grade. I put it one step above the Magic Tree House books in reading difficulty.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars good novel for middle school students interested in ancient civilizations, May 24, 2010

By 

M. Tanenbaum (Claremont, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Golden Bull (Hardcover)

One of the best things about good historical fiction is its ability to draw us into other countries and other times that we may know little to nothing about. I will admit that I don't know much about ancient Mesopotamia (now Iraq) beyond what I learned when I took college "Western Civ" (as we called it back then) quite a few years ago. So I was delighted to travel to this exotic time through Marjorie Cowley's engrossing novel The Golden Bull. Cowley has taught prehistory to school children from first grade to high school for many years, but didn't begin writing for children until her 60's. Her first two books focused on prehistoric times, but The Golden Bull fills a special niche by focusing on Mesopotamia, an area covered in 6th grade history here in California.

Times are hard in the countryside where our main character, 14-year-old Jamar, lives with his sister and family; crops are failing because of a long-lasting drought and there is not enough to eat. Hoping to save the children from famine, their parents send them to the city of Ur, where Jamar will be the new apprentice to Sidah, a master goldsmith for the temple of the moon-god. But his sister, a gifted but untrained musician, is not wanted in Sidah's household. Jomar takes quickly to assisting the goldsmith with crafting a magnificent gold and lapis bull which will embellish a special lyre to be used in the temple. But will his sister, too, find a place in the city? When she is accused of stealing a valuable lapis bead, she must face a terrible test of determining guilt or innocence--being thrown into the water of the sacred Euphrates river, a river whose existence was as critical to this region as the Nile to Egypt.

Cowley peppers her fast-moving story with many historical details about life in the era, as well as including an author's note which explains how what we know about the period is based on the work of archaeologists who have uncovered ruins and every day objects. I especially liked that the golden bull of the title as well as other items described in the text are actual treasures found in a burial site in Ur. Obviously these items sparked Cowley's creative imagination and led to the creation of this well-researched story.

Recommended for grades 5-8.