In September, I spent a blissful weekend at my regional SCBWI conference. While I was there, I heard Joan Holub speak. She's one half of the writing team responsible for the charming middle grades series Goddess Girls, and I couldn't wait to dig into a few of these books by Holub and Suzanne Williams.
In book one, Athena the Brain, the world of the Goddess Girls is established. What a great take on Greek mythology: the goddess girls go to Mount Olympus academy where Zeus is the principal, Mr. Cyclops teaches hero-ology, and the god boys are too cute for their own good. When Athena finds out she's actually the daughter of Zeus, she's whisked to Mount Olympus academy to begin her training as a goddess. The goddess girls inadvertently set off the Trojan war in hero-ology, and Athena finds herself competing for the favor of mortals (and her godly father) as she puts her smarts to use to invent something really useful. I loved this mythic romp, and Holub and Williams have done an excellent job opening up mythology to young female readers. Rock on, ladies!
In book six, Aphrodite the Diva, Aphrodite finds herself in a slump. Because of that pesky Trojan incident, she's failing hero-ology. On top of that, she gets word from earth that there's another goddess girl parading around, pretending to be the goddess of love and beauty: some chick named Isis. With her three best friends (Persephone, Athena, and Artemis), Aphrodite sets out to prove to the mortals once and for all that she's the real goddess of love. But when she meets Isis, it's hard for Aphrodite to hate her, especially as the goddess girls compete for the heart of one very annoying mortal named Pygmalion. As with the rest of the series, this is a fresh, modern take on mythology that young readers will adore.
What are you reading with the extra hour today?
No comments:
Post a Comment