the Iliad and The Odyssey for boys and girls

by Alfred J. Church

The Iliad is typically described as one of the greatest war stories of all time. Set during the Trojan War, this timeless poem vividly conveys the horror and heroism of men and gods wrestling with towering emotions and battling amid devastation and destruction. Homer's tale is a compassionate view of human life lived under the shadow of suffering and death in the face of an often uncaring divinity. To call it a war story does not begin to describe the emotional sweep of its action and characters in the 10th and final year of the Greek siege of Troy. The Odyssey is literature's grandest evocation of everyman's journey though life. The poem centers on the Greek hero Odysseus and his long journey home after the fall of Troy. It takes Odysseus ten years to reach Ithaca after the ten-year Trojan War. Odysseus survives storm and shipwreck, the cave of the Cyclops and the isle of Circe, the lure of the Sirens' song and a trip to the Underworld, only to find his most difficult challenge at home, where treacherous suitors seek to steal his kingdom and his loyal wife, Penelope. The Odyssey is Homers' sequel to the Iliad.

220 pages, Paperback

Published June 11, 2017

About the author

Alfred John Church (1829-1912) was an English classical scholar. He was born in London and was educated at King's College London, and Lincoln College, Oxford, he took holy orders and was an assistant-master at Merchant Taylors' School for many years. From 1880 until 1888 he was professor of Latin at University College, London. While at University College in partnership with William Jackson Brodribb, he translated Tacitus and edited Pliny's Letters (Epistulae). Church also wrote a number of stories in English re-telling of classical tales and legends for young people (Stories from Virgil, Stories from Homer, etc. ). He also wrote much Latin and English verse, and in 1908 published his Memories of Men and Books. Other works include: Stories of the Magicians (1887), The Count of the Saxon Shore; or, The Villa in Vectis (with Ruth Putnam) (1888), Heroes of Chivalry and Romance (1898), Stories of Charlemagne (1902), The Crown of Pine (1906) and With the King at Oxford (1909).

Reviews

[Ethan Michaels · Rating 4 out of 5]

My high school literature teacher was insistent we read this book in Homer's original prose.
If the subsequent class discussions on this title are any indication, you can imagine the pain this caused us.
Notwithstanding, the book being the heavyweight in literature that it is, and quite some time later, I wanted to read it with a modern translation.
I reviewed a couple, and these were better, but still too close to Homer.
Next up was the title in modern English, as has been done to Shakespeare; still kind of thick and foggy, at least for me.
Then I came upon this edit.
The first thought was; not interested in a children's version.
But after a sample read- it was exactly what I was looking for!
Here, The Iliad and The Odyssey are very clearly presented, the story is told in simple language that neither distracts the eye, nor requires reading some sentences 2 or 3 times to 'get' because they seem backward.
It is readily understandable, all the way through it.
While Church may paraphrase here and there, he doesn't overlook any element of the story and any reader is able to grasp Homer's intent, message, theme, and style for his great poem.
It was enjoyable, a good read, but just as Homer's storyline is, it drags in places, perhaps because it is a bit too lengthy.
I wouldn't call it a page turner, rather, enjoyable and amusing.
I can't give you a strong recommendation, but I'm sure you'd find it worthwhile.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fathers and sons, men and women, husbands and wives, brothers, rulers and servants, gods and men -- no man is an island to himself. Our loyalties and treacherous, braveries and cowardices are recorded in these two tales, thought to be almost three thousand years old.
The sad story of Troy, a city called Ilion in the Greek language and Ilius in the Latin language, is the subject of The Iliad. In a sentence, the vanity of a goddess, Minerva, tempted Paris, the youngest son of King Priam of Troy, to kidnap the wife of Menelaus, Helen, with the ultimate end being the destruction of Troy. Homer's narrative basically concentrates on the last few weeks of the Greek's ten-year siege of Troy. All during the long stand-off, the gods and goddesses have intervened here and there, making victory illusion and compromise impossible. A daunting divide exists even amongst the Hreeks themselves because Achilles, a mighty warrior, is at odds with King Agamemnon of Mycenae. In the end, although brace battles are fought, it takes the treacherous wooden horse to get the Trojans to let down their guards for the final defeat.
The ten year journey back home to wife Penelope and son Telemachus, of the wise Grecian Ulysses, is the subject of The Odyssey. He leaves Troy with a few ships and many men, but during his travels, he loses some here and some there, all violent and tragically. He, having ruled Ithaca, just wants to get back and resume his life, but the goal seems so elusive. The goddess Athena helps at several difficult spots; so finally, with no ship, no supplies, and no clothes, he finds a friendly kingdom which not only clothes and feeds him, but gives him a direct transport home on a magic ship. Once arrived to Ithaca, Athena helps him get through the difficulties of getting his wife's many suitors out of his palace.

[Laurie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I would enjoy a less simplified version more, but too what extent more I am not sure. The stories themselves are entertaining and I see why they hold the cultural and historical significance they do. However, I just don’t think these particular stories did it for me. I will say I heavily preferred the Odyssey over the Iliad because a personal preference for adventure over just pure action. I think I may come back to these stories one day and see if my opinion changes. :^)

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picking books to use for a middle school history/literature class. I thoroughly enjoyed this one - more so than the book I am actually going to use (the Classic Starts version). I'm not using this one because the level is a little more difficult, there are a few gory parts, and the names of the characters are in their Roman form - which will confuse the students.

[Anita · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book for the 52 books in 52 weeks reading challenge. I used the 2022 reading prompt read in November. The more i study the story the more it grows on me. I perfer the odyssey to the iliad.

[Ainsley Barrett · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I'm sure the actual story is wonderful and compelling, focusing is hard. Wish I could've enjoyed it.

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved the book. It has so manay awesome fight scenes, one of the best books I've ever read.

[atianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

exciting

[Rick Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

The language in this book is wonderful, and the story is gripping. I especially liked that fact that Alfred Church's retelling follows the exact outline and form of The Iliad and the Odyssey rather than simply being a generic version of the Trojan War story or the travels of Odysseus. We did it as a read aloud for the family.

[Meltha · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bah. Deceptive title. I thought I was getting the actual Iliad and Odyssey, but no, it was an abridged kiddie edition.

[Annika Dyck · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was actually so dumb, it was kind of comical. The other odd thing is that the Trojan horse only comes in in the Aeneid.