Reviews

The Magnificent Mummy Maker by Elvira Woodruff

crazy4reading's review against another edition

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4.0

I am trying to go through all my children's books and read them so I can decide if I want to keep them or not. I read this book last night.

I enjoyed this story of a melded family. A boy named Andy and his new family. His mother died when he was 2 months old. His father has remarried and he has a brother the same age and a younger sister. His new brother is gifted and Andy feels stupid and doesn't try hard.

He is in the fifth grade and they are studying Egypt. This is when things change for Andy. He feels different after visiting the Museum and the Egyptian display. Very cute story.

pussreboots's review against another edition

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4.0

According to the insert at the back of the book, Elvira Woodruff was inspired to write The Magnificent Mummy Maker based on an actual school project mummy she had seen on one of her many classroom appearances. The real mummy was made by a pair of girls but in the novel it's done by Andy who wants one chance at doing something better than his step-brother, Jason (aka "Mr. Genius").

The Magnificent Mummy Maker has the same theme of competition between siblings of blended families as Yours Turly Shirley. Of the two, Andy's relations with Jason and their younger half-sister strikes me as more realistic than that of Shirley and Jackie. Woodruff gives each family member a chance to voice his or her feelings and perspectives which makes for a more interesting and believable story.

Mummy Maker isn't just a story of sibling rivalry, it also has a strong fantasy element. The mummy that Andy draws in school is inspired by the mummy of a priestess the class sees in the local museum. After seeing her, Andy believes that her ka has entered his body and has started to grant him wishes. Through these wishes Andy and Jason learn to be better brothers and to appreciate their family situation.
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