Oh. My. Gods. (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: stupid island, evil stepsister, Coach Lenny, Pacific Park, Griffin Blake (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up—Phoebe Castro is a distance runner who plans on winning a full-ride cross-country scholarship to USC with her two best friends. Then her mother returns from a family reunion abroad with a Greek fiancé who runs a private school and announces that she and Phoebe will be moving to an island in the Aegean. The news gets worse as the teen arrives to find out that there is no scheduled ferry service from the island. To top off everything, she learns that every other student is descended from one or more Greek gods. Her new stepfather tells her that she cannot share this fact with anyone, for the safety of everyone on Serfopoula. Things seem to be looking up when she meets an absolutely gorgeous guy while running on the beach and, despite her lack of divine ancestry, she is granted a provisional place on the cross-country team. The IMs fly back and forth between Greece and southern California, magical hijinks abound, and classes and practice keep the protagonist busy. The story is part "Harry Potter," part Rick Riordan's The Lightning Thief (Hyperion/Miramax, 2005), and part shojo, and it will keep teens, particularly girls, reading to find out if Phoebe will finally fit in, get her crush, and make the team.—Eric Norton, McMillan Memorial Library, Wisconsin Rapids, WI
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Review

The story is part "Harry Potter," part Rick Riordan's The Lightning Thief and part shojo, and it will keep teens, particularly girls, reading. -- School Library Journal

The mythological concept elevates the usual high-school dramas...to new heights. Funny and light, this tale is a romance of Olympian proportions. -- Kirkus Reviews

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile (May 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525479422
• ISBN-13: 978-0525479420
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #703,729 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Story Siren Reviews:, May 2, 2008

By	The Story Siren "Kristi" (Indiana) - See all my reviews

If Phoebe Castro can keep her grades up and have another stellar cross-country season, her dream of attending USC with her best friends is only a track scholarship away. She's made all her plans, so it's a complete shock when her mom announces she's marring a mysterious stranger and moving them halfway around the world to- Greece.

Phoebe's stuck on a secret island in the Aegean attending the super-exclusive Academy, where her new stepfather is the headmaster and the kids are anything but your average students- they are descendants of the Greek gods, superpowers included. That's right, Greek gods are no myth! If Phoebe thought high school was hard, she knows this is going to be mortal misery.

Securing that scholarship seems like Phoebe's only ticket out of Greece, but training and maintaining her grades will be grueling, even without a sabotaging stepsister from Hades and a gorgeous guy- what a god!- who just might be her Achilles' heel. One thing is for sure- summoning the will to win and finding her place among the gods could be Phoebe's toughest course yet.

The Greek gods get a makeover in this romantic odyssey of mythic proportion."

(This is the summary from the back of the book, I thought it was to great to pass up, and I don't think summarizing is one of my strong points!)

I don't even know where to start! I guess first off, I should say that I've been looking forward to reading this book since I first heard about it, I'm a huge fan of Greek Mythology. So, to say that I was expecting a lot going into it, doesn't quite cover it. I don't know if anyone else does this, but I always look at the thickness I have left of a book to read once I start a good reading spell, and I either think two things; 1.) okay I only have this much more to go. Or 2.) oh no! This is all that's left! This book definitely falls under the later. I loved Childs writing style, and her interruption of the Greek gods. What is so good about this book is the reality mixed with the myth. I mean, we have a honest portrayal of a girl struggling to make sense of the world, and it works even a mythical one. The characters are distinctive, and each portrayal of their god or goddess remains in tact within the distinctiveness. What else can I say, I absolutely loved it. I loved the story, Phoebe, her struggles and triumphs, and of course the catalyst to any good romance, the boys. What else could you want?

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I couldn't put it down!, May 15, 2008

By	Lark Howard (Houston, Texas United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Poor Phoebe is dragged off to a Greek island, away from her best friends, only to learn her new stepfather is headmaster at a school for the descendents of the Greek gods. Unless she can keep up her grades and make the track team, she'll lose her scholarship to USC and the chance to return home for college. But how does a girl hold her own against super-kids determined to make her life miserable? And then there's her track nemisis Griffin, too gorgeous for even a Greek god.

Luckily I started this book on a Saturday afternoon because I read it in one sitting and immediately wanted more. (Yes, I've heard there's a sequel coming but not quickly enough!!!)I loved Phoebe and her friends, both old and new. Mythology is cleverly woven into the story but never takes over. Although it's a young adult book, it's so original and fun, even adults will enjoy it. Buy it. Now.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars More lightning bolts, please, July 1, 2008

By	Travis Forsyth Sherman (St. Petersburg, Fl United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This cute teen romance makes a very attractive package. Great cover art and a catchy title spelled out in bold pink and blue give Oh. My. Gods. excellent shelf appeal and that does matter. On a quick thumb through, the compelling first person narrative is a grabber.
Phoebe is a brilliant runner with her future mapped out until her mom comes home from a family reunion in Greece engaged to be married to the headmaster of an exclusive academy located on an Aegean island. Phoebe has to spend her senior year there and - surprise!!! - these are no ordinary kids. They're the descendants of Greek gods, with godlike good looks and godlike powers.
The success of fantasy worlds depends on the richness of detail in the vision of the creator, often revealed through unusual characters and their uniquely different views of the world. Unfortunately, we've all met Childs' stereotypes many, many times before, and despite Childs' snappy dialog, they are no more likeable here. The bitchy blonde with her incredibly cute boyfriend, the "nice" best friend, the mom who tries to be so understanding and know-it-all Phoebe herself... On the whole, this quick summer read is a tale of Greek gods and goddesses that could use a few more lightning bolts.