First sentence: Tap. Tap. Athena pushed the buttons on the tablet she held.
Premise/plot: Athena, the heroine, is transported from the 'real' world to a magical one--Mount Olympus--in this early chapter book published by Simon & Schuster.
The first chapter is called "Hello Brick Road!" That should give readers a BIG, BIG, BIG, BIG clue as to what the plot is in this one.
My thoughts: My true first reaction was WHY?!?! I guess I was expecting MORE (actual) Greek mythology and less imitation Wizard of Oz. Because let's be honest, the story, the characters, everything is essentially just a remix of Wizard of Oz. Medusa stars as the Wicked Witch. And she's after the SANDALS with wings that have tied themselves to Athena's feet. Athena, meanwhile, just wants to GO BACK HOME. So she's told by a good goddess--not a good witch--to just follow the road to see the great god, Zeus. She's told she'll make A LOT OF NEW FRIENDS if she stays on the road.
Perhaps if I was seven or eight. Perhaps if the writing was A+++. I don't know. It shouldn't come as a big surprise that as an adult I found this one a little lacking. I am not the target audience. And reading is subjective. There is nothing inappropriate or "wrong" with this one. I am just a little confused as to why this story needs to be retold with "Greek" inspired names.
© 2019 Becky Laney of Young Readers
No comments:
Post a Comment