Staff Review: "Zeus and the Thunderbolt of Doom" by Joan Holub

"Greetings, Mortal Readers,
I am Pythia, the Oracle of Delphi, in Greece. I have the power to see the future. Hear my prophecy:

Ahead I see dancers lurking. Wait--make that danger lurking. (The future can be blurry, especially when my eyeglasses are foggy.)"

Our Oracle of Delphi is easily confused and so is our intrepid hero, Zeus. We meet Zeus as a 10 year old boy who has been raised by a goat, a nymph and a bee named Melissa. He also spends a lot of time trying to dodge lightening bolts. When Zeus is captured by three half-giants, the adventure begins. The half-giants work for King Cronus and if they don't eat him for dinner, they will take Zeus to Cronus. Anyone familiar with the basic Greek myths knows what happens next. 

This is a humorous retelling of how the Greek gods come to fulfill their destinies. I recommend it for kids who are not old enough to dig into the Percy Jackson series. Good for third and fourth graders and reluctant readers. I would definitely read this aloud to second graders and up.  "Zeus and the Thunderbolt of Doom" is the first in the Heroes in Training series written by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams. 

--Desiree S. HQ