Suzanne Williams (1)

I love this series. Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams are amazing at fracturing myths and legends. This is no exception to that. The Goddess Girls series are lighthearted, quirky reads featuring Greek myths and legends. Using the framework of the myths we know and love, Holub and Williams, twist these into tween friendly novels emphasising friendship and family.

In this one, Athena finds out she is the daughter of Zeus and has been invited to attend Mount Olympus Academy - the school where her show more dad is a principal. Athena leaves behind her mortal foster family and ascends to Mount Olympus where she meets other Goddess girls and boys and learns about her heritage and finds where she belongs. I was amused by the creative elements the authors came up with like the new classes Athena takes (Beauty-ology, Beast-ology, Hero-ology, Spell-ology and Revenge-ology), the history of the mortal inventions (the rake, the ship and the olive) and the reason behind the Trojan Wars (it was a class assignment!). I liked Athena. She was thrown in the deep end of a new family, new friends and a new school but she works hard to keep on top of her schoolwork and to put herself out there and make the best of an unusual situation. It's definitely aimed at middle grade but there's enough there to amuse older readers if not taken too seriously.

My own personal rating would be 3 stars. But for the target audience 4.5 show less

What a cute story!

This was my second book that I read in the Goddess Girls series. It's a middle grade series that takes the classic myths and puts a modern spin to them. It's centered around the goddesses of Greek mythology as their tween selves-- all attending MOA, Mt. Olympus Academy.

I really enjoyed reading about Athena, Aphrodite, Artemis, and Persephone as they held the first ever girl Olympics. Of course the godboys were also part of the story-- each girl has a crush (hint: the show more crushes are all their would-be mates). Each girl battles different anxieties with the upcoming games. MOA is hosting girls from all around the world. We get Norse goddesses! Chinese goddesses and Egyptian goddesses in this book and I loved that. I'm such a sucker for mythology, and I love how the authors made it fit the middle grade genre, pushing the creativity of various myths and mythical heroes and gods.

I definitely recommend these books to young girls. My niece loves this series, and I'm glad she does. There's just the right amount of kissing (cheek kissing) and hand-holding. It also teaches wonderful messages about girl-on-girl jealousies. It's a well known fact girls can be terribly mean and spiteful. Young girls need too earn how to deal with these situations if they're ever targeted or bullied and how to make the situation better and maybe eventually even become friends after understanding what motivates a young woman to, for example, flirt with your crush! I also actually find it refreshing that the goddess girls are popular. No, not totally stereotypically popular. They're just a group of talented girls who are friends and have a lot of friends. They don't endorse mean behavior, and are only "popular" because they're nice to everyone and like to have fun. It's wonderful. show less

If you haven't yet discovered The Goddess Girls Series, allow me to introduce you. This wonderful set of books is all about mixing classic mythology with modern day girls and guys. Trust me, it's a ton of fun to read! Although these books are slated for Middle Graders, I see no reason why older aged readers wouldn't like them as well. After all, I'm almost 30, and I love them still!

In this particular installment, we get to see a lot further into Medusa's past and why she earned the title show more "Queen of Mean". The thing is, Medusa isn't really all that bad! Sadly she's just been told her whole life that she isn't special, and that she shouldn't try. Now here is why I love Medusa as a character. Despite everything else, this girl has dreams! She works hard for them and I see her as a way to teach young readers that if you work hard for something, chances are you can achieve it.

What's really sweet about Medusa the Mean is that you get to see her blossom. Making new friends, realizing that sometimes you have to trust others, and even finally seeing how her "supercrush" really is on the inside. The story line in this book is so fun! It's quick moving, there are silly jokes, and the way that the characters interact is perfect. I loved the fact that in this book Medusa is no longer just the "mean girl" character. She really comes into her own, and it's fabulous!

Long story short, this is a great series and Medusa the Mean is no exception to that rule! If you have a young reader at home, put this book into their hands. These work great as standalone novels, or you can go back to beginning and let them experience the whole series. Either way, these are sure to be a hit in your home! show less

Cinderella Stays Late is the first novel in the Grimmtastic Girls series by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams. It is a charming and delightful twist on Cinderella's fairy tale for middle grade readers, ages 8-12. This is an excellent story to share with your child due to the number of references to fairy tales and key authors of children's literature such as the Brothers Grimm, Perrault, and Anderson. This is a PERFECT springboard into teaching kids about the classics — and teaching kids was show more the point of these classic children's tales in the first place!

I loved all the fairy tale allusions in this book. For example, Cinda's father repairs bridges and he's currently repairing London Bridges, which are falling down. And then there's the school secretary, Ms. Jabberwocky, who breathes fire and speaks nonsense, but after a while, the nonsense starts to make sense (I LOVED seeing some Lewis Carroll!).

Holub further engages the reader's interest by adding her own unique twist on Cinderella's story. Her stepsisters (aka the Steps) use Cinderella to get the prince to fall in LIKE with them —like not love — a very age-appropriate amendment. This story is about Cinderella going to the school ball to figure out what evil scheme the Steps are plotting, and to make sure that good wins out. However, kids will still find some of the classic elements in the story, such as the glass slipper, the magic wand, the ball, the concept of "until midnight", and more.

Furthermore, Cinderella Stays Late is an extremely relatable story. Cinda is the new girl at school, she doesn't have pretty dresses, she prefers sports over girly activities like dancing, she's teased, and she comes from a fractured family. Young readers can dive into the story for the magic and fairy tale characters, but they can also find themselves in Cinderella's insecurities and flaws, and in her hopes and dreams.

I'm still surprised by how much I love this book. It's engaging on so many levels and is an easy, light, and sweet happily-ever-after. Cinda has some unanswered questions at the end that leave the reader to think about and decide. For example, Cinderella wonders if the prince likes her. But even with all the questions Cinderella has, as with every fairy tale, there is a morale that young and impressionable girls will benefit from hearing.

There are more important things in life than worrying over whether or not a boy likes you — being yourself, school, friends, and above all, making sure good wins over evil.

4 Stars show less