Martin Brown (1) (1959–)

The Horrible Histories are a brilliant series that presents facts, mythologies and even basic philosophy of major eras through time. This one looks at the Ancient Greeks and focuses on the traditions that have moved through the modern world while using humor to show what's changed. At the beginning of the book, there is a timeline and then an introduction to the gods before going through the well know city states such as Athens and Sparta. Also a small history of Alexander the Great is show more included and a reference to the Romans at the end though what makes this book such a treat are all the smaller sections that deal with the cultures of Greece since they add a fuller picture.

The illustrations and cartoons bring everything to life so that the reader isn't even aware of the history until the end. By pairing this book with Percy Jackson and the Sword of Hades, a young reader gets two different and clever ways to enter into the world of ancient history as they follow Percy's story but then move to humorous facts about the Greeks.

In terms of age, this book is appropriate for a variety since the cartoons are more accessible for the older elementary school student but an older reader will enjoy the depth found in the narrative. show less

I loved this little novella in the Percy Jackson series. We got to see Percy working with Thalia and Nico again, which was cool. We also meet a new god and take on a "mini" challenge. However, even though it was a novella and much shorter than the other books, it was still packed with excitement and adventure and had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Some novellas feel rushed and too short, but this one didn't and that's a huge accomplishment.

I love Rick Riordan's writing style and characterization. I have always enjoyed mythology and he does a great job of bring any and all mytholgy to life in a fresh and new way. I find the characters to be engaging and to feel really real. His characters feel fresh and diverse without feeling like he makes them diverse just to have diversity. He does not belabor the point of their diversity it just is a fact of who they are and yet anyone who reads his books can feel included in show more representation. I love how he weaves the mythology into modern times so you feel like you are learning something as you are being entertained. show less

This is five star read... five stars because I am going to recommend it to everybody.

I totally agree with the author we don't need any more media on the A list critters. We need to learn just how diverse the different lineages are, and what kinds of adaptations some less-familiar animals have evolved. For example, the Tamandua, a sort of anteater, lives up in the trees and has a spray that is worse than a skunks!

The book is well-designed, too, with a consistent template of key facts show more including range, a humorous line or two in the text, an easy way to visualize the size of each, and terrific artwork. I normally don't have the patience for factoid books, but I did read every word of this one! show less