Hades and the Helm of Darkness

Heroes in Training #3

by Joan Holub, Suzanne Williams, Craig Phillips (Illustrations)

The Heroes in Training are entering the Underworld—if Hades can conquer his canine fears, that is.The Underworld usually isn’t really meant to be a fun place—but tell that to Hades! He loves the dark and the stinky smell of sulfur. However, there is one thing that Hades is not a fan dogs. And when Zeus and his fellow Olympians encounter Cerberus—a snarling, three-headed dog—Hades must conquer his fears and tame the hound so everyone can continue into the Underworld and deposit their Titan prisoner, Oceanus, back where he belongs!But with magical water that causes forgetfulness, hot beds of lava, and another epic battle with two more Titans standing in their way, will Zeus and his heroes make it out of the Underworld with everyone intact?

Genres: Mythology, Middle Grade, Childrens, Fiction, Fantasy, Adventure, Magic

128 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 2, 2013

About the author

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!

Reviews

[Briar's Reviews]

Quick Review:

Heroes in Training is an awesome take on greek mythology that I highly recommend for middle grade readers! I had so much fun in this book, honestly! I was addicted to this goofy adventure and I just couldn't get enough! It has the fun of Percy Jackson and Harry Potter but for a younger audience. 8+ readers will absolutely adore this adventure filled trip of a book!

[Andrew]

"It's a good book. Zeus and his other friends don't like the smell of a river...it's complicated. Whenever Hades touches a helmet it turns into a jeweled crown. When he puts it on it makes him turn invisible. The main character also finds a dog with three heads, and then he finds out it's actually his. I also read volume 4, and I will keep reading the series."

-Elliot B., age 7

[Nikki in Niagara]

I am hooked on this young children's chapter book series! While easy to read it is a fun, engrossing, action-packed quest adventure that is sure to please. I love Greek mythology and it is keeping me entertained. It certainly takes liberties with the original Greek tales it takes inspiration from, but it gets the basic details right and introduces youngsters to the main players in the world of Greek gods. Obviously from the title we can tell that the quest for this book is to find Hades' Helm in The Underworld. Along the way the current group of Olympians meet up with Charon, Cerberus, Mnemosyne, the furies and Thantos. Since Hades joined the gang in the last book, it is only appropriate that Demeter, through her filial ties to the Underworld, is the new Olympian added to the group of heroes. It's refreshing to see such a quality adventure quest series for this younger age group.

[Jinky]

(Edition read from: Hardcover, 117p, ISBN:9781480604186)

I enjoyed this one. Gave me a few chuckles.

[Nina]

I love Hades

[Elle]

Hahaha! Charon is the best character with his mythology jokes! :)

[Thomas E.]

This book was great! It gave me excitement and it was a twist at the ending. I will be following on every book so they can beat Cronus!!!⚡️😃

[Abby]

Lots of action and plenty of mythology and puns make this a very fun, fast read or read-aloud for early elementary grades (par for the course, considering one of the authors wrote Library Lil.). Although this is the third in the series, it was just fine to start with--major events in previous books are summed up here but doubtless no less exciting to read about in full. This volume is 50 pages longer than the first Magic Tree House book, but would be a solid recommendation for fans of that series. I definitely don't want this series to get lost in our juvenile fiction collection!

[Kelsey McLane]

Imagine your favorite Greek Gods as tweens, acne and all. And, you have this book, and it's whole series. I'm a big fan of Hades as the misunderstood God with a story behind the scenes that we've never heard before.

In this series, all the Olympians are working together to overthrow the Titans that are currently ruling the world. Holub has infused humor into her entire series, and while the plot is a tad thin, the ongoing story of all of the Olympians is entertaining, and I'm rooting for the trio to find the rest of the Greek Gods!

[Terry W.]

Hades and the Helm of Darkness is a journey across the River Styx that in the underworld.As Hades,Zeus, and Poseidon find themselves deep in the underworld on a new quest by order of the Oracle at Delphi.
On there journey with magical water that erases memories, rivers of red-hot lava, and another epic battle against two titans standing in their way in the legendary helm will they escape the underworld before it`s to late?
I recommend this book to anyone who dares to read Hades and the Helm of Darkness.
Hades and the Helm of Darkness that are Heroes In Training on an adventure.

[Sydney]

its about Zeus and his friends have to go to the underworld to get a Helm so when they get there they face many dangers then they find someone who Hades knows so they free her then they go to where Hera is and free her by the help of Hades's dog and they get the Helm and they find out that Hades is the king of the underworld.

[Stephanie]

My 6 year old son and I love this series. Lots of action, good humor, and a great way to teach children about Greek mythology in an entertaining, accessible way. Just hate that we have to wait a month before the next book comes out!

[Stephanie]

This really is such a fun series!

[Tigger Andrade]

thought it was a fast read was surprised when I finished it I was like that's it...I wanted more...

[Jean-Marie]

My little 'hero in training' loves this series.

[Payton]

Its about how they have to find the Helm of Darkness, get the second titan, and destroy the second Creation of Kaos.

[Oswald]

heroes in training series

[Zoë B]

Still like the twist. Love the authors.

[Lauren]

I find it a story with such a short story when it could be longer

[Maria Gren]

While easy to read it is a fun, engrossing, action-packed quest adventure that is sure to please. Love it!

[Kaytee]

this book was really confusing but it was still good i liked the part was when they had the dog it was cute\scary but i know i will never get a dog.

[Jane Love]

The Heroes find themselves in the Underworld can they find the helm

[Renee]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Four stars.

I feel like I am just repeating myself reviewing this series now, but the thing is, I feel the same way about each book that I have read so far. They are all so nostalgic for me because I studied Ancient Greek history at school and then at university. And I loved it. I loved it so much that when I went to Europe on a Contiki Tour (alone I might add), I paid a significant amount extra to go to Greece. Not just the islands, but Athens. To visit the temple of the Oracle at Delphi! To go to the Acropolis and see the Parthenon in person. I also saw the first Olympic stadium which was really cool. But what I am saying is that I have always had a passion in this area, and reading these brings it all back.

I love how it’s been done to make it appeal to kids. Let’s introduce Greek Mythology to a whole new generation! I love the illustrations, and how the characters banter back and forth. I love that the author has made the characters relatable despite them being the Greek gods. They are kid versions, and I think any kid could find something in them that they also see in themselves. And learning at the same time as reading and enjoying themselves doing? Perfect! The reason I have marked down a star after such a glowing review is that I just wish that it was a little more fleshed out. I understand that it’s written for kids, but I’ve read quite a lot of graphic novels aimed at kids now and they don’t have to be that short. It will keep interest if it’s written and illustrated the right way, and this one is.

[Janessa Paun]

I get a hit of nostalgia every single time I read a book in this series. It just brings me back to my time reading this in middle school, and it was one of the series that truly sparked my love for Greek mythology, a love that continues till today. Just as I have in all of the Greek myths, I found Hera to be annoying in this book, though not as much as usual, and once she revealed why she was being all rude, it made a bit of sense even if I still don’t like her for doing it. It was nice to see the Big Three Brothers in action together and how they were able to combine their powers. This isn’t a book that I would recommend to any of my friends; it is much too young for them, but I will be reading it with my kids one day. It is so cute and fun and is such a good introduction to the Olympians.

[Emma]

I don't think there is a family out there more messed up than the Greek Gods and Goddesses.

[Camila Byler]

I love this book and the series. I think that it's funny that Hades likes everything about the Underworld but the other Olympians don't. Although I think Hades should have named three-headed dog Fluffy (referring to Harry Potter). I definitely recommend this book to everyone.

[Paula Greenfield]

As Zeus leads his siblings on yet another adventure. This one Hades must find the Helm of Darkness and his place of it's ruler. Will he succeed?

[Udaiveer Jain]

It was really fun and enjoyable. I hope to read more like this from goodreads!

[Katy Lovejoy]

Pretty okay

[Nanci Booher]

After I went to a training about kids books, I decided to start picking up books I wouldn't ordinarily read so that I can think about series for kids. Joan Holub, author of Goddess Girls and Grimmtastic Girls, is the author of this Heroes series. I picked up book 3 because it was on the shelf and it was a fun read. I think that it is a series that is worth adding to the collection at school as it will appeal to both boys and girls...and it will appeal to my early readers.