MIDDLE GRADE FANTASY: Batu and the Search for the Golden Cup by Zara Nauryzbai & Lilya Kalaus
ABOUT THE BOOK
ABOUT THE AUTHORS & TRANSLATOR
Zira Nauryzbai is a writer and cultural anthropologist. She is the author of multiple books and of more than three hundred articles, all written in Russian. She is also a translator from Kazakh into Russian. She is the coauthor, with Lilya Kalaus, of Batu and the Search for the Golden Cup (and its sequels), which was a bestseller in Kazakhstan. Links to her publications can be found at www.otuken.kz. She is currently based in Astana, Kazakhstan. In her free time, Zira volunteers in the search for petroglyphs, rides horses, and practices shooting from a traditional Turkic bow.
Lilya Kalaus is a philologist, author, literary editor, scriptwriter, radio presenter, visual artist, and creative writing teacher from Almaty, Kazakhstan. Her stories and narratives have been published in various magazines and online periodicals in Kazakhstan, Russia, Uzbekistan, Germany, Ukraine, and the US. Lilya is the author of seven books, both for kids (together with Zira Nauryzbai) and for adults.Batu and the Search for the Golden Cup was a bestseller in Kazakhstan and became a series that now includes three books. Lilya is a member of the Writers’ Union of Kazakhstan and the Kazakh PEN Club, and she runs her own publishing company. Learn more atwww.kalaus.tilda.ws.
Shelley Fairweather-Vega is a translator who works from Russian and Uzbek into English. She has translated for attorneys, academics, authors, and activists around the world. Her translated works have been published in the US and UK, and in the Critical Flame, Translation Review, Words Without Borders, the Brooklyn Rail, and more. Shelley is a past president of the Northwest Translators and Interpreters Society and a cofounder of the Northwest Literary Translators. She lives in Seattle, where she also plays the French horn and is helping raise two kids and a cat. Learn more at www.fairvega.com.
REVIEW
Batu and the Search for the Golden Cup takes readers on a fantastical journey into Kazakhstan culture and folklore. The stories blended in with the adventure the characters take made for fascinating reading, they were my favorite part of the book. The Kazakh words and phrases, while culturally accurate, make the book harder to read, especially since I had no idea how to pronounce them. The glossary at the end of the book helps with understanding the terminology, I wish I'd discovered it sooner, but a pronunciation
guide would have have been helpful.
While the overall story worked fairly well, there were several issues that confused me as I read. The character development didn't completely work for me. The main character, Batu, and his friends, Sasha, and Dana, sometimes behaved more mature than their years, but often much younger. Numerous poor decisions were made by the characters many of which didn't make sense. For example, it's clear from the get go that Batu is not the bravest person, he's terrified of these two boys who are bullying him. So why on earth would he go leaping into an adventure with the young warrior who leaps off the cover of his notebook?! Sasha, Batu's fantasy loving friend, expresses great doubt after Batu shares his adventures with him, wouldn't he be the most likely to believe him as a Harry Potter fan?
Frankly, the whole story felt disjointed with details popping up that aren't explained. I didn't realize until the end of the story that most of the 'adventures' take place in their own time, just a different location. They get to the site using magic, but go home by plane? And the whole search for the Golden Cup gets dropped with no resolution. There are apparently at least two more books in the series so I'm assuming it comes up again in future volumes, but just the way things worked out made the main quest take a back seat to something else altogether. Some of these issues may be related to the fact that the book was originally written and published in Russian. Sometimes things don't translate very well.
There is also a series of events at the end regarding one of the villains that's a bit disturbing, the villain faces the afterlife with all kinds of witnesses testifying about the horrible, murderous things he did. This won't bother some middle grade readers, but especially sensitive readers may be troubled by it.
Having said all that, for middle grade readers who enjoy an exciting adventure involving magical musical instruments, wise snakes, demonic bear spirits, and a touch of the afterlife, this may be an enjoyable book. Batu and his friends are likable and their cause is certainly a good one, and when they make mistakes, with some guidance from an informed adult, they try to correct them. The themes related to taking responsibility for your choices, friendship, and appreciating one's cultural heritage shine through nicely. All in all, I'd say this is a pleasant read for middle grade readers with more experience and a deep appreciation for all things fantastical.
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