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laureninthebuf's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
marysasala's review against another edition
3.0
I really liked this retelling of Gilgamesh, my children for the most part did not.
cophoff's review against another edition
5.0
When studying ancient civilizations with my son I wanted to him to experience oral or written traditions from each. Gilgamesh, from ancient Mesopotamia, is one of the oldest and most intriguing epics and I considered its inclusion very important, but much of the original tale is questionable reading material for young children (mainly for sex and violence). I selected this version for my son because it was a highly recommended adaptation for his reading level and maturity, and neither of us was disappointed. McCaughrean retains enough of the original's clipped style to make it sound like what it is, but adds enough vibrant tone to make it friendly reading for an older child, and the illustrations enliven without detracting.
There will be many ways to record and translate a story as ancient as this one, and rarely will all readers be happy with the product. It's true that a lot of the story has been tweaked in order to make it age appropriate, but I find this a necessary injury, not a death knell. Adults may find this version dry, and if you're looking for an easy-to read adaptation of the full epic, this is not it, but if you're looking for a version that is well adapted for an older child to read, this will do nicely.
There will be many ways to record and translate a story as ancient as this one, and rarely will all readers be happy with the product. It's true that a lot of the story has been tweaked in order to make it age appropriate, but I find this a necessary injury, not a death knell. Adults may find this version dry, and if you're looking for an easy-to read adaptation of the full epic, this is not it, but if you're looking for a version that is well adapted for an older child to read, this will do nicely.
kaeliowl's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent adaptation of Gilgamesh for younger readers. I read this with my 6th grader and he enjoyed it.
mat_tobin's review against another edition
5.0
I don't think anyone retells the myths as well as Geraldine McCaughrean does these days. From the world's oldest recorded poem and the original story to have the great flood and the ark in, McCaughrean retells the Gilgamesh in a fast, exciting narrative full of rich language and evocative landscapes. For me, she perfectly captures the vitality with which Gilgamesh lived his life and the anguish he felt at losing the most important person in his life. Parkins' illustrations throughout add so much to the story too.
arrrgh_schooling's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
optimaggie's review against another edition
4.0
We read this book as an extension of our history curriculum and at the beginning of the book I thought of suggesting that we give it up and just read the picture book series about Gilgamesh instead, but my son was enjoying it. I am glad now, upon finishing it, that we didn't set it aside as there were so many things that happened in this book that made me think. In our discussion after we finished reading it we discovered that I preferred the book from the middle to the end, where Gilgamesh is dealing with grief and the desire for immortality and my son preferred the beginning to the middle of the book where Gilgamesh and Enkidu were young and wild and fighting great battles. It makes sense that an 8-year-old boy and a 41-year-old woman would prefer these different parts of the story I think.
kjboldon's review against another edition
3.0
Got this from the library for my son's school project on Mesopotamia, and just got around to reading it. Good, accessible, and I enjoyed the art. This reminds me of the D'Aulaire mythology books. I think I would have really enjoyed this as a kid. We used The Gilgamesh Trilogy picture books by Ludmila Zeman for the project, and liked those a lot, too.)
jar7709's review against another edition
5.0
I always love McCaughrean YA adaptations of classic works. Classic and lyrical, with accurate themes brought forward. This was an afternoon read-aloud we took our time through so that we could start it while we were reading about prehistory and finish while we were reading about Sumerians. Worked out just right. L gave it 5 stars, as expected since she already loves the story thanks to other versions for even younger readers, but even K gave it 4.5. That's solid.
cherryghost15's review against another edition
3.0
Free-adaptation: "he walked through darkness and so glimpsed the light." Young adult version told in story format. Interesting--some different details than the Mitchell version.