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Heroes of Olympus    by Philip Freeman, Laurie Calkhoven & Drew Willis Amazon.com order for
Heroes of Olympus
by Philip Freeman
Order:  USA  Can
Simon & Schuster, 2012 (2012)
Hardcover, e-Book
* *   Reviewed by Bob Walch

Aimed at readers eight years of age and older, this retelling of the stories from Greek mythology is based on Philip Freeman's Oh My Gods. Divided into sections that include Gods, Goddesses, Heroes, Lovers, and Rome, these general headings are supplemented by specific chapters on Hercules, Oedipus, Jason and the Argonauts, Troy, Mycenae, Odysseus, and Aeneas.

Laurie Calkhoven's adaptation of Freeman's work makes these timeless stories accessible to young readers. The illustrations sprinkled throughout the book are an attractive way of pulling the reader into some of the stories.

Mainly because they contain so many fantastic creatures and a generous dollop of fast paced action and violence, Greek myths are still interesting to young readers. This chapter book is an excellent way of moving the youngster from the picture book editions of Greek heroes to the actual stories.

There are other versions (translations) of these stories, such as the Bullfinch and the Hamilton editions, which I was exposed to in school, but I guess this one is as good as any to take the young reader to the next level of Greek literature. Hopefully, down the road, the complete and unabridged versions will be read.

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