Atalanta and the Arcadian Beast

Young Heroes #3

by Jane Yolen, Robert J. Harris

Before Atalanta became a Greek legend, she encountered a beast . . .Abandoned by her parents and raised by bears until the age of four, Atalanta has led a life of adventure. After her adoptive father is slain by a ferocious beast, the twelve-year-old Atalanta sets off on a journey of revenge, accompanied by the bear she treats as a brother. She discovers that a monster is terrorizing the land of Arcadia and that the king has assembled a party to track it down—led by the legendary huntsman Orion. Atalanta wins a place at Orion’s side, but the hunt for the beast is also a hunt to uncover the secret of her own past. And that may prove to be the greatest danger of all. This ebook features personal histories by Jane Yolen and Robert J. Harris including rare images from the authors’ personal collections, as well as a timeline of the Heroic Age and a conversation between the two authors about the making of the series.

Genres: Mythology, Fantasy, Young Adult, Greek Mythology, Middle Grade, Childrens, Adventure

268 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Jane Yolen is a novelist, poet, fantasist, journalist, songwriter, storyteller, folklorist, and children’s book author who has written more than three hundred books. Her accolades include the Caldecott Medal, two Nebula Awards, the World Fantasy Award, three Mythopoeic Awards, the Kerlan Award, two Christopher Awards, and six honorary doctorate degrees from colleges and universities in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Born and raised in New York City, the mother of three and the grandmother of six, Yolen lives in Massachusetts and St. Andrews, Scotland.

Reviews

[Brian Palmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I've tagged this as "young adult" for my records, I think this is actually aimed at an even younger audience; nonetheless, it was enjoyable even as a full adult. Atalanta is one of those legends that I think people vaguely recall with no precision; this fleshes out her early story. For all that the writing style is very simple (again, aimed at kids) and the plot proceeds from points A to B, the characters are surprisingly complex. The figure of Orion, for example, was a masterclass in adding depth to a character who comes across initially as a self-aggrandizing gloryhound, while the god figures that show up are more complicated.

I'd strongly recommend this to people in elementary and middle school who are having fun with myths. It captures the romance of wandering the woods by yourself being friends to animals, while adding in a few nuanced moral quandaries. It's not quite as exciting as, say, the Percy Jackson series but is more thoughtful.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is probably for 5th-6th graders, maybe a little younger. It was a decent story, imagined by a modern author based on the mythological hero Atalanta, and what an episode from her young life might be like. A decent story that will appeal to kids who still want to live in the wild and have animals for friends.

[Sherry Schwabacher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting mythology for young readers

What a fine book. I loved mythology when I was a young girl, but even though I knew the name Atalanta and the footrace she lost, having been distracted by the golden apples, this really brought her story to life. Thanks, Jane and Robert. I'm looking forward to reading about the other young heroes.

[Polly]

Bob Harris

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

My main complaint with this book was that the main character wasn't very likable, and none of the characters had much depth. Which I guess is true of most actual myths as well, but I was hoping for a bit more in a reimagining like this one. It was still decent, but I only chose to pick it up when I didn't have time to get fully immersed in a book.

[Calvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my favorite of Yolen's Young Heroes series, which I remember reading by the pool in elementary school while Micah swam, back when I was especially into stories from Greek Mythology. When I came upon references to Atalanta in As You Like It, I was instantly reminded of this book (still the only book I have read about Atalanta), and I decided to give it a re-read. As someone who still loves a good children's book, but realizes that his tastes have changed a bit over the past ten years, I was pleased to find that I still enjoyed this book a lot.

It was a quick and easy read, evidently targeted at a younger audience, but the mythological references are well researched, and the story's premise is fairly original and interesting: exploring how a girl used to living with the animals in the forest learns to cooperate with civilized humans. Atalanta is a thoroughly sympathetic and admirable character, but one of the book's strong points is the way Yolen can attract sympathy for essentially all of the characters, from the arrogant hunter to the murdering beast, to the cruel king, no matter how harshly the reader is initially inclined to regard them. This gives the book a decent amount of depth as it explores the commonalities of human natures, and the way that environment can affect how they are manifested. Overall this book could probably be enjoyed by anyone who still likes "kid's books," especially if they are also fond of Greek Mythology.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting YA take on the legend behind Atalanta; similar to but different in important ways from the "classical" story of the Caledonian Boar Hunt. Atalanta is a feisty and rather cranky young women in Yolen's story; a talented hunter forced to strike out on her own after the death of her adopted father.

In her quest to find and destroy the beast who killed him she meets up with the hero Orion. But Orion's pride and lack of piety towards Artemis prevents him from killing the Arcadian Beast of the book's title and Atalanta is forced to take over leadership of the hunt.

Interesting side plot details her friendship with a bear she names Urso - a cub mate of hers from when she was found and nursed by a she-bear prior to her adoption by a local hunter.

Issues of gender, identity and social interaction haunt Atalanta throughout as she attempts to come to grips with her apparent royal blood and her desire to remain in the woods rather than accept a place in the royal court.

A quick and entertaining take on this legendary female huntress.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of a 4-book series that covers part of the lives of famous Classic heroes and heroines before they were grown up. The authors researched appropriate settings and supporting characters in creating these prequels to familiar myths. The books are engaging and the heroes & heroines are appealing. Like Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series, this series will interest young readers in Classical Mythology. Fun books to read.

[Matia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although part of the “Young Heroes” series, this book can be read as a stand alone book. This book was an enjoyable read about a young teen heroine from a mythological Greek setting. I have enjoyed and trusted Jane Yolen’s work for years and I am sure the whole series is very good. I recommend it for young readers and all readers.

[Farrahdaisy]

This is a junior fiction that my daughter made me read (Mom, you HAVE to read this!). It started out kind of painfully but quickly turned into an interesting adventure. The girl in it reminded me of Katniss, who I love, so that was definately fun. I love tough girls!

[Cassondra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as i had hoped. I wrote that as a youth. Ironic given that Ive used this legend as online persona. They do a fine job retelling this tale but the characters are not compelling as they ought to be.

[Sarah]

I liked this book almost as much as Hippolyta.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun youth books - based on greek myths.

[Marge]

another good book by jane yolen - not a series but Adysseus in the serpent maze and Hippolyta and the curse of the amazons with history and myth

[Ellie]

Percy Jackson read-alike

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought it was a pretty good book. I'm glad that she decided to go back, but it was sad that her brother bear Urso had to leave

[Nana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book a few years ago...and I remember that I really liked it. I want to read it again though.