Customer Reviews

Pandora Gets Jealous (Pandora (Hardback))

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I was completely blown away by how incredilbly good this book was. I know this is a bold statement, but I would compare it with the best of Gregory Maguire (Wicked, Son of a Witch, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister). It combines Greek myth, history, modern refrences, adventure and a laugh out loud sense of humor.

When your father is an immortal Titan, your mother is a personal assistant to Zeus (and she is quite a beauty), your uncle holds the weight of the world on his shoulders and you are a demi-god, you would think that life would be a breeze. But not so for 13-year-old Pandora Atheneus Andromaeche Helena (but you can call her Pandy). Pandy has a lot to live up to. The other maidens at school are always picking on her because she is somewhat plain looking and has an overbite and freckles. Her grades are less than perfect and her best friend is a relative of Medusa. Poor Pandy always feels like a dissapointment to her god-like parents and she wants nothing more than to make them proud of her and she wants to show the rest of her class that she is special. Which is why she brings a box containg all the evil and misery of the world to school for a class project. She's sure she will get an alpha on this project and make everyone proud.

Unfortunately, the box is accidentally opened and the evils are released into the air in colorful puffs of smoke. This will not make her father happy. The rest of the gods and goddesses are even less happy about her mistake. She is summoned to a council to receive her punishment, which is to recapture what she has released onto humanity, and she doesn't have much time to do it. It's a big task for a little girl but she will never be alone in her quest. She has friends in very high places. So she sets off on her journey to capture the first evil, jealousy.

Pandora's story is loaded with adventure and hilarity. For example, we find out that the reason Zues' wife Hera dislikes Pandy has something to do with cookies, Hermes actually had the first cell phone and the goddess Demeter promises to help rid the world of "cooties". I laughed out loud and was at the edge of my seat. Also, if you are not familiar with Greek myhtolgy and terms, not to worry. There is a handy glossary in the back of the book with definitions and correct pronunciations.

Pandora Gets Jealous is a book not to be missed, and will be enjoyed by all ages. The next book in the series is Pandora Gets Vain, and I eagerly await it's release. It looks like I have another favorite series!

[...]

What a wonderful book for any tween-teen that loves mythology! It's also great for those adults who also love the "Classics". Carolyn Hennesy weaves a tale based on Greek characters that is nothing short of fantastic. Pandora Atheneus Andromaeche Helena --"Pandy" attends Goddess School and must complete a project. She accidentally opens that famed box and all heck breaks loose! Rich in vocabulary and detail, this book is sure to be a classic on it's own. I really recommend it to teachers that are studying Greek mythology. It's a captivating chapter book to read aloud to the class or assign for extra credit. By the way, any book that comes with it's own glossary has to be fascinating! I'm so glad this is just the first in a very promising series.

In the times of ancient Greece, humans worshipped the Gods of Olympus. But there came a time when Zeus grew angry that humans weren't as reverent of the gods as they should be. And so, he took fire from the earth as punishment, plunging the earth into darkness. The Titan, Prometheus, took pity on man. He stole the fire from Mt. Olympus and returned it to earth. For his actions, Prometheus suffered many punishments. One of them was a box that Prometheus was condemned to care for. Inside the box the gods had placed evils and plagues that should never be unleashed on the earth or they would cause unbearable anguish. Along with the plagues, Athena placed one gift; Hope. The box was sealed and Prometheus took it into his care. "Prometheus was tormented and troubled. And then he married. And then he had a daughter. And then...she turned thirteen."

Pandora Atheneus Andromaeche Helena, "Pandy" to her friends, is the only daughter of the Titan, Prometheus. She has just turned thirteen and is officially a "maiden" now. The problem is, her life is so boring. While there are people all over Greece doing wonderful, heroic things, Pandy and her friends Iole and Alcie are still in school. To make matters worse, a big project is due. Pandy must find a way to show the presence of the gods in everyday life. She knows she has to come up with something amazing this year. And then, Pandy finds a box that belongs to her father; the one that he has been entrusted with. It couldn't hurt to borrow it for just a little while, right?

After Pandy's project, the box opens, unleashing all of the evils into the world. Pandy manages to close the box before the last item escapes. Hope is left, trapped in the box. Now Zeus has told Pandy that she must find each plague and return it to the box. It is a task she must complete without the help of her father. To make matters worse, Hera has it in for Pandy. None of the gods would dare defy Hera to help Pandy, would they? So, Pandy sets out, her two best friends at her side, to rescue mankind from the doom that has engulfed it. Her first task is to find Jealousy, and return it to the box. Pandy has a time limit in which to rid the world of these evils. Is there any way a maiden can accomplish such a daunting task?

PANDORA GETS JEALOUS is a funny, entertaining look at a familiar Greek tale. The characters are very modern and down-to-earth, including the gods who bicker like siblings. The first book in a series, PANDORA GETS JEALOUS introduces readers to a character and an adventure that they are sure to look forward to for many books to come!

Reviewed by: JodiG.

I love myths. And the idea of a female heroine who is not in the romantic genre or needs rescuing is something that we need more of. She's flawed, curious, not drop dead gorgeous for a demigoddess. She's nirmal looking and acts like a typical girl. I thought, it's nice to see something like this.

Perhaps, just perhaps, we'll get a heroine that Hera will back - because Zeus is dead set against Prometheus. That whole "He tricked him twice and humiliated him" thing and her being his daughter seemed to be practically a guarantee. We know how much Zeus loves to hold onto his grudges.

I thought, it'll be like when she backed Jason and the Argonauts, much to Zeus' displeasure. Though he couldn't do much about it since he had given her his word that he would let her help him.

Instead, we got the same old kind of plot in which Hera is portrayed in a stereotypical light. Why? In this day and age, if we can modernize the gods and goddesses, why are we still following that trend with Hera? And Hera, being unattractive? Yeah, because Zeus would have chased her for 300 years b/c we all know he's about inner beauty.

Plus her vision of Hepheastus just threw me out of the story entirely. The god was lamed, crippled, not undeveloped. He's the god of the forge for goodness sake. There's no way he could do that work if he really was as described.

So, I couldn't like it. I give it 2 stars b/c Pandy was interesting. But otherwise, this book was a dud.

What can I say about this book? It is an absolutely wonderful read and young and old alike will love it. It's been awhile since I've read such a book with this much fun. It is a beautiful written tale about youth and all the ups and downs to come with it. Carolyn Hennesey does and amazing job writing and getting the story told. It was a wonderful surprise when I got it, I didn't know what to except but I was Pleasantly surprised and now can't wait to read them all. I hope everyone young and young at heart reads this book they wont be disappointed.

Fresh out of the box comes a fun new series of books by Carolyn Hennesy called Mythic Miss-Adventures. Aimed at tween readers, the books retell the Greek myth of Pandora's Box in a humorous way, utilizing fairly contemporary language while retaining the original setting of Ancient Greece and populating the story with gods and mortals.

As the legend goes, Pandora carried a box which contained the seven evils of mankind: envy, vanity, lying, greed, slander, pining, and hope. In this book, a teenaged Pandora brings the ill-fated box to school for a project. Her show-and-tell goes horribly wrong when a popular girl accidentally opens the box, expelling all of the contents except for hope. Pandora is then sent on a quest to collect the evils she's unleashed upon the world.

In the first book, Pandora Gets Jealous, Pandora opens the box, meets the gods, and heads out on her quest. Along the way, readers not only meet Pandora and her family and friends, but also her diary, a wolfskin complete with a head, to whom Pandora can dictate journal entries - making the diary/wolf kind of like a tape recorder! Her friends and her dog offer support and loyalty, refusing to Pandora go on her journey alone and falling in step with her as she seeks out jealousy in its truest form.

If the other books in The Mythic Miss-Adventures books are as funny and light as Pandora Gets Jealous, then they'll definitely gain a following. Hopefully, they will inspire readers to read interpretations of the original Greek myths too.

Its not often that I open a book and am unable to put it down. "Pandora Gets Jealous" is one of those rare books that I found myself glued to from beginning to end. Very well written, detailed and fun, the adventure of Pandy is a must read for teens and adults too. I'm over 40 and I was entralled by this tale. Carolyn Hennesy has created a wonderful story and I look forward to the next adventure of Pandy and her friends.

Pandora Atheneus Andromaeche Helena (Pandy) is a curious 13-year-old maiden who enjoys her friends, fashionable togas and boys. She attends an all-girl academy and hasn't got a clue what she will bring to school for the annual project. When she finds a box under her parents sleeping pallet, she remembers a story about her father (Prometheus) and a `certain' situation that happened long ago.

The box contains seven horrible evils (and a number of lesser evils) that if opened and released, all of mankind will suffer forever. The only thing contained in the box of any help is Hope. Since Pandy hasn't done very well on earlier school projects, the box sounds just perfect. She just might get an alpha (A) on the project.

But not everything goes as planned. The box is opened and all the evil and misery and darkness in the world are unleashed. Pandy is called before Zeus and all of the other immortals, and in order to save her life and her family from eternal torture (the jury is still out on her mom who just happened to find herself on the floor in a heap of ashes), Pandy must collect all of the world's evils in six phases of the moon. If she doesn't, well let's just say it won't be good.

There are good characters and there are evil characters. Sometimes you don't know who is friend and who is foe. But the adventure that Pandy begins (accompanied by two friends) is one that will challenge her beyond anything she's ever experienced.

Carolyn Hennesy spins a fascinating and modern tale based on Greek mythology. Young girls will devour it and impatiently wait for the next. And I'm sure there will be a next as only one evil is addressed in the first book. As a help to the reader, a glossary of terms will be helpful to anyone unfamiliar with mythology.

I am glad this is just the first in a very promising series.

Armchair Interviews says: A winner!

Being an adult, mother of two kids I was not sure if this book was for me. Boy, am I glad I did not listen to my first instinct! This book was fantastic - filled with witty one-liners, twists and turns and some modern references that made it impossible to put down. I found myself holding it while making dinner and rushing to it at night until I finished in just a couple of days. I highly recommend this book. Carolyn Hennesy has started a fantastic journey that I hope goes on and on and I hope she takes a stab at adult fiction sometime too!!

This was a page turner from page one! I loved it and could not get enough of it! The story has fun characters, great pacing and the right mix of adventure and silliness. It is a must read and I eagerly await the next book in the series, which I am told will be out in August! Kudos to Carolyn Hennesy, she has created the next big must read series!!!!