Review: Hit the Road, Helen!

Title: Hit the Road, Helen!
Author: Kate McMullan
Publisher: Capstone

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Synopsis from Book:

When Paris and Helen decide to hit the road together, it means more trouble than they can imagine for both themselves and the people of Troy. But who says Helen is entirely at fault? Sure she had a face that launched a thousand ships . . . but she also had a little interference from the meddling god of love and his mother, Aphrodite. Think you know the truth behind the Greek myths? Think again. Hades is here to set you straight once more on the true story of the Trojan War.

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A current trend in children's literature is that of Greek and Roman Mythology. Rick Riordian (who wrote the Percy Jackson books) and others have made this a favorite genre-and so, I believe this Myth-O-Mania series would be equally popular. I had never heard of it before I read this book nor did I know it was number nine in its series. Perhaps if I had, I would have enjoyed it more.

What I did enjoy was the author's writing style. It was quite good and entertaining. What also made this book unique was that it was written from Hades's, "Lord of the Underworld," point of view. Perhaps all books in the series are like that; I am not an authority on that. Hades was a very funny character and I'll admit it, I kept picturing the animated Hades from Disney's Hercules.

However, I have discovered something about myself: I am not a fan of Greek mythology. All of the gods and goddesses run together for me. The obvious ones are easy enough to handle, but Hit the Road, Helen! drifted into territories where there were too many people. I skimmed several portions of the book.  Partly because it was formulaic (i.e. I knew after he had one interaction with certain gods how the rest would go). Partly.....I wasn't as interested as I wish I had been.

That being said, I think most middle graders will love it. There is an element of comedy that the kids will enjoy and the myths are presented in a whole new way. (Thus making it not boring for young readers). It will also appeal to what is current--and publishing is all about giving the masses what they want.

So while I might not read one again, I can definitely recommend it to fans of Zeus and Hades, Aphrodite, and the like ;-)

Review: Fairy Tale Comics

Title: Fairy Tale Comics
Author: Chris Duffy (Editor)
Publisher: First Second

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Comic books and graphic novels are one of the current trends. Kids like reading books with lots of pictures, where they can see the action unfold before their eyes as opposed to descriptive verse they must dissect. Biographies are beginning to make an appearance in cartoon form and now, apparently, are fairy tales.

Every child loves fairy tales, but I can tell that this will be an even more beloved item on library and bookstore shelves. Within this volume can be found the classics--such as "Goldilocks and the Three Bears"--to lesser known stories from other nations. Fairy Tale Comics could have stayed in a Brothers Grimm, Charles Perrault bubble and they didn't; I applaud them for that. However, on the flip side, and my slight criticism, some kids might dislike the fact that they do not know the stories. It's a gamble to be sure and one I am intrigued to see how it will pay off. Many kids are drawn to books because they know them and when they don't, they put them aside in favor of something else. While I do not see that being the case here, it is a remote possibility...

However, the beauty and secret lies in this: each story has been illustrated by a different cartoonist. I could say that there are similarities and yet, that would be a lie. No two stories look the same. My personal favorites were those stories done by Brett Helquist (who also illustrated The Series of Unfortunate Events), Raina Telgemeier (creator of the graphic novel, Smile), and Luke Pearson (a UK cartoonist). The more I am around kids, the more that I discover that while they like the familiar, they do like being surprised, especially where illustrations are concerned. It's that "wow factor" that is so crucial of which to be in possession. As they read through Fairy Tale Comics, I can imagine how they will enthusiastically turn the page, wanting to see just what illustrations come next.

I will readily admit, I am not the biggest comic book fan; I skim them more than anything. Yet I see huge marketing potential. I see fairy tale aficionados soaking this book up. I see kids grabbing it off library shelves as they grab their Big Nate and Calvin and Hobbes  comic books. That is a good thing.

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Thanks to NetGalley and First Second Books for an ARC of this book.
Fairy Tale Comics will be released on Sept. 23, 2013