Odysseus

The Heroes #1

by Geraldine McCaughrean

One of the greatest legends in the world is brought to life in ODYSSEUS, the first book of the four-volume HEROES series. Author Geraldine McCaughrean's taught prose brings a modern, thriller-like immediacy to the ancient story, while still retaining the characters, details and even some of the rhythms of the epic poem.

Odysseus and his loyal troops narrowly escape being eaten by the Cyclops, shipwrecked by Scylla and Charybdis, and turned into pigs by the beautiful Circe. The company must travel to Hell (or Hades) and back, dodge the constant pursuit of the vengeful Poseidon, and row across oceans in order to get back home where Odysseus' wife, Penelope fends off a gaggle of greedy suitors bent on taking Odysseus' throne.

Filled with excitement and romance, ODYSSEUS makes a perfect sequel for any young readers interested in learning more about the Greek heroes portrayed in the summer 2004 blockbuster, TROY.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Mythology, Fantasy, Greek Mythology, Audiobook, Childrens

128 pages, Paperback

First published October 2, 2003

About the author

Geraldine McCaughrean is a British children's novelist. She has written more than 170 books, including Peter Pan in Scarlet (2004), the official sequel to Peter Pan commissioned by Great Ormond Street Hospital, the holder of Peter Pan's copyright. Her work has been translated into 44 languages worldwide. She has received the Carnegie Medal twice and the Michael L. Printz Award among others.

Reviews

[Megan Green]

My son picked up this retelling of Odysseus at the library during a World Myths event for children. Being familiar with the story of Odysseus I was a little unsure about how age appropriate it would be but he really wanted to read it. I'm a big believer in lots of exposure to classic literature for kids, so we went ahead and gave it a try. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was actually very much on a level that kids could handle. I'd say it's probably better for late elementary/early middle age as there were some more adult topics which were handled gently but still a little more than I wanted for my six year olds. But I did some editing on the fly and they really enjoyed the story. There is, of course, a fair amount of violence in it so if kids are sensitive to that it wouldn't be a good choice.

[Haleigh DeRocher]

I read this with my two oldest kids (age 5 and 6) and we all thoroughly enjoyed it. McCaughrean did a good job translating the story of the Odyssey into an appropriate format for children, while maintaining the spirit and lyrical quality of the original. Some violence and immoral behavior is to be depicted - but it's Greek mythology, so what else would you expect?

[Hilary Forrest]

We really enjoyed listening to this book on our road trip this summer. It has kindled an interest in reading more of the tail of Odysseus and other Greek myths. I would recommend this recording to any family.

[Lydia]

This book was good and every chapter was interesting and there was always something happening so you won`t be bored.

[Elizabeth (Elzburg)]

This was a really nice audiobook, and it’s probably the most enjoyable way of experiencing the tale of The Odyssey without having to trudge through 24 books of ancient greek poetry. It’s only four hours long, so right away I knew that this was going to be a super abridged version, but for the sake of my test for Greek and Roman Studies I was hoping it would keep all the important bits and I would be good to go. That was mostly true. It starts and ends different than the actual poem, which is bad since those are things that I would most likely be tested on. And I was. My test asked me about who saved Odysseus from the angry village people at the end and I was just like:

But then again, I’m not going to lie; I listened to the grand majority of this audiobook while I was creating my final project for 2D Design Studies so I was not really paying attention to most of it.

Other than that, this book very predominantly focuses on books 9-12 where Odysseus recounts his travels. All twenty other books are considerably shortened down, with the first eight being covered by a short conversation between Penelope and her young son Telemachus about him missing his dad (who he’s never met) and her telling him about him. Something I didn’t like was how after that they go straight to the perspective of past Odysseus. They start the book when Telemachus is 10 years old: Aka right after the end of the Trojan war since Odysseus left when Telemachus was a baby. So this version never shows Odysseus escaping from the island and then getting to another island and then books 9-12 being him telling the people there his story. I don’t even know this part very well because I only know what my professor summarized and I was hoping this book would fill in the blanks. It filled in the blanks pretty well from books 9-12, but books 1-8 were nigh unaccounted for. The fact that this retelling doesn’t just remove parts but also goes about the events of the story in a different way and order makes it an unideal study tool. I wish this audiobook was based on a longer retelling, because with only 128 pages of written material there was definitely room to fit some more things in.

If you’re not being tested on this story and you just want to become cultured and know the story of The Odyssey (while putting as little effort into it as possible) this is an okay way to go. I think you’ll still not be getting the complete picture and you’ll still be missing some important elements, but you’ll at least get a good understanding of the most popular section of the story (books 9-12). Plus, with a full-cast audiobook it feels like you’re listening to a movie, so that’s always fun.

About the story itself, it’s actually not bad at all. The fact that this was a retelling and that I didn’t have to trudge through ancient greek mumbo jumbo language definitely helped a lot. My eyes literally teared up when Odysseus’ dog died, which is weird because I hate dogs but god damn was it emotional. And I was listening to this on the train at the time so that was wild. I would for sure recommend getting to know the story and reading/listening to it in some way or another that’s not just a summary.

[Sarah]

I know this is supposed to be a classic, but I found that as Odysseus went from peril to the next, it got old. Besides, I don't think much of a hero who expects his wife to be faithful to him when he isn't faithful to her.

[Summer Meyers]

Definitely for a Middle Grade reader, I picked this up in hopes it would be a good read aloud for our History unit. It's really well done, keeping true to style and story. It didn't hold my attention, which is why I knocked off a few stars. I think it's well adapted for young readers, but there is a lot violent giants eating sailors, and of course Circe and Calypso story lines....

[jamila ⋆˚꩜｡]

this was a good and informative book, i do think i would’ve enjoyed it more if it was longer and had more details. i’ve always been very enraptured by greek mythology and although odysseus is a very smart man i do think it’s a shame that he cheated on penelope while she was waiting for him for 20 years. i do really want to watch the movie though.

[Wendy]

A simplified version of Tbe Odyssey for kids, narrated by retired children's librarian and professional storyteller Cynthia Bishop (who I used to work with). It was entertaining and made me remember stories I haven't heard since my childhood.

[D.C.]

I love the writing, I just cannot get into the syntax. Ancient Greek mythology does not seem easy to understand to me. I like the full cast audio version and it helps clarify the story. All of their work is amazing.

[Rosa Folgar]

it's been probably 10 years since I read the story of the Oddesy. I still think it is a good adventure story. I also still think that I don't like how all the female characters are evil or seductress' insipid or weak. it's like fanfic written by a Greek guy. entertaining? yes. but still silly.

[Ms. P]

Book Club choice for Heroes and Sheroes unit

[Eleanor]

She does a good job of retelling and leaves a hint of the poetry in the retelling.

[Luke]

I like it even if i read a different Odysseus book, I still like this one.

[Joanna]

What a ripping good tale.

[Karen]

Luisa was not super impressed with greek mythology. But I thought it was a good summary of Homer's work.

[Audio Athena]

Audiobook review

Full cast production of Homer's The Odessy but made much more manageable and understandable.

[Mary]

An entertaining full-cast audio retelling of Homer's The Odyssey. McCaughrean has crafted a recounting that is both exciting and accessible. A wonderful introduction to a timeless classic!

[Gary]

A good, poetic retelling of the greatest of mythical tales. Very true to the feel of the original.

Liked it a lot.

[Nicole]

Tells the story of Odysseus, hero of the Trojan War and king of Ithaca, and the ten year journey it takes for him to return home to the war. Easier to read than a direct Homer translation while still using lyric forms of repetition and phrasing.

Not recommended for young kids (even if they are studying Ancient Greece) because of the horrors encountered on the return voyage home. Odysseus left Troy with 500 men, and he is the only one that returns alive. Most of the men are eaten by one monster or another.

The part that's really disconcerting is when you know that Homer's Iliad and Odyssey were taught to the boys in Ancient Greece as examples of how to behave. Some of what's taught would NOT hold up with today's values. Interesting/disturbing to see some of the differences.

Still, this book has made a classic accessible, and I recommend it.

[Oliver]

I loved it! Odysseus sailed from Troy with a fleet of 12 ships. He finds an island, and rested there. He told a party to find food. After a while Odysseus went to look for them, and he found the party lying on the ground eating fruit. They were forgetting everything special that they loved and said that they would die if they couldn't eat the fruit, so Odysseus dragged them to the ships. He sailed of the island. After they experienced many dangers, Odysseus was the only living man. When he got home, and when everyone found out who he was Telemachus fought along side his father when the suitors attacked them. Telemachus and Odysseus won the battle. Queen Penelope was happy when she when she found out it was Odysseus.READ IT!

[Ren]

This is not the book I'm rating but it's the closest to it. It may even be a different version. The one we read is called The Odyssey and it is retold by McCaughrean. Great version of the story for kids. My 5 YO now wants more books about Odysseus after reading Black Ships Before Troy and The Odyssey.

[Melissa]

I read this to the kids for some of our history lessons. It is easy to understand and fun to read. They enjoyed hearing about Odysseus and the giant cyclops and the other tales. They really enjoyed the book. I hope it will make The Odyssey not so scary for them to read and understand some day

[Reuben Ong]

Really nice to read because it has a sense of adventure but also has a touch of laughter in it.

[Julie Shick]

Niko and I read this one together. It was a nice tale. A well written re-telling of a timeless tale.

[Omar Espinoza]

Odysseus is a timeless tale of a journey of someone that wanted to return home but life (and other things) get in the way. This version is retold by Geraldine McCaughrean who has written hundreds of books and is the recipient of the Carnegie Award. The book has a great resource for those who are very knowledgeable in Greek mythology. It has a glossary and genealogical tree to explain how the characters in the story are connected. Each chapter averages around 10 pages in length so it’s not a fast paced as The Da Vinci Code but still really manageable. This hardbound book is 148 pages and does not have any illustrations other than the cover. If you’re interested in learning more about one of the most popular characters in Greek mythology then this book presents a well rounded story that maintains the reader’s interest throughout the entire book.