Puss Reboots: Blog: March 2008: The Magnificent Mummy Maker

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Book Reviews:

Bleach Volume 9 by Tite Kubo.
Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman by Haruki Marakami.
The Boarder by Alexander Jablokov.
Brighty of the Grand Canyon by Marguerite Henry.
Count to Ten Piggy Wiggy by Christyan and Diane Fox.
Don't Stand Too Close to a Naked Man by Tim Allen.
Exit Strategy by K. D. Wentworth
Forgive Me by Amanda Eyre Ward.
The Four Ugly Cats in Apartment 3D by Marilyn Sachs.
Flush by Carl Hiaasen.
Frogs by Martin Schwabacher.
He Rents, She Rents by Richard Roeper and Laura Viera.
Hotel Cat by Esther Averill
Immortal by Traci L. Slatton.
The Ka of Gifford Hillary by Dennis Wheatley.
Last Chance Saloon by Marian Keyes.
Leadership Brand by Dave Ulrich and Norm Smallwood.
Lorna Doone (Abridged) by R. D. Blackmore
Lost Pilgrim by Gene Wolf.
The Magnificent Mummy Maker by Elvira Woodruff.
Manhattan is Missing by E. W. Hildick.
The Middle Moffat by Eleanor Estes.
Mommy Hugs by Anne Gutman and Georg Hallensleben.
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman.
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry.
The Overseer by Albert E. Cowdrey.
Park by Pierre Pratt
Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle.
Q & A by Vikas Swarup
The Rocky Mountain Moving Picture Association by Loren D. Estleman
Rumple What? by Nancy Springer
Sea Turtles by Emilie U. Lepthien.
The Second Descent by Richard Paul Russo.
Stanley in Space by Jeff Brown and illustrated by Scott Nash.
Take a Stand, Rosa Parks! by Peter and Connie Roop.
Tall by Jez Alborough.
Trucks and Diggers by DK Publishing.
Women & Self-Esteem by Linda Tschirhart Sanford and Mary Ellen Donovan

Miscellaneous:
Kirby Went to the Beach by Sean Sammis

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The Magnificent Mummy Maker: 03/29/08

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.