Tales from the Odyssey, Part 1

Tales from the Odyssey #1-3

by Mary Pope Osborne

Giants and Cannibals!
Wonders and Witches!
One Amazing Hero.

Brave Odysseus is far from home, tossed by stormy seas, and cursed by an angry one-eyed giant. If he ever wants to see his family again, he will have to face hungry cannibals, outwit a beautiful witch, and sail past a six-headed serpent. His journey is the ultimate test of endurance and courage.

In this exciting series, best-selling author Mary Pope Osborne retells Homer's Odyssey , one of the most thrilling adventure stories of all time.

Genres: Mythology, Classics, Fiction, Fantasy, Childrens, Middle Grade, Greek Mythology

288 pages, Paperback

First published May 4, 2010

About the author

Mary Pope Osborne is an American author of children's books and audiobook narrator. She is best known as the author of the Magic Tree House series, which as of 2017 sold more than 134 million copies worldwide. Both the series and Osborne have won awards, including for Osborne's charitable efforts at promoting children's literacy. One of four children, Osborne moved around in her childhood before attending the University of North Carolina. Following college, Osborne traveled before moving to New York City. She somewhat spontaneously began to write, and her first book was published in 1982. She went on to write a variety of other children's and young adult books before starting the Magic Tree House series in 1992. Osborne's sister Natalie Pope Boyce has written several compendium books to the Magic Tree House series, sometimes with Osborne's husband Will Osborne.

Reviews

[Emily ✞ || [fallon's vrs] · Rating 3 out of 5]

✧･ﾟ: * ❝ Odysseus looked up. Could this truly be Hermes, the messenger god of Mount Olympus, son of Zeus, and protector of heroes and travelers? ❞ ･ﾟ:* ✧

╰┈➤ ✿ ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ . . . :･*✧ ♩♪
。°⋆✫Go the Distance ⇾ Michael Bolton✫⋆°。
3:17─────●──4:42
◃◃ ⅠⅠ ▹▹


ωєℓ¢σмє, ωєℓ¢σмє, тσ тαℓєѕ fяσм тнє σ∂уѕѕєу!


Odysseus wants nothing more than to get back to his family. After fighting for ten years in the Trojan war, Odysseus wants nothing more than to be reunited with his wife and son. But many trials await him, like bloodthirsty cyclopses, giant cannibals and beautiful sirens. Will he make it back to his family alive?


This was very interesting and a nice read. Albiet quick and a little juvenile, it wasn't terrible, which made it less of a chore to get through. I read this because my brother said this is what got him into Percy Jackson, and since I loved The Lightning Thief, I thought I'd take a stab at this.

Odysseus is a fun hero to follow, though I'd much rather be reading about other Greek heroes, like Hercules 😏



˚｡⋆🌊˚｡⋆What I liked
🔱This is by far one of the cleanest books I've read concerning Greek mythology. There was no talk of infidelity and all that other...icky stuff the Greek gods were known for.
🔱It was quick, simple, and easy to follow
🔱Odysseus was a great hero, very mature, and a really good leader. He's a good fictional role model for young boys

.・。.・゜・.・・゜・。. .・。

˚｡⋆🧜🏻‍♀️˚｡⋆What I didn’t like
⚔️These men cried more than my little brother did when he was a toddler! And trust me, my little bro is renowned for being the crier in our family, so that's saying a lot. Every other page Odysseus is weeping 😭
⚔️It kinda read like a ten-year-old wrote it...? Idk, maybe I'm just being mean 🙈


.・。.・゜・.・・゜・。. .・。

˚｡⋆🏝️˚｡⋆CW(spoiler free)
-sexual:
there are sirens, but they don't say anything about them taking advantage of men, just that only men are affected by their song
-substance abuse:
wine drinking
-violence:
intense violence for a kids' novel, but it isn't super descriptive
-magic:
there is an enchantress you gave some of Odysseus's men a potion and then used her wand to turn them into pigs
-trigger:
war

☆•° . *verdict:rated PG/ages 10+* . °•★

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I was a child, you could get books from a series titled "Illustrated Classic Editions." These petite sized, very abridged versions of famous classic novels were intended for early readers. See them here: http://lostinthecloudblog.com/2010/08... I had a few as a child, and the ones my husband collected currently adorn our bookshelves. They include things like "David Copperfield" cut down to 238 4"x5" pages.

"Tales from the Odyssey" parts one and two remind me almost exactly of this book series, minus the illustrations. Mary Pope Osborne, who has delighted first and second graders while introducing them to numerous historical, mythological, and literary subjects in her "Magic Tree House" series, breaks down Homer's "The Odyssey" into 6 short stories. These were combined into 2 volumes for this edition. I gave it 3 stars because I was hoping for a little more detail. I realize this is written for children, and that my 3rd soon to be 4th grader is far beyond the simplistic style of these stories. However, I felt they were advertised to be above the level of "Magic Tree House" (which is very likely not the author's fault) but they are actually below it.

My kids are very into Rick Riordan and his Percy Jackson series, which is based on Greek mythology. I was hoping to introduce them to the original tales that have inspired for thousands of years since first told by Homer. While these books provide the primary plot and characters related to Odysseus' tragic years at sea, it lacks a sense of adventure and excitement. I'm curious to see what my kids think when they read it, and if they will recognize elements of the original quest that has become so pervasive not only in everything they read, but many movies they watch.

If you are lucky enough to have a 1st or 2nd grader that is interested in Greek mythology, I recommend these books. They would also be a good choice for a parent to read to the child so additional details, explanations, and perhaps drama can be added by the reader.

[Kt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read to my 8yo son. Its written by the author of the Magic Tree House series so her story telling is perfect for that age level. My son LOVED it and can't wait till he's old enough to understand the more mature epic poem by Homer.

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful introduction to Homer's writing for children. Well done.

[Nate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tales from the Odyssey is a great introduction to Homer and Greek Mythology, and will give children an excellent foundation of knowledge. I also think this book will leave children with the desire to further pursue mythology and, who knows, maybe lead to them reading Homer one day. The only reason this isn't 5 stars is because this is only Part 1.

The spoilers below are notes for our OBOB team.



Events in Tales from the Odyssey:

The One-eyed Giant

1. Odysseus is living happily with his wife, Penelope, and Telemachus, his son. He is the King of Ithaca, and longs only to stay at home and farm the land and build things. However, a messenger from King Agamemnon calls him to war in Troy. Helen, a Greek queen, had been stolen from her husband and kidnapped to Troy. Odysseus feigns insanity, but is found to be sane when he stops his plow from killing his son.

2. The Trojan War lasts 10 years. It only ends when Athena (goddess of wisdom, war, arts, and crafts) visits Odysseus and gives him the idea of the Trojan Horse. The Greeks use that idea to win, but then some Greek soldiers invade Athena's temple and are violent and disrespectful. This angers the gods and they begin to put obstacles in Odysseus's way to Ithaca.

3. The storm takes their ship to the island of Lotus eaters. When eating Lotus, a person will forget everything important and only want to eat more Lotus flowers. Odysseus forces his men to leave the island before they all forget about Ithaca.

4. The next stop is the island of the cyclops. The men land and find goats and a cave loaded with provisions. Unfortunately, this cave is the lair of Polyphemus, who keeps the Greeks captive and eats them two at a time. This horrifies the men and brings great anger from Odysseus. He makes a plane, naming himself no one and blinding Polyphemus. When the other cyclops come to help him, he shouts at them, telling him No One blinded him. Odysseus and his remaining men escape by riding he bellies of sheep past the blind Cyclops. However, when sailing away, Odysseus can't help his anger and pride, and he shouts to Polyphemus that Odysseus blinded him. Polyphemus then curses them, calling on his father, Poseidon, to punish them.

5. The next stop is island of the wind god, Aeolus. Aeolus lets them feast and puts all bad winds in a bag for them and the gentle western breeze blows them back to Ithaca. With Ithaca in sight, Odysseus falls asleep. His men grow jealous and open the bad from Aeolus to see what's inside. The fierce winds are released and blow the ship back to Aeolus. By now, Aeolus knows about the curse of the Cyclops, and he will no longer help Odysseus and his men.

The Land of the Dead:

1. Island of the Cannibal Giants - Odysseus and his men arrive at an island and enter a bay, only to be ambushed by giant cannibals. All ships by Odysseus's are lost (11 of 12 are lost, and Odysseus is left with 45 men).

2. The ships sails and lands an another shore. The men are weary and can't go on, until Odysseus finds a gift from the gods, a giant stag that he slays and takes back to his men. Then they are well enough to explore, only to find that half the group (led by 2nd in command, Eurylochus) are turned into pigs by the enchantress Circe. Only Hermes intervention helps save the men, as he gives Odysseus a plant called Moly to eat that makes him impervious to Circe's spells. She then promises not to hurt them and they live on the island for a year.

3. After a year, Odysseus decides they must leave. Circe tells him that only the prophet Tiresias can tell him how to get home. Since he is dead, they must travel to the land of the dead. They do, and use blood to attract the spirits and allow them to talk. Tiresias tells them they must pass the island of the sun god, Helios. He warns them not to touch his livestock or all the men will be destroyed. Odysseus still might make it home, but he will be alone and there will be trouble in his house. Odysseus also speaks with his mother, who took her own life out of grief for Odysseus. They also talk with great warriors and kings from the Trojan war. They even see Tantalus and Sisyphus.

Sirens and Sea Monsters:

1. They leave the land of the dead and return to Circe's island. She warns Odysseus of the troubles ahead, in that they must sail past the Sirens and resist their temptation by song. She tells them to use beeswax in their ears to block the songs. Circe also warns of passing the wandering rocks. Only a gods protection will get them through, which Odysseus knows they do not have. The other path is by two sea cliffs. One is the whirlpool monster Charybdis, who live by the low cliff. The other danger is by the high cliff, and that is the six-headed sea monster, Scylla. Circe tells him they must go by Scylla and sacrifice six men rather than everyone.

2. They leave Circe, and they make it past the Sirens, with all men using beeswax except Odysseus, who is lashed to the ship. Odysseus vows to fight Scylla, but he cannot destroy her and they lose six men to get past the sea cliffs and back on the way to Ithaca.

3. The ships are then forced to land on the island of the Sun god. They vow to stay one night, eat the food Circe gave them, and then move on. However, the gods send a tempest that doesn't end. The men are out of food and starving, yet they cannot leave. After months, Odysseus sneaks out the shore to pray to the gods. He falls into a deep sleep, only to wake and find that his men slaughtered cattle and eat them. The tempest abates, and the men leave.

4. The anger of Helios is felt, and he tells the gods he will never shine on the earth again unless they take revenge on Odysseus and his men. Zeus darkens the sky and sends thunder and lightning. Poseidon sends giant waves, and Aeolus sends strong winds. All the men are thrown into the sea and drown, and the ship is destroyed. Odysseus lashes the mast and keel together to make a raft. He is drawn back to the sea cliffs, and is saved by a wave before being claimed by Charybdis. He washes up on the high sea cliff, recaptures his raft, and rows away.

5. He washes up on the island belonging to Calypso. He comes to her cave, drawn by the smell of burning sandalwood and cedar. The island is lush and filled with life. Calypso, daughter of Atlas, knows of Odysseus; Hermes told her he would arrive. She sings to him, which helps to ease his pain and lets him rest. That is the end of Part 1.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent rendering of the Odyssey for middle elementary grades. Mary Pope Osborne stays admirably faithful to original story (though reorders things chronologically--a reasonable choice for her audience). Her writing is simple enough to be accessible to young readers, keeping the sentences clear, essential, and brief, even while it is also richly bedecked with wonderful words and turns of phrase. Most chapters are only 3-6 pages, which also makes reading it speed along. This retelling reminded me how thrilling the story of Odysseus' journey really is, and I imagine most elementary students would find it to be a page-turner that could spark a lifelong affinity for the tales of the Odyssey.

[Crusoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book Tales From The Odyssey is a book that will hook on to you and never let you stop reading. Tales From The Odyssey will make you have pity, chills, and even give you thrills. This book has excitement, chills, bravery, and adventure. this book will keep you reading and saying,"One more page, Please," when your mom calls you up for dinner. this book is one of my favorite books i have ever read. This book is good for people who like action and adventure.

[Christina N · Rating 4 out of 5]

REREAD: June 12, 2017
This book was a reread for me from several years ago, and the first time I definitely enjoyed it more. It's a fun read to see Odysseus's adventure unfold! However, the pacing was just not great. The narration mostly only focuses on Odysseus, and I didn't grow too close to any other characters due to this. Though there are flaws, it's still a great book!

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to say that this book gave me much more respect for Mary Pope Osborne as an author. I haven’t been much of a fan of the Magic Treehouse series, as I found them boring to read aloud. Also, my kids haven’t showed any interest in continuing them, even after reading multiple books in the series. But the boys and I read this one aloud for homeschool, and it was a very good, age appropriate retelling— all of the monsters that the kids want to hear about, none of the mythological romantic entanglements that should be reserved for more mature audiences. The vocabulary and language were also much better than I expected from someone whose claim to fame is formulaic chapter books for emerging readers. This was as far as we needed to go for my oldest’s homeschool book club, but the boys were not satisfied with the cliffhanger ending and want to finish the story. So well done, Ms. Osborne.

[H. Woodward · Rating 5 out of 5]

These books are saving Greek classics from dying a homicidal death at the hands of schoolchildren. Despite being aimed at the 3rd-4th grade students, there are quite a few higher level vocabulary words and concepts here. The major themes of the Odyssey are maintained and lead to rich discussions. This version makes classroom discussions accessible to students with learning plans. With the decreased levels of literacy from the pandemic, it really helps me out as a teacher. Everyone can read and cite the text. (Phew) This has probably been the most useful scaffolding tool for World Literature class this year.

[CozyReaderKelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this with my 6 year old daughter and we had a really great time with it. I have never read the original Odyssey by Homer, so it was fun to see some of the scenes I have heard about through pop culture played out in this story. My daughter loves adventure stories, and kept asking to read more every time we sat down to read.

For parents - there are violent scenes leading to the deaths of members of Odysseus's crew. There isn't details given, but kids that are sensitive to death in general would have a hard time with this book.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, easy-to-read, kid-appropriate adaptation of Homer's classic work. A simple retelling that is true to the original but engaging enough to excite my 8 year old. I read this in tandem with her as part of her school and she kept reading further than her assignment. A great, simple way to get a young child excited about the classics.

[Serena · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kids were obsessed with this book, and would beg me relentlessly to read it to them. They loved it!

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent adaptation for upper elementary and middle school students, and even for young teens. It’s surprisingly well written and is a wonderful and thorough introduction to the stories from The Odyssey. I also appreciated how it began with a short overview of the Trojan War so that young readers have that background. It even includes a very helpful pronunciation guide in the back for parents who are reading aloud. Part one begins with the Trojan War and ends with Odysseus arriving on Calypso’s island. Highly recommend!

[Sara Moran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read aloud with 9 & 7 year old for our ancient history homeschool curriculum.

9 year old review: 3 stars. Not my favorite. But I enjoyed the stories. There was too much dying.

7 year old review: 80 stars. All the monsters are so cool. I like the gods & goddesses.

Mom review: My knowledge of The Odyssey was pretty limited before this, but I found this first part to be such an exciting story! It’s written for kids, and even though there’s quite a bit of death, it still felt like an appropriate introduction for my kids’ ages. I didn’t feel like I had to skip any parts.

[Alexandra Maag]

I’m currently reading through some books I recently acquired for my children.
This was a very basic account of Odysseus’ journey home after the Trojan war. Violence is inevitable when telling his story but the author doesn’t dwell on it too much. It seems like a good book to introduce elementary aged children to Greek mythology.

[A'Lyssa Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

The kids and I loved this! They were very disappointed that it ended so unresolved, but they’re stoked to start Part 2 soon! The writing was perfect for their level, making such an old and wordy story accessible to young children. It paired wonderfully with our reading of Percy Jackson, helping them understand more about the Greek gods. Be warned that there are a fair amount of gruesome deaths if your children are sensitive to that sort of thing.

[Bonnie Quarterman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read with Flynn for CCHSA Co-op. Fantastic! One of the first books I saw him get excited about trying to read by himself. 💙

[Audrey Laurey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had the original Odyssey on my nightstand forever, not getting very far. Anyhow, I much prefer this version by Mary Pope Osborne, she does it again! Reminding me a lot of the pocket classics I used to love as a kid. I'm now in a book club with some 6yo's where we discuss the next installment weekly. So fun, and advised for curious young readers.

[Moonkiszt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Featured in grandma chapterbook sessions.

We only got halfway before the library snapped it back. . .we reserve the right of further review upon our finishing of the rest of it.

We do give 4 robust stars for what we've read thus far, and are continuing to read of Odysseus and his many adventures in other books.

[Amber Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect bite size version of parts of the Odyssey for the boys to digest.

[Lizzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The boys loooved this

[GeorgeI]

Too cool

[Joseph R · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Tales From The Odyssey Book Part One I thought was fantastic. I liked how it showed cases of drama, suspense, and gore. It was one of those books that you just jump in to is does not introduce anything, it just starts off great and it has a whole heroic tone going through my mind from start to finish. Odyssey was a person who got ripped away from his home and desires to get back to his family. But he has plenty of trials and obstacles to go through. He has to go through storms, has to fight mythical monsters, he has to survive and thrive to get to his family and so he can resume is normal life. I like the tone and mood of the conflict in the story, it has that calm/tense tone in it which makes it like a movie in your head and you can't tell what happens next. I would definitely read this book again, or maybe even a third time. It is one of those books that don't get old. All in all, i enjoyed it very much and I am going to try to find Part Two so I can read that to see if that can top Part One.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a special, English-major compartment in my heart for The Iliad so I figured the action-packed stories I had heard one-off of the Odyssey in a kid-friendly version would be perfect for my elementary school-aged boys. I was right! My boys still talk about many of the adventures of Odysseus from this version and part 2, and frankly, it's just plain awesome in my mind to go on to read things like Oliver Twist, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, The Call of the Wild, The Red Badge of Courage, etc. to them and remind them of the simple idea of a hero's journey they first cognitively grasped through this ancient story. (Not to mention playing The Police's "Wrapped Around Your Finger" with the lyrics "caught between the Scylla and Charybdis" and show them how literature repeats!)

[Nick R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is absolutely delicious with its beautiful plot line the book only gets better after Odyseuss finds out that he has been banished from coming back to his island and his wife. Some dialogue includes Polyphemus saying "I will eat you and your friends with a nice glass of wine" and then Odyseuss revealing name as Nobody to try and trick Polyphemus "What's your name weakling?" Polyphemus said and then Odyseuss said "My name is Nobody" then one night something horrible went on for Odyseuss and yet he was only being attacked by 'Nobody' as he was screaming out loud. I would recommend this book to my mom as she loves these kinds of mythical mysteries.

[Heather O'Neill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is kids' retelling of the first part of Odysseus' journey starting at Troy and ending with Calypso. It is written by Mary Pope Osborne, who is famous for The Magic Treehouse series.

I thought that the book was really good and I enjoyed this version as much as my boys did. The story kept us engaged and we wanted to know what happened next. The chapters were short enough that they didn't drag on, but we learned about many of the stories of Odysseus. The book even has a pronunciation chart in the back of the book, which was very helpful. We were reading this as a supplement to learning about Greek history and next we will continue with Part 2 of this book.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This telling of The Odyssey is the perfect length and level of content for upper elementary / middle grade. My children had already been introduced to Odysseus's journey but in graphic novels and illustrated/condensed formats. This is a step up from those - still digestible for their age, but not leaving out any major chunks of the story. I loved, for example, how Circe's role was not reduced down to one tiny event. The same goes for each being, perilous encounter, and delay faced by the Greek warriors as they desperately try to return to Ithaca. Looking forward to continuing on into part two!

[Spencer Forsyth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. Pretty intense for the 6 and 4 (mostly her) year old. Lots of adventure and excitement. Also a lot of death and sadness with quite a bit of tension.

[Courtney · Rating 2 out of 5]

I understand these are written to be easily read. I just don't understand why easily read has to be so boring. It's the Odyssey! It should have some element of excitement! But it doesn't, at all.