Goddesses #1: Heaven Sent [Paperback]

Clea Hantman (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up | Series: Goddesses

Three goddesses, banished to earth by their dad, Zeus (yeah, that Zeus)...Era, on mortal boys:

"Look at him. Even the gods back home aren't that cute."

Polly, on Nova High gossip:

"I'm simply not in the mood to chatter on about silly spiteful girlsor cute Johnny Jims or sauerkraut breath."

Thalia, on earth:

"I mean, we don't know what earth is like. Maybe it's all leprechaunsand roses. Maybe it's an adventure every day. Maybe it's space-age."

Polly, Era, and Thalia are stuck on earth, and to get back to Olympus, they've got to prove they've learned their lesson. And they've got to get through high school in the meantime. Which would be hard enough without the horribly evil Furies threatening to destroy their chances of ever seeing home again....

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Hantman's (Hey, Day!) flighty tale (which begins, "Oh, poop!") launches the Goddesses series, starring a trio of Zeus's daughters. They, along with six other sisters, are known as the Muses. At the prodding of their vindictive stepmother, Hera, Zeus banishes practical Polly, innocent Era and headstrong Thalia from the heavens as punishment for a prank. Though the aging god intends to send them to the Athens of 423 B.C., he bumbles his order and instead the teens land in Athens, Ga., in 2001. Tapping the comical potential of their predicament, sassy narrator Thalia gets the story off to a spirited start, as the sisters initially confront clothing fads, modern appliances and the lifestyle and lingo of contemporary mortal high school students. The author successfully interjects several incidents reminiscent of slapstick alien routines (on the first day of school, ravenous Era bites into a candy bar without removing the wrapper), yet the gag soon grows old and the narrative becomes repetitious and sluggish. Thalia discloses her relationship with her best friend and suitor, the love-smitten Apollo, in flashbacks, and intermittently offers flippant snippets of Greek mythology ("I have eight sisters total, so there are nine of us. We're Goddesses of inspiration, Goddesses of the arts, and a real kick at parties"). Unfortunately, they may not be enough of a kick to hook readers on subsequent installments of their earthly exploits. Ages 10-up.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grades 6-9--Three Muses, Thalia, Era, and Polly, give their deity Daddy, Zeus, a rough ride after hexing their stepmother, Hera, with a "makeunder" from Hades. Zeus doles out severe punishment by banishing his girls to time out in Athens, GA, as modern-day high school students. The only way back is for the teens to pass their father's test and defeat age-old arch enemies, the Furies, who have likewise enrolled in Athens High. This tale, winding teenspeak around Greek choruses and legends, will appeal to hip adolescents up for a new take on an old tale. The story, while modest, develops easily around its simple plot and promises follow-up titles in the series. Characters are engaging and footnotes help update readers on classical genealogy. Blending magic with girl power, this novel is a clever marriage of two genres-myth and contemporary teen novel-and a fresh addition to YA collections.
Lisa Denton, Oneida-Herkimer School Library System, Utica, NY
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; 1st Avon Ed edition (February 5, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0064408752
• ISBN-13: 978-0064408752
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,191,402 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The hilarious first book in the Goddesses series., February 5, 2002

By 

Rebecca Herman (USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Goddesses #1: Heaven Sent (Paperback)

As muses and daughters of Zeus, Era, Polly, and Thalia live a cushy, spoiled life on Mt. Olympus. The girls are teenagers in human years, and certainly act like it. Thalia is desperate to avoid an arranged marriage, because even though she likes the guy, she's not ready to give up her freedom. She persuades Era and Polly to help her, but their plan goes awry, and their evil stepmother forces Zeus to banish the girls to Earth. But Zeus messes up, and instead of ending up in ancient Greece, they find themselves sent far into the future, to Athens, Georgia, in the year 2002. Without their powers to help them, how will they survive living on their own, without servants, and more importantly, how will they survive the terror known as high school? I highly recommend this light, fluffy and very funny fantasy to readers who'd love a good laugh.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars best book ever!!!!!!!, March 17, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Goddesses #1: Heaven Sent (Paperback)

I bought this book at my schools book fair and am I glad I did!!!!! Its such an awesome book you really get into it. Thalia Polly and Era are really cool and their situations are really interesting. read it, you'll enjoy it!! i ordered #2.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, March 19, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Goddesses #1: Heaven Sent (Paperback)

When the Thalia made a mistake Thalia and her sisters had to undo their mistakes by learning. They were put on earth. There was a problem. The furies went to earth too. Now they must outsmart them. I loved this book. It was awsome !! I loved the comedy and ecxitment...