Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Goddess Girls #8

Medusa the Mean

Rate this book
Medusa wants to be more like her two sisters and the other kids at Mount Olympus Academy -- immortal. Is that too much to ask? As one of the few mortals at MOA, it's hard not to get jealous when you're surrounded bybeautiful, powerful goddessgirl and godboy classmates. And it isn't easy making friends either, especially when you have snakes for hair and one mean reputation! When Medusa discovers an ad in her Teen Scrollizine for the IMMORTALIZER, a necklace that promises immortality, this lookslike it could be her best shot at the two things she covets 1) tobe as popular as the four most popular goddessgirls--Athena, Aphrodite,Persephone, and Artemis; and 2) to have her supercrush, Poseidon,finally notice her. But when the necklace brings about popularity in the totally wrong way, things go from bad to worse and Medusa fears thatshe'll never get the things she wants so much. Can this "meanie" turn it all around and prove that there's more to her that meets the eye?

257 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 3, 2012

114 people are currently reading
2554 people want to read

About the author

Joan Holub

347 books1,236 followers
NY Times bestselling children's book author:
GODDESS GIRLS series + HEROES IN TRAINING series (w Suzanne Williams); THIS LITTLE TRAILBLAZER a Girl Power Primer; ZERO THE HERO; I AM THE SHARK. Lucky to be doing what I love!

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
1,509 (53%)
4 stars
743 (26%)
3 stars
446 (15%)
2 stars
116 (4%)
1 star
31 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews
Profile Image for Jessica.
1,183 reviews87 followers
April 11, 2012
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 "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!
Profile Image for Sarah.
10 reviews3 followers
June 5, 2012
Medusa is a rock star! She really is. Once she learns how to trust and be herself, she steals the show. She can turn people into stone, stir the pot, and is easy to spot! She's more hardcore than the frat godboys and outshines the shimmering goddessgirls. Medusa should never try to be like those girls. I see more costumes of her than any of them on Halloween anyway.

Jane Austen is in the myth mix too. At first it's like, aw, this tween book is so cute! Dionysus knows Medusa needs to be praised for her talents. When he sees Medusa hurt a helpless girl's feelings, however, the carefree godboy turns into a dutiful Mr. Knightley as he scolds her harmful behavior. I half expected Dionysus to say, "Badly done, Emma. Badly done!" And just like Emma, Medusa feels unexpected hurt. It's a turning point as she journeys to being a better person.

The journey isn't easy but it's entertaining. By the way, the actual Medusa myth makes me uncomfortable. But in this version, Poseidon is actually brought to justice! Our lippy heroine chews the jerk out and realizes it's him that's boring.

And the end is happy. Thankfully, it's not the total cliché, we're-all-friends ending. Nope! Medusa is still secretly proud to call herself the Queen of Mean. I mean, Medusa is a nice girl--but not too nice! Love it!

P.S. I did have my doubts about Medusa getting her own book in a series called “Goddess Girls” because she’s…well not a goddessgirl. But she is far more interesting! Now I don’t think I can go back and read about the actual goddessgirls without snoozing.
Profile Image for ✧ hayley (the sugar bowl) ✧.
430 reviews126 followers
April 8, 2024
4 ⋆ ˚。⋆୨୧˚

ok, this book was incredible. i think medusa is my favorite character in these books (y’all know how i love the misunderstood villains with backstories, ok) and so enjoyed getting to spend time with her.

her character development in this book was pretty good for these being younger books and this one was just as cute and fun as the rest of this series. i cannot wait to continue and see more medusa in the future.


୧ ‧₊˚ 🍓 ⋅ ☆
Profile Image for Ella.
80 reviews
August 24, 2020
3.75

Like I said in my review for Medusa the Rich, she is the most interesting character in the entire series. I also like Athena. In this book you realize why Medusa is considered mean and scary to the other MOA students and learn about her backstory.
Profile Image for Gracee.
53 reviews7 followers
May 3, 2021
I had fun reading the whole series, it’s good to see mythology being incorporated into an academy setting which makes it inviting for kids. This one is about Medusa, the mean! My favorite in the series
Profile Image for Julesy.
537 reviews53 followers
May 2, 2022
I agree with other reviewers - one of the best in the series so far!
Profile Image for Alex.
668 reviews77 followers
June 26, 2012
At First Sight: As one of the few mortals allowed to attend Mount Olympus Academy, it could be said that Medusa Gorgon doesn't have it easy. And, even though she pretends not to care, she isn't above feeling both jealousy and longing for the perks that come with being immortal.

And with Principal Zeus and Hera's wedding fast approaching, Medusa feels this longing more than ever, and she's just about to realize what lengths she's willing to go for immortality and popularity.

To top it all off, 7 boys from MOA are elected to be groomsmen at the wedding, and they get to select whom the bridesmaids will be. Some have obvious choices - like everyone knows Hades will take Persephone - but some don't, and among them is Medusa's Super Crush since she was 8: Poseidon.

Medusa will do whatever it takes to win that spot, even if is Dionysius - the boy she once danced with - who is the only one going out of his way to talk to her.

Second Glance: Medusa has always been regarded as a bully at MOA, and her snake hair doesn't really help her rep. But what's really going on behind the snake-y hair and often sour disposition?

A lot of loneliness, shyness and just plain lack of social graces.

In Medusa The Mean, we finally get to know Medusa and I have to say that I really quite liked her. She's actually a very guarded person, and she has reasons to be, but she also has a softer side to her - which often just comes out with her snakes, all of whom haver personalities.

I really give kudos to the authors because while Medusa remains herself and certainly doesn't get a personality change, after reading this book I got to understand her and her actions a lot better.

Bottom Line: Medusa the Mean was a great addition to the Goddess Girls series, and I love how the series is expanding to touch on different characters, aside from the original four. And I agree with Carrie @ In the Hammock that this is one of the best entries to the series, I think it's tied in second as my over-all favorite.
Profile Image for Angelc.
422 reviews52 followers
June 19, 2012
I love all of the Goddess Girls books, but this one is possibly even tied for overall fave along with Persephone the Phony. I was almost wary of a book about the 'Queen of Mean' Medusa, but now I absolutely love her! We really got to see why she acts the way she does and understand her motivations for being so grouchy.

I totally love her snakes as well. After Athena caused her hair to turn into snakes, Medusa doesn't even see it as a bad thing, she loves her snakes like pets! The snakes hiss at people who are mean to her and always have her back when she needs help. They have their own little personalities and they were just too fun to read about.

The other Goddess Girls did make appearances in this book, but maybe not as much as in the other installments. Medusa isn't exactly best friends with them! But she does make improvements in her social skills and all of the girls do become closer in this book.

Her age-appropriate flirtation with both Poseidon and Dionysus is super cute to read about. I loved her crush shrine to Poseidon and her obliviousness that Dionysus was interested in her.

I really liked the message that comes across when Medusa tried to come out of her shell a little and actually had to make an effort to make some friends and take some risks in trusting people. I'd love to see another installment of the series from Medusa's point of view.

Run, don't walk, to read this installment of the Goddess Girls series, it's one of the best books in an already series!


sent by the authors in exchange for honest review

reviewed for http://inthehammockblog.blogspot.com

Profile Image for Joan Holub.
Author 347 books1,236 followers
December 23, 2011
Goddess Girls series, ages 8-12, Aladdin paperbacks
#1 Athena the Brain
#2 Persephone the Phony
#3 Aphrodite the Beauty
#4 Artemis the Brave
#5 Athena the Wise
#6 Aphrodite the Diva
#7 Artemis the Loyal (December 2011)
#8 Medusa the Mean (April 2012)
The Girl Games (Super Special, July 2012)
3 more GGs to come!

http://series.simonandschuster.com/Go...
From the Back Cover:
The Goddess Girls series by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams puts a modern spin on classic Greek myths! Follow the ins and outs of divine social life at Mount Olympus Academy where the most privileged godboys and goddessgirls in the Greek pantheon hone their mythical skills.
Profile Image for Arianne (morenathereader).
191 reviews16 followers
January 6, 2013
I really love it. Although th is the first book of the Goddess Girls series I read, I wasn't really confused or lost with everything else going on. I love the twists that the authors gave to the gods, goddesses and mortals alike. And I really love Medusa in this book, which surprised me because she never really come off as likable to me when I read Greek mythology. And surprise that she ended up with Dionyseus that was a shock to me. Again, I really love this book although it is a little angsty, I think, considering the age rating, but it's still a good read for kids out there, specially so they can be introduced to Greek mythology. :D Now I just wish I can read the rest of the series.
Profile Image for Elizabeth  Chang.
629 reviews12 followers
June 4, 2017
Getting to learn more about Medusa was really great. The last few books didn't really mention her, and when they did, she was usually only seen as rude and mean. I got to learn so much more about her history and her life in this book, yay! Her parents, especially, they weren't very nice, and I feel so sorry for her. Her blunt honesty is also very refreshing.
Profile Image for Payton.
411 reviews5 followers
May 4, 2013
Artemis is still in love with that guy?
Profile Image for Dolly Lwin.
13 reviews
June 5, 2015
This is a quite entertaining book but I don't think this was how Medusa got her snake hair. This is my first time reading Goddess Girls and I will try to read more of them.
Profile Image for Kristen.
804 reviews50 followers
November 16, 2018
My Blog | My Twitter

In Medusa the Mean, there are only two things Medusa really wants - to be immortal like her sisters and the popular girls and for Poseidon to like her. To achieve these dreams, Medusa decides she needs The Immortalizer, a magical necklace she saw advertised in a magazine. The problem is that it doesn’t seem to work, of course. In the course of trying to become immortal, Medusa is also trying to find the perfect wedding gift for Zeus and Hera’s upcoming wedding, try to figure out how to bond with the kindergarten buddy she’d been saddled with, and make sense of the weird visit to the Grey Ladies she’d been forced to attend. And, since this is for pre-teens, there is plenty of angst and wondering about why she kinda likes Dionysus when her crush is on Poseidon.

I actually liked this one quite a lot. I’ve enjoyed the others well enough, though I think most are too involved with crushes and getting crushes and who likes whom, and hetero-normative reinforcement. But this one, though it had its share of crushes, focused a lot more on things like why Medusa was so mean. She was one of a set of triplets, but her parents treated her like she didn’t exist. Her sisters were born immortal but not Medusa. She was bullied in her hometown and had no friends. She is excluded from everything and to protect herself from being hurt, she starts shutting people out and being mean to keep them away. Which is completely normal, and really fucking sad. This is a great example of why you treat people nicely and try not to be a dick, because it can have real repercussions for people when you aren’t.

When we were reading this together, there were many times when my daughter said she felt really bad for Medusa. So did I. It opened up a dialogue of why kindness matters, and why maybe some people behave like they do. I’ve always told her that people who are mean didn’t get enough hugs when they were children. This is why we read literature, because it teaches and reinforces empathy. I don’t like all of the GoddessGirl books very much, but this one was definitely a win.
Profile Image for Rebecca.
1,430 reviews5 followers
September 5, 2023
I love Medusa’s POV in this one. The goddess girls who have provided the viewpoints up to this, while flawed, are definitely more morally pure than Medusa certainly is. It is good to read about the main character doing bad things sometimes. And oftentimes, the mean girl isn’t the popular one, but is a desperate unpopular bully trying to attack those above her. Medusa is one of those.

But I like her. I kind of understand her, and she isn’t all bad. Her home life is terrible, and she is one of the only mortals in Mount Olympus Academy, and even her sisters are immortal. I enjoy Medusa being conniving and ambitious, and I can root for her, because in many ways, she’s better than the other goddess girls. It’s the first book narrated by a character other than the main four, and that’s great.
Profile Image for Verena.
87 reviews19 followers
September 9, 2018
Actually, this is the big, great final of the Goddess Girls series, well, before books 9-23.
Medusa and Dionysos is an unusual pairing but both characters are so authentic that it's believeable. It's one of the best books of the series. Medusa ist a snarky snake girl and she'll be the sassy heroine.
A big wedding is celebrated for Hera and Zeus, and Medusa wants to be the bridesmaid Chosen by her crush Poseidon. To get popular finally, Medusa needs a charm and she would buy it for money, with unexpected consequences. Will Medusa experience the true magic of friendship? (A quite good new take on the Medusa myth, better developed than in book 1)
More about Medusa in Medusa the Rich.
Profile Image for Narariel.
292 reviews9 followers
July 30, 2019
This gives a lot of backstory to the "mean girl" of the Mount Olympus Academy, which I found enjoyable. The reason(s) for her meanness gives a slightly different perspective on what might normally be seen as a "villainess" of the series. I think that there is both the obvious moral of "try to see through another's eyes" and a more subtle question about if "being direct" is a good thing or a bad thing. I admit, I almost didn't read this one, as I don't in general care for the snippets I've seen of Medusa in other books, but I did enjoy the book and found some sympathy for MOA's Queen of Mean.
Profile Image for Dilara.
25 reviews
November 10, 2025
Honestly just a cute and easy read. Dionysus is so sweet, honestly I did not expect him to be the love interest but it was a nice surprise.

I know the target audience is children, but I was so emotionally invested! I really felt for Medusa, given her backstory.

Overall, the book was very enjoyable and the end was satisfying. Medusa so far is the most complex character in this series, and I hope the next books don’t remove her character development. I want to see her being appreciated more by others, especially her parents! They need to feel bad!
Profile Image for Liz.
564 reviews5 followers
June 22, 2021
This edition of the Goddess Girls series features Medusa, the villain in many of the previous books in the series. After reading Medusa’s backstory, I really did start to root for her, and I’m glad the story ending with her getting what she wanted (even if she needed to take a roundabout way of getting there).
Profile Image for Cassie Hawkings.
45 reviews3 followers
December 31, 2023
Medusa is mean. However, there is more to the story. Throughout her life, she was reduced to nothing by her parents, who adored her two older sisters, who were both immortal. Despite being their triplet, Medusa is mortal.

Desperate to become immortal and get her super crush, Poseidon, to like her, Medusa puts herself in a place to get everything she wants. To make it even more interesting, there's a short time before Zeus and Hera's wedding.

How will be Medusa deal with the pressure of getting everything she has ever wanted?
3 reviews
November 9, 2018
I enjoyed this book, it was really interesting to read about a "person" with 12 snakes on their head. I really enjoyed the idea of all the Greek mortals, gods, and goddesses in a school together. I'll have to read more when I get the chance
Profile Image for Myka  Gilliam.
221 reviews2 followers
January 22, 2019
I loved this for my six-year-old! Medusa is strong and fearless but real. She is worried about normal young girl things like cute boys and friends without being worried about her body, beauty, or catty things. She stands up for people and embraces her uniqueness. My daughter loved it too!
Profile Image for Geanida Syakirina.
1 review1 follower
August 8, 2020
I loveeeeeee this book soooo much. Medusa's character here is really interesting, probably because hers is kinda relatable with mine. The storyline is also kind of adorable. Pardon me, i'm not good at writing review, i just love it so much.
Profile Image for Kara Demetropoulos.
181 reviews5 followers
March 31, 2022
A heartwarming portrayal of classic Greek mythological villainess, Medusa, as a sympathetic and relatable teenage mortal hoping (and scheming) on how to achieve immortality. Lighthearted and fun, I especially appreciated Pegasus's cameo in the end.
Profile Image for Cindi.
386 reviews8 followers
September 11, 2022
I love how this book dived deeper into Medusa's character, emotions, thoughts, and even her past. Made her feel a lot more real and much more solid character.
I also really enjoyed watching Medusa grow in this book.
3 reviews
April 20, 2023
Medusa the mean is about a young medusa who is in love with posidon. She is teased beacuse she looks like a monster and can turn people to stone. In the end it all works out when a god named hephastus falls in love and they are both boyfreind and girlfreind.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Myrtle.
290 reviews1 follower
January 29, 2019
Love it I never really thought about Medusa but now I have in a totally different way
Profile Image for Surfy.
469 reviews1 follower
November 16, 2021
Me gustó descubrir la historia de Medusa, un libro entretenido.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews

Join the discussion

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.