Well of Sacrifice

Well of Sacrifice

Product Type: eBooks

Product Price: $16.00

Manufacturer: Clarion Books

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Description

Eveningstar Macaw lives in a glorious Mayan city in the ninth century. When the king falls ill and dies, the city begins to crumble. An evil high priest, Great Skull Zero, orders the sacrifice of those who might become king, including Eveningstar's beloved brother. Suspicious of the High Priest's motives, Eveningstar attempts to save her brother, thus becoming an acknowledged enemy of the High Priest. Condemned to be thrown into the Well of Sacrifice, Eveningstar must find a way not only to save her own life but to rescue her family and her city from the tyrannical grasp of Great Skull Zero. Set against the vivid background of everyday life at the height of the Mayan golden age and illustrated with striking black-and-white paintings, Eveningstar's candid, gripping, and not-for-the-faint-of-heart account of the last days of a great city will have readers at the edge of their seats. Afterword.

Reviews

Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2008-10-02
Summary: "A Mayan Girl's Story"

The Well of Sacrifice by Chris Eboch is a very interesting and exicing book. The story is set in the Yucatan Peninsula in the ninth century, and tells about a Mayan girl trying to save her city. Eveningstar Macaw is a brave,adventurous and clever girl. The Well of Sacrifice is about how one Mayan city might have fallen apart.

In the beginning of the book, Eveningstar met a Savage. Though he was an enemy of her people, he was kind to her. Next, the king died and the high priest took over the city. With the help of the Savage, Eveningstar worked hard to save her family and the city, making the high priest very angry. Finally, the high priest threw Eveningstar into the Well of Sacrifice.

The author included many details about the life of the ancient Maya. For example, people in Eveningstar's city worshiped Mayan gods, like Itzamna and Ah Puch. Also, Eveningstar went out into the jungle to gather plants, such as snake root, to use as medicine. In addition, their food included tortillas, corn, fruits, squash and beans.

The Well of Sacrifice is an adventure-filled book. Readers ages nine and up would enjoy reading this book.


Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2007-05-06
Summary: "Great Classroom Theme Book"

This book is not only a great adventure for middle grade readers, but it is a useful tool for classroom teachers. My class (fourth/fifth graders) read this book for our theme: The Maya. The book gave authentic facts about the Mayan culture and a plausible explanation for the demise of their culture. We used the book as the backbone of several language arts exercises such as: written and oral reports about the Maya, literary criticism of characters, plot, and sequence, persuasive essays on human sacrifice vs. murder and Mayan culture vs. our own culture; and art projects from wood burning to mapping. We studied geography and the rainforest. The students' enthusiasm for this book pushed our curriculum into other disciplines including math. I recommend this book to teachers and to middle grade students.

Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2006-06-06
Summary: "The Well of Sacrifice"

The Well of Sacrifice by Chris Eboch is an amazing book about a Mayan girl named Eveningstar Macaw who has to save herself and her family from an evil high priest named Great Skull Zero. The story takes place in a fictional Mayan city during the ninth century. Other important characters are Eighteen Rabbit, Eveningstar's father, Blue Quetzal, Eveningstar's mother, Feather Dawn, Eveningstar's sister, Smoke Shell, Eveningstar's brother, Small, the family's Savage slave, and King Flint Sky God, their city's amazing god-king.
I would recommend this book to readers who are interested in other cultures, are studying the Mayans, or just want to try something different. Readers anywhere from ten to twelve years of age would enjoy this book though thirteen and fourteen year olds might like it as well. Girls and boys alike would agree on what an amazing book it is. If you enjoy an easy read, read this book.

Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2006-06-06
Summary: "The Well of Sacrifice"

I read The Well of Sacrifice, by Chris Eboch, for a school assignment. I thought it was an excellent read. It's about a girl named Eveningstar Macaw. She's a Mayan who lives in the Yucatan Peninsula in the 9th century. While in the jungle gathering plants for her mother, who is a healer, Eveningstar sees a group of savages, probably preparing to attack her city. At the time, Eveningstar's city had been fighting with groups of Indians from islands in the Caribbean, and they called them the savages. Eveningstar alerts her older brother, Smoke Shell, who gathers up a group of men and attacks the savages. Her family is then promoted to noble status, and after the king dies, many people want Smoke Shell to be the next king. But the evil high priest, Great Skull Zero, wants to be king. He makes an order to have Smoke Shell and many other men sacrificed to the gods. Along with her servant, Small, Eveningstar sets out to save her brother and her whole city from the wrath of Great Skull Zero. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone, boys and girls, who is interested in the Mayas or wants a good book to read. I would say it's good for people ages 10 and up, but only because there are some scenes that might frighten younger children. It has a lot of action, and it taught me a lot about the Mayan culture. This was a very entertaining and exciting book.

Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2006-06-06
Summary: "The Well of Sacrifice"

I read The Well of Sacrifice, by Chris Eboch, for a school assignment. I thought it was an excellent read. It's about a girl named Eveningstar Macaw. She's a Mayan who lives in the Yucatan Peninsula in the 9th century. While in the jungle gathering plants for her mother, who is a healer, Eveningstar sees a group of savages, probably preparing to attack her city. At the time, Eveningstar's city had been fighting with groups of Indians from islands in the Caribbean, and they called them the savages. Eveningstar alerts her older brother, Smoke Shell, who gathers up a group of men and attacks the savages. Her family is then promoted to noble status, and after the king dies, many people want Smoke Shell to be the next king. But the evil high priest, Great Skull Zero, wants to be king. He makes an order to have Smoke Shell and many other men sacrificed to the gods. Along with her servant, Small, Eveningstar sets out to save her brother and her whole city from the wrath of Great Skull Zero. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone, boys and girls, who is interested in the Mayas or wants a good book to read. I would say it's good for people ages 10 and up, but only because there are some scenes that might frighten younger children. It has a lot of action, and it taught me a lot about the Mayan culture. This was a very entertaining and exciting book.