The Odyssey

by Tania Zamorsky (Adapted by), Homer, Eric Freeberg

Homer's epic tale of the warrior Odysseus's decades-long struggle to return home after the Trojan War is simply and beautifully retold, with all the drama intact. Young readers will thrill at Odysseus's adventures with the man-eating Cyclops; the enchantress Circe, who turns his crew into pigs; and the angry sea god Poseidon.

Genres: Classics, Childrens, Fantasy, Mythology, Poetry, Childrens Classics, Classic Literature

160 pages, ebook

First published June 7, 2011

Reviews

[Karah Kinnett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is labeled in the Classic Starts and is a retelling of the original from Homer. This novel is written in a way that would be easier for younger students to understand, so as a future educator I could see myself using this particular version for third graders in partner with an introduction into Greek Mythology. One of the main things I liked about this novel was the language and how easy it was to read and understand except there were a few character names that were tricky at first to pronounce. I also liked the story and how the novel gave such details in discussing the Greek Gods and Goddesses.
Based on what I’ve learned throughout this week I would say that this story is a mixture of both a Myth and a Legend. This story falls into the Myth category based on the fact it deals with the Greek Gods and Goddesses. It has supernatural aspects (With Zeus and the powers of Athena). These gods and goddesses are controlling what is happening to the main character Odysseus and mainly punishing him for his deeds, mainly Poseidon since Odysseus blinded his son. This is all occurring since Odysseus is trying to make his journey home since the ending of the Trojan War.
It connects to the aspect of a Legend because of the historical events, like the Trojan War. So, this story has historical events and individuals with supernatural aspects added into it. It has real-life people from that time period, like Odysseus, Penelope, and the people of Sparta. Then added with these real people there are the actions of Athena, Poseidon, and others who guide these characters through life.

[Addie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good retelling/easy version of the Odyssey. I have wanted to read the original for quite a while. But when you run out of time, a quick version sometimes has to do. For now. Later on I will read the real deal, and then read it in Latin. Maybe even in Greek. Until then, I have a basic concept of the occurrences in the plot. And this version did exactly what is intended; the purpose of easy readers is to spark excitement so the reader will desire to read the original work. And it did just that for me.

[Marthe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jeg vet at denne boka er retta mot barn men jeg synes dette var en veldig fin intro og oppsummering på odyssen. Vil gjøre det lettere å senere sette seg ned med mursteinen av en bok. Var også gøy å lese denne boka etter å ha lest the song of acillies

[Danielle Messier · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book up at Barnes and Noble for less than a dollar when they had their "Classic Starts" sale. I read the Odyssey over seven years ago in middle school and thought it would be nice to get a refresher on it before I picked up Circe by Madeline Miller. And for less than a dollar, why not?


Maybe you are asking yourself, why doesn't she just google the story? Maybe you don't give a fuck. Anyway, I needed a very short book for the 2018 Book-Tube-A-Thon, and this was perfect for what I needed it for.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is kind of bland. We spend far too long in the stuff that is not interesting while ignoring the stuff that is interesting. Admittedly, it is hard to make this super kid friendly, but this was largely boring. It didn't really capture the story of the Odyssey and didn't seem to make much of an impression on my kids.

[Shayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great little book to share with children. We read this as a family and the kids were able to really like the story in short little bursts every night. I'm sure once they are teens they will read the original themselves but now they will know the characters and the basic story

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

We read this version because of a literature curriculum I bought. It was not the best introduction to The Odyssey. It was so simplistic that it was barely interesting to my 10 year old who really likes The Odyssey and Greek mythology in general. We like the DK illustrated version better.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The saga of Odysseus’ journey to get back home to Ithaca and his wife Penelope and all he went through was well told in this book. It brought back memories of the story I read many decades ago. I enjoyed hearing the retelling.

[Iqbal Dalimunthe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ya berhubung ini retold untuk pembaca muda jadi rasanya seperti baca cepat buku sejarah saja, semoga diberi semangat untuk membaca versi aslinya ya. Katanya hidup di dunia akan sia-sia kalau belum baca karya Homer yang satu ini, setidaknya dari sisi anak-anak saya sudah membacanya ;)

[Nicolás Javier Enrique · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un retold de la odisea para que sea más amena para los más pequeños, en lo personal no había leído nunca la odisea y este libro resulte de buena manera el mito.

Una lectura recomendada y he de decir que no estuvo difícil de leer en inglés en está edición para quienes practiquen su leer en inglés.

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good thought questions at the end of the book. Abridged editions are good in the way they may spark interest in reading a better version. The content in this story should be for older children who would not benefit from dumbed down versions.

[Jiva Cern · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter enjoyed this take on The Odyssey for kids, often reminding me of details I missed, since she was paying attention to the whole ancient soap opera with rabid interest.

[Effie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poor adaptation with sexist undertones...


Still a lot to address in terms of theme, character growth, and internal conflicts

[Judi Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great way to introduce young children to classic literature.

[Vicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

great book to introduce your homeschooler or any child to the classics

[Dominique · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't think it would be good, but it was!! His wife was actually stupid when she didn't believe it was Odysseus when he showed her his scar.

[Mark Desrosiers · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great story of ultimate courage and perseverance.
A story everyone should read and learn from. A+

[Carole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Classic Starts version of The Odyssey.

[Rod Naquin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A neat and useful retelling that helped me w Odyssey and Ulysses. It was more helpful at the beginning, but it’s pretty accurate in most ways

[Alessandra Zavaleta · Rating 3 out of 5]

lowk me traumó

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall Review: Ah, the joys of the Greeks and Mythology! This little book is a ‘Classic Start’—in other words, it’s a watered-down version intended to whet the appetites of young readers for the originals. I loved reading this condensed version of Odysseus’s travels after the Trojan War. Young people will love reading about the fight with the Cyclops, passing the Scylla monster, listening to the Sirens, and sitting in on a visit to Hades! We get to know some of the ancient Greek gods and goddesses as they meddle in the lives of the mortals. This abridgement of Odysseus’s journey is very well written. For young readers interested in learning more about Mythology, this is a great place to start! Overall rating is 4 out of 5 stars!

Content Review:

PROFANITY: None

VIOLENCE: A few very mild instances

SEXUAL CONTENT: None

MATURE THEMES: Mild

RECOMMENDED AGE GROUP: 9+

There are a few instances of mild violence. Since it is the abridged version, it is VERY tame. When the Greek gods are involved, there are always wars and fighting and plans to kill people and take revenge on someone. The gods are usually angry at someone or other and try to punish them—in this instance there were many storms at sea. A Cyclops eats men for breakfast and dinner. The men, in turn, stab the Cyclops in the eye and blind him. A monster eats men as they pass through a spot in the ocean. There are plots for murder and revenge; beggars are made to fistfight; there is a great fight at the end to defeat the ‘evil’ suitors. It is all stated in a very matter-of-fact way without any blood or gore.

The mature themes are fairly mild. There is the mythology itself with its myriad gods and goddesses. They cast spells to make people more brave, beautiful, afraid, etc. There is the theme of home and family: of staying faithful to those you love and never losing hope no matter what.

The Odyssey (Classic Starts) is a Squeaky Clean Read for ages 9+!

This review was written by Emily
A Squeaky Clean Reads Book Reviewer
This book was sent to Squeaky Clean Reads by Sterling for a review

To see more fantastic books reviewed with content in mind, visit us at Squeaky Clean Reads!!

[Cariane · Rating 3 out of 5]

This version of Homer's immeasurable tale of how Odysseus fought his way through monsters, tremendous storms and many other gargantuan dangers to get to his home, Ithaca, is fantastic way to introduce young readers to this classic novel. By translating the story into a easy to read version, young readers get a great start on the book and when they do read the original version as young adults they can focus more on the deeper meaning of the story. I would recommend any of the books of the Classic Start Series to all children interested in more advanced stories and will definitely have the collection in my personal library.

[Becky Filipek · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a very good retelling of the Odyssey. For being an abridged version for children, it was very exciting and interesting. It was well done. We enjoyed hearing of Odysseus's journey back to Ithaca after the Trojan War ended. We look forward to reading the original when our children are older.
Update for second reading: This was not as in depth or exciting as longer versions, but my 7 year old son really loved it, and it's still a great introduction to the full story.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book The Odyssey by Tania Zamorsky tells the story a story of a man named Odysseus that fought in a war but made a mistake that made the gods mad,He had to get home fast before a man steal the heart of his wife Penelope. Overall, I thought the book was very interesting .The best part of the book was when he came back and his wife tested him to see if he was really her husband or not.

[Taleoftwopiggies]

I guess every culture has something similar. Odyssey is very much like 《西游记》in China. It's fun to read to kids with this simplified version. Just don't understand why the suitors have to be killed at the end. Kind of hard to explain to young kids.

[Youssif The father of Maha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book.After Odysseus wins the Trojan war he is cursed because of all the violence he did.So he and his crew go through various adventures. Will they ever get home?

[Gricel3 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it.

[Lisa]

I liked it. It had a lot of adventure.

[Khairena Dary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like how they created this book so it could increase young people, especially children's interest in classic works. It also help a 17-year-old like me to understand the story of The Odyssey.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice condensed version for children. I just finished reading this with my 7 year old son and he loved it. He's now genuinely excited about reading more of the classics.