Beasts of Olympus is a series of illustrated chapter books set in a magical Ancient Greece where strange things still walk the Earth. In the fifth book, Chiron the centaur teaches Demon to make his own cures for sick mythical beasts. But Demon must put his new skills to the test right away in order to save an ailing phoenix before it's too late!
In 2015 I have 6 upcoming titles, 4 books in the brand-new Beasts of Olympus series from Piccadilly Press (Grosset and Dunlap/Penguin Young Readers in the USA), an early reader called The Little Green Drum from Orion and my first proper YA novel, Cleo, from Orchard. Cleo is a mixture of historical and paranormal, and follows the teenage Cleopatra on her journey to become pharaoh. I'm very excited about it indeed!
I was born in a small village in Hampshire, England. I loved reading from an early age, and was never found without some kind of book in my hand from the time I could turn and page and make sense of what was written there. My first job was as an editor of children's books, but I soon jumped the fence and started writing my own. My first picture book was published in 1992, and now I write for all ages (two to teen). Atticus the Storyteller's 100 Greek Myths was shortlisted for the BBC Blue Peter Book Award in 2004. It is the most comprehensive collection of Greek myths ever written for children. My first novel, Hootcat Hill which was described as “A lyrical fantasy full of old, dark magic entertainingly bound up with ordinary life.” by the Sunday Times.
The book I would take to a desert island is The Lord of the Rings. I've lost count of how many times I've read it, and I am still finding new things to marvel at in it.
Chiron’s grandson makes a mess with a group of centaurs as he tries to find his special sword.
The Griffon has a terrible infection causing his feathers to fall out. However, Chiron isn’t much help and insists Demon to find the remedy himself. In addition, Demon fears that any winged beasts can catch the infection from the Griffon and he must separate the creatures far apart.
With Chiron’s support, Demon feels comfortable that for once a god isn’t threaten him.
Chiron had to go off and assist a birth which leaves Demon being high in demand. It seems that all creatures need Demon’s attention at once. The most important one being the Phoenix who has fallen ill and if it cannot sing, the fire devils will escape and burn all creatures and then destroy the gods and goddesses.
In the end, Demon prevails and even receives a gift from Athena - which should help Demon in caring for his patients.
The gods and animals are so capricious that it's difficult to like them. I think the bad behavior is excused by the fact that Demon can get magically healed. Even the griffin, somewhat of a friend, starts biting off his fingers as soon as he gets angry.
I would also like to note that needing glasses doesn't make the letters move around on the page, it just makes them blurry. I expected him to have dyslexia, but i guess not.
Honestly, I think this is my favorite book of the series so far. I love Chiron's character, in particular. He's... just a good, good character, all around.
This book was super cute! It would be a great read-out-loud chapter book for younger kids, and for early chapter book readers this would be a great one if they are interested in mythology.
Synopsis:"Beasts of Olympus is a series of illustrated chapter books set in a magical Ancient Greece where strange things still walk the Earth. In the fifth book, Chiron the centaur teaches Demon to make his own cures for sick mythical beasts. But Demon must put his new skills to the test right away in order to save an ailing phoenix before it's too late!"
My Review: This series has been such a fun find and is getting better and better. I really like how Demon's character and the creature characters have progressed with the story. I also appreciated the fact that Demon is having to come up with cures based on what Chiron has taught him and his own experience. This is another action packed, page turning book for MG readers but that everyone can enjoy.
I gave this to my grandaughter to read and she enjoyed it. She now wants to read others in the series. She is 8. I am not sure what age this book is aimed at, but a great way of getting young children interested in mythology.