The Final Battle

Tales from the Odyssey #6

by Mary Pope Osborne, Troy Howell (Illustrator)

After struggling against the gods and his fate for more than twenty years, Odysseus has returned to Ithaca at last. But things have changed: his island has been overrun by suitors who clamor for his wife's hand in marriage and plague his son, Telemachus. With the help of the gray-eyed goddess, Athena, Odysseus and Telemachus must set out to regain control of Ithaca. In the last book of the series based on episodes from Homer's Odyssey, Mary Pope Osborne brings one of the greatest adventures of all time to a dramatic climax.

Genres: Mythology, Classics, Childrens, Fantasy, Fiction, Greek Mythology, Middle Grade

102 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Mary Pope Osborne is an American author of children's books and audiobook narrator. She is best known as the author of the Magic Tree House series, which as of 2017 sold more than 134 million copies worldwide. Both the series and Osborne have won awards, including for Osborne's charitable efforts at promoting children's literacy. One of four children, Osborne moved around in her childhood before attending the University of North Carolina. Following college, Osborne traveled before moving to New York City. She somewhat spontaneously began to write, and her first book was published in 1982. She went on to write a variety of other children's and young adult books before starting the Magic Tree House series in 1992. Osborne's sister Natalie Pope Boyce has written several compendium books to the Magic Tree House series, sometimes with Osborne's husband Will Osborne.

Reviews

[Angel]

Another 4 star review by Kaspar :) He really enjoyed the series. I enjoyed the first three books more than the last three. I'd probably give this book a 3 star rating. I'm guessing that the second half of The Odyssey would not be my favorite lol. Kaspar and I both kept commenting on Odysseus and his continued deception, especially to Penelope. Overall, a great series about The Odyssey for the younger crowd. Next up, we are going to give Percy Jackson a try.

[Corinne Edwards]

Ah, to reach the end. And when the ending is solid with everyone coming together happily, so much the better. Of course, it didn't come without some effort - blood had to be spilled and crimes revenged, but we always knew Odysseus had it in him to make it home.

I want to, again, give this series three giant cheers. What a fantastic introduction to one of the most famous stories of all time. I feel like I've given my son (and myself, really) a solid foundation so that later on, he will hear references to images, ideas and characters from the Odyssey and they will ring a bell. That's worth a lot.

[Faisal Al-Abdulhadi]

The best revisit to Homer's classic, the Odyssey.

[Anoushka]

To think that Odysseus came home after several years to see his family, I'd personally make him pay. The book is like all the others! SOOO GOOD!!!

[Lady reading under the Willow]

These adaptations of Homer's epic poem "The Odyssey," broken into six accessible chapter books for young readers or listeners, are very enjoyable. They're perfectly suited to those that can handle *some* death/monsters/scary elements (but not, perhaps, with too much detail). Being only a portion of the length of the full epic, these are a great introduction to the famous tale. Faithfulness, perseverance, and courage are all themes.

Note: gods, goddesses, ghosts, violence and death are featured throughout the series, including men being eaten by various monsters and drowning. Visit to the land of the dead and a chat with ghosts. Other themes are chaste (no sexual references). There is a lot of deception and veiling of identities. Battles and mention of blood.

[Ayacchi]

Akhirnya semua penderitaan, semua kematian, rasa sepi dan sedih berganti menjadi kedamaian~

[Kathy]

My students cheered when the arrows started flying. This series is such a great way for kids to learn the story of Odysseus!

[Riley]

Nice and fun retelling.

[Ciera Legue]

I didn't like it at all i felt this book was extremely rushed and it wasnt all that good compared to the other books in this series. 

[Benjamin McKenzie-Sutter]

Funny that I stumbled upon this immediately after seeing the Christopher Nolan film.

[Dolly]

This is the last book in the six-book series, Tales from the Odyssey by Mary Pope Osborne and Troy Howell. This saga comes to its dramatic conclusion and we are very happy having read the whole series. When we started reading this series, I was a bit afraid that our girls would have nightmares, but they took the story in stride. Overall, this was an exciting and intense tale. We really enjoyed this series!

I must say that I'm really impressed with this series and other books for younger children that bring Greek Mythology to life for them. The tales may not be the epic versions I read in high school and college, but the plot and characters are all pretty much the same.

Some of the series, like the Goddess Girls series by Joan Holub and the Myth-O-Mania series by Kate McMullan are a bit more irreverent and take a bit more artistic license with the myths, but on the whole, I am so thankful that our girls have a deep interest in this subject and know far more about it than I ever did!

[Shelli]

This is the sixth and final book in the Mary Pope Osborne's translation of Homer’s The Odyssey to a level that elementary age students can read and enjoy. This was not my favorite in the collection but I have not read the original; I’m sure M.P.O. did the best she could while trying to stay true to the story. These are perfect read alouds for intermediate teachers wanting additional resources that help to expose their students to Greek Mythology.

[Stan]

Giants, sea monsters, wicked queens, sirens, kind gods, cruel gods, wicked men, and terrible storms, Odysseus faces them all. What an epic story! And what a retelling of the story by Mary Pope Osborne in Tales From the Odyssey. This series is great for young people interested in mythology, tales of adventure, or just plain fun. Book six, The Final Battle, is a fitting conclusion to the series.

[Nathaniel]

I liked it. It's about when he returns his house is full of people who want to marry his wife because they think he's dead. He tells his son and they make a plot to take over again. But there's only 2 of them and 120 others. And they win the battle.

[Hhastings]

Very easy read about the Odyssey.

[Louis Fairbanks]

I really liked this book because there was a cool battle part. It is also the last book in the series so it had a happy ending.

[Connery]

This was unsatisfying in it's legnth. Althogh the plot was very interesting.

[Theresa]

a great collection of stories written for the elementary level reader

[Jessica Wilhoite]

Done with this series!

[Jennifer]

I'm glad I finally finished this series! It's good for the age group it's meant for. Nice short chapters, easily readable and will hold their attention. Third-fifth grade.

[Jane G Meyer]

john ronan read this
he liked Odysseus' skill with the bow

[Shannon]

04/09: Best series we've found to introduce little ones to the Odyssey.

[LifeAmongPages]

4.5/5

[Nicole]

Read aloud with the 4 year old.

[Morgan]

This series is aimed at children, and it’s depth and length is indicative of that aim. However, it is the best retellings for children that I have read. It may also be of interest to adults who are looking for an introduction to ancient mythology and literature. There are so many references to The Odyssey, and the mythology it incorporates, in western literature; it is wonderful to see such an easily understood introduction offered.