Prelim Review: As a kid who grew up on the tales of gods and heroes of Greece, I wasn't sure what to expect. With the...frustration I felt over Disney's Hercules I was a little reluctant truth be told. However I shouldn't have worried. Holub and Williams kept the spirit of the tales without sacrificing (much) of the tales themselves. Much of who Athena meets and what happens, while twisted so as to fit the junior high setting and tropes, were fun takes on the real myths. How Medusa got her snakey-hair for instance or the invention of olives.

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First I should point out that I was one of those people who went to see Disney's Hercules movie and spent almost the entire movie commenting to my friends that I couldn't believe the liberties they had taken. It was pointed out to me that the actual myth was probably too hardcore for Disney (or children). I am also a fan of the television shows Hercules: the Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess, both of which took enormous liberties as well, but stuck to the mythology well enough.

I sincerely wish that the Goddess Girls book series had been around back then. Holub and Williams managed to adapt the myths of Medusa, Athena's birth, parts of the Illiad/Odyssey and even a few others into a sanitized, but entertaining read appropriate for the age group (10 ). The four Goddesses we follow are Athena, Artemis, Aphrodite and Persephone. Pandora is also a character, but as she's not a Goddess she isn't officially part of the mix. We only see a couple of the Gods--Zeus, Hermes and Poseidon--though in later books I'm sure that'll change.

I found it to be interesting that Poseidon, who is Zeus' brother, was instead shown to be significantly younger than Zeus--not quite keeping in line of things, but that's okay. Athena's transfer and adaptation to 'Olympus Junior High' is rocky, but relateable for young girls in a similar situation. Not knowing the school rules, trusting the wrong person with sensitive information, making rivals and enemies simply by being yourself--these are all things kids go through. Just because Athena happened to accidentally rain inventions down on the mortal plane or she showed up Poseidon by having Odysseus totally trounce the Trojans, well that was just fun.
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Independent Reading Level: Grades 3-7

Recommended by L. Frank (her daughter liked the series).

Young Athena receives a scroll summoning her to Mount Olympus Academy. She leaves the loving parents who have raised her, an her mortal best friend Pallas, to go to a school where her father, Zeus, is the principal. There are some mean girls (Medusa and her sisters), and everyone is crushing on Poseidon (who squishes everywhere), but Athena makes friends with Aphrodite, Artemis, and Persephone, and her invention (olives) wins the competition. For her prize, she asks if Pallas can come visit, and as she shows her friend around, she realizes that despite her worries, she has found a place where she fits in.

See also: Diana, Princess of the Amazons by Shannon Hale; Have A Hot Time, Hades by Kate McMullan ( )

I love this series. Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams are amazing at fracturing myths and legends. This is no exception to that. The Goddess Girls series are lighthearted, quirky reads featuring Greek myths and legends. Using the framework of the myths we know and love, Holub and Williams, twist these into tween friendly novels emphasising friendship and family.

In this one, Athena finds out she is the daughter of Zeus and has been invited to attend Mount Olympus Academy - the school where her dad is a principal. Athena leaves behind her mortal foster family and ascends to Mount Olympus where she meets other Goddess girls and boys and learns about her heritage and finds where she belongs. I was amused by the creative elements the authors came up with like the new classes Athena takes (Beauty-ology, Beast-ology, Hero-ology, Spell-ology and Revenge-ology), the history of the mortal inventions (the rake, the ship and the olive) and the reason behind the Trojan Wars (it was a class assignment!). I liked Athena. She was thrown in the deep end of a new family, new friends and a new school but she works hard to keep on top of her schoolwork and to put herself out there and make the best of an unusual situation. It's definitely aimed at middle grade but there's enough there to amuse older readers if not taken too seriously.

My own personal rating would be 3 stars. But for the target audience 4.5 ( )

Really cute way to teach the Hellenic deities ( )