Little Olympians 1: Zeus, God of Thunder

Little Olympians #1

by A.I. Newton, Anjan Sarkar (Illustrator)

Little gods, big personalities! This brand-new series follows little versions of the Greek gods who are at a camp to learn how to control their powers and use them properly--as well as learn to get along with one another.

Zeus is living with his parents, Kronos and Rhea, and he's starting to show his abilities, but his lightning is out of control! Every time he sneezes or gets mad, or is even just plain bored, his lightning shoots out. He tries to keep it under wraps most of the time, but he can't help it, and it causes such a ruckus that his parents decide that it's time he learns to properly use his powers.

So they send him to Eureka, a camp where little gods learn to use and control their supernatural abilities. He's excited to be able to learn to use his powers here, but he's also nervous about going and meeting all the other gods. Apollo and Ares in particular seem very strong (and they let him know it), but he finds friends in the calm and wise Athena and the wisecracking Hermes. But after some trouble with classes, he starts to get discouraged. Will he be able to control his powers with the help of his friends?

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Middle Grade

112 pages, Hardcover

Published June 1, 2021

Reviews

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one lost some oomph since I read the others first; it spends a lot of time showing off the setting but I already know that. So instead I just poked at the liberties it takes with mythology -- Poseidon is twelve when Zeus is 8 (in human years -- they are both over 100 in god years)? The mentors don't intervene when a test is going to kill a student? Are we supposed to dislike Ares and Apollo that much?

[Jordana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not a kid and haven't read it to my kids yet so maybe they will love it, but it doesn't draw me in and I absolutely love chapter books. Maybe a little saccharine. There's just something lacking in the depth of these books. I know cbs have to be simple, but for such rich mythology I would like to feel the magic, but I don't. It seems like it's geared towards 4 year olds, but cb series should be for 5-9.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are fun for little mythology fans. I read a few of them aloud to my 5.5 year old and he kept wanting more. Black and white pictures on every page. Next try Joan Holub’s books.

[AshLynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 10 year old and I both loved this book. My son is a big fan of this author's first books, and was very happy with this new series. We already got the second book from our library.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute little book about the gods

[China · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first version of Greek myth that Kronos is actually good. I like how they practice their skills I can’t wait for book 2

[Jennifer Luther · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ugh this was SO cute. Will def be reading the rest of the series with my second graders. They LOVE Greek gods and goddesses.