Athena: Grey-Eyed Goddess (Olympians) [Paperback]

George O'Connor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 13, 2010 | Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up | Series: Olympians (Book 2)

Boom! Pow! Crash!

 

Greek Gods as you’ve never seen them before!

 

The strong, larger-than-life heroes of the Olympians can summon lightning, control the sea, turn invisible, or transform themselves into any animal they choose. Superheroes? No! Greek gods. The ancient pantheon comes to explosive life in this new series where myth meets comic books. Epic battles, daring quests, and terrible monsters await readers within the pages of these books.

 

Volume 2, Athena: Grey-Eyed Goddess, is the tale of the goddess of wisdom and war, recounting her many adventures.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Grade 5–9—Five myths featuring the Greek goddess are included in this volume. Dialogue is modern ("What's gotten into you, Zeus?" "I wanna bite him!"), while narration, provided by the Fates, retains a more formal tone. A good balance is struck between exposition and action: readers familiar with these stories will enjoy seeing them brought to life with such vigor, while sufficient background is provided so that children reading about the Greek gods for the first time will not find themselves lost at sea. The family tree of the immortals is a useful tool even for the most experienced readers. O'Connor's drawings, full of energetic diagonals and expressive faces, are nicely balanced by spare settings and minimalistic backgrounds. A sophisticated color palette, full of midtones and subtle contrasts, and panel layouts that vary from page to page further distinguish the art. The author's affection for his subject is evident in a chatty note. Profiles of major characters, notes, and discussion questions appear in addition to the usual back matter. An exceptional graphic novel.—Paula Willey, Baltimore County Public Library, Towson, MD
(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

O’Connor kicked off the Olympians graphic-novel series with Zeus: King of the Gods (2010) and now follows up with the story of Zeus’ forehead spawn. Top-notch artwork and design values are used to tell five myths involving Athena, including complementary (or conflicting) stories of how she gained the Pallas moniker along with quick treatments of Perseus and Medusa and the weaver Arachne. O’Connor’s take on mythology is well researched, synthesized, and presented, yet it still maintains a stupendous superhero appeal. The next 10 planned books in the series can’t come out fast enough. Grades 5-9. --Ian Chipman --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: First Second; 1 edition (April 13, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596434325
• ISBN-13: 978-1596434325
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.3 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #97,911 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #41 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Literature > Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Horror > Superheroes
  • #50 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Literature > Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths > Greek & Roman
  • #95 in Books > Children's Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Superheroes

More About the Author

George O'Connor is the author of several picture books, including the New York Times bestseller Kapow!, Ker-Splash, and Sally and the Some-thing. His debut graphic novel, Journey into Mohawk Country, was published by First Second. O'Connor's current project is The Olympians, a series of graphic novels for young readers about Greek Mythology. He is over 7 foot tall, and is the handsomest man in the world.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Second Entry in the Series, April 26, 2010

By 

Nicola Manning (Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Athena: Grey-Eyed Goddess (Olympians) (Paperback)

Reason for Reading: Next in the series.

This second book starts off with a one page summary of volume one. It also introduces The Fates who are the storytellers of this issue. Different from Zeus, this volume is not one singular story but a collection of vignettes of Athena's creation and birth story and her other adventures. Each story, in the end, tells how Athena added to her Aegis, which became her most powerful weapon. Plus there are two versions of why she took the name Pallas Athena and of course no collection of Athena would be complete without the story of Arachne.

A superb follow-up to Zeus and I'm definitely hooked on this series. The myths are brilliantly told, following mostly exactly as I expect them to with a few exceptions plus I'm also finding a few new-to-me tales as well along the way. One thing I didn't mention in my review of Zeus, which became an invaluable resource in this issue is the Genealogical Chart on the inside cover which starts with Gaea goes straight through to the Olympians and then ventures off to show the lineage of the gods and demi-gods who one presumes will be seen in future volumes. Many characters are introduced in this volume from The Fates and The Gigantes to Pallas and Medusa and I loved being able to flip to that chart to see where everyone fit in!

I'm loving the artwork. I really appreciate the facial expressions and the uniqueness of the creatures, it really brings the myths to life in a way that an all-text version just cannot accomplish. There is a lot of violence in this volume, considering Athena is the Goddess of War, but there is no bloodshed shown, (unless you count a puddle of green Medusa blood) in keeping with the age appropriateness of the series. The only thing I'd consider of concern to parents would be their comfort level with the word "lover". Looking forward to the next volume which will concentrate on Hera.

4.0 out of 5 stars A nice introduction into Greek Mythology, February 11, 2012

By 

M. Docter "future teacher" (Wichita, Kansas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Athena: Grey-Eyed Goddess (Olympians) (Hardcover)

I picked this book up for my 8th grader for an English assingment on Athena. As a history teacher, I love finding things for struggling readers, this and other graphic novels fit the bill for many who needs the visuals while reading. There are a few "inaccuracies" (again I am a teacher) but I will not highlight those. I am thinking of getting the rest of the series for my daughter/classroom, again there are a great introduction into a subject that is close to my heart. Thank you.

5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining Mythology, October 31, 2011

By 

Double Espresso in Decaf Town "Anonym" (MN, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Athena: Grey-Eyed Goddess (Olympians) (Paperback)

I am pleasantly surprised by this whole series. I started with Zeus and just got Athena. The illustrations and dialogue are fresh and contemporary. It is a little too mature for my ten year old but he loved it just the same. I highly recommend the entire series.