Asterix at the Olympic Games (Adventures of Asterix)

Rating:
Summary: The worlds first doping case!
Review: As a child, I read all of the "classic" Asterix books in Swedish. As an adult now living in the U.S., I am reading them again to my children, but this time in English. This is an old classic, and a good one, but not the best one.

Asterix and Obelix live in a village in Gaul that the Romans failed to conquer. The reason for this is that the village druid knows how make a magic potion that that endows the villagers with super human strength. In this book the indomitable Gauls decide to compete in the Olympics. The question is are they allowed to use the magic potion? Does anyone end up using it? Who gets disqualified? Very entertaining, lots of laughs, but not my favorite.

In general I find that, children the age 5-13 really enjoy these books, and so do my children. Adults can enjoy these books as well. The Asterix comic books are a great way to teach children ancient history. Naturally, the adult needs to help with the differentiation between fiction and history. From these books, my kids have learned about the Roman Empire, the ancient Greeks, the Vikings, the Goths, the Phoenicians, ancient Gaul, ancient Egypt, and the ancient Mediterranean world in general.

My ten year old started loving these books at the age of eight and he cannot get enough of them. My six year old started liking them at the age of five. Even though many Asterix puns may be a little bit above his head, my younger son still loves these stories.

In my opinion the best Asterix albums are: Asterix and the Normans; Asterix in Corsica; Obelix and company; Asterix the Gladiator; Asterix the Legionary; Asterix and Cleopatra; Asterix and the Goths; Asterix in Belgium; Asterix and the big fight; and Asterix all around Gaul. The last title is a translation from Swedish and might be wrong.

Rating:
Summary: A review from Mr. Entertainment Lover
Review: This is one of those books that will keep you laughing. In this book all the gauls decided to compete in the Olympics against the Romans. It's a book that will put a smile on your face on a gloomy day.