Odysseus in the Serpent Maze

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Summary: Myth and action colide-by mtjones
Review: Back in the time when the powerful,greek gods ruled and the evil gorgons who served Saiton exsisted there lived a young boy named Odysseus and soon he found a princess named Penelope. They went on countless adventures against pirates, gorgons, giants, and the giant hundred headed snak. Will Odysseus save the city or fale them or the world? To find out you should read this book. This book will frightin you, inspire you, and tak your mind strait into this action packed book. There are other "Young Hero" books with just as much dangr and action. So if I were you I'd get those books as fast as I can so hurry! This book inspires me because it has creatures and hero's I never heard of.

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Summary: Myth and Adventure Colide By: mtj grade 5
Review: Back in the time when the powerfuul gods ruled and the evil Gorgons who served Satan exisisted there lived a prince by the name Odysseus and soon finds a princess named Penelope(which soon becomes future wife). They went out on countless adventures against pirates,gorgons,giants,and the giant,hundred headed snake and other evil creaturs. Will Odysseus win and save his people or fale the town or the world?!?! To find out you should read this book. This book will inspire you,frightin you,and take your mind strait in this action packed book. There are other other"Young Hero" books with just as much danger and action. So if I were you I'd get those those books and

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Summary: ALAS! A NEW BOOK HAS COME FORTH!
Review: Greetings oh internet surfer! I have been asked by my teacher to write a review, and summary of "Odysseus in the Serpent Maze" by Jane Yolen.
Summary: Odysseus, young Prince of Ithaca, teams up with his counseling friend Mentor, for a terrifying but satisfying adventure. Odysseus has always been the brave and adventurous young warrior, who is constantly exaggerating his tales. Mentor is his faithful sidekick, who falls in love with the beautiful Helen. They bump into Helen and Penelope while finding refuge on a ship. The four embark on a quest that they will never forget-because of the danger, but also because of the danger, but also because of the faith that they find in each other.

Review: Overall, it was an excellent story with a good plot. Jane Yolen makes a legendary hero into a lanky, imaginative young teenager. The book is actually historial fiction, and includes lots of information of both factual and mythical proof. She also incorporates realistic violence sequences that are sure to please the reader as they do Odysseus. The characters capture your heart and their lifelike performance is sure to leave an imprint on your mind.

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Summary: Homer hasn't always been a yellow cartoon character...
Review: I picked this book up while in search of something about heroes for children. Odysseus fits the bill, but with reservations. He wants to be a hero, but feels that all the wars have been fought, all the monsters slain and all the glory gone. He is so wrong, as he finds out on his adventures with his best friend. Pirate ships, sea rescues, strange creatures, hand to hand combat and a deathly maze are among the surprises that await him as he sails back home after a visit with his grandfather. The action never lags and Odysseus struggles with being afraid and doing what needs to be done anyway. There is also a strong female character in Penelope, a handmaiden for a kidnapped princess, that Odysseus and his friend meet. It is fast paced and filled with adventure. It's not easy being a hero, but Odysseus and friends come through time and again.

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Summary: adventures of the young heroe
Review: I picked this book up while in search of something about heroes for children. Odysseus fits the bill, but with reservations. He wants to be a hero, but feels that all the wars have been fought, all the monsters slain and all the glory gone. He is so wrong, as he finds out on his adventures with his best friend. Pirate ships, sea rescues, strange creatures, hand to hand combat and a deathly maze are among the surprises that await him as he sails back home after a visit with his grandfather. The action never lags and Odysseus struggles with being afraid and doing what needs to be done anyway. There is also a strong female character in Penelope, a handmaiden for a kidnapped princess, that Odysseus and his friend meet. It is fast paced and filled with adventure. It's not easy being a hero, but Odysseus and friends come through time and again.

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Summary: At last!
Review: I'm homeschooling my third grade daughter and have been having a hard time finding quality fiction about ancient history that is also appropriate for her reading level. This book has turned out to be perfect for my purposes. Yolen creates a fiction based on Odysseus' youth, but makes frequent references to classical tales and myths. Yolen cleverly includes Penelope and Helen of Sparta (later, of course Helen of Troy) as girls, so the reader gets a charming fiction about how Odysseus and his future wife meet. My daughter is enjoying the story and I find myself getting caught up in the suspense. A true test of a children's book is that it is interesting to adults, which this book is.

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Summary: All About Odysseus in the Serpent Maze
Review: This book is about teenage Odysseus, who longs to be a hero so he can prove that he isn't a child anymore or something like that. After being badly wounded by a wild boar on a visit with his theif of a grandfather, Odysseus is sent home on a ship full of treasures. However, in the middle of the ocean, Odysseus and his best friend Mentor fall overboard the ship and are stranded in the middle of the deep, dark sea. They run into pirates and sort of outsmart them, but not enough to keep them from throwing Odysseus overboard. But before Odysseus gets thrown into the sea again, the two of them breifly meet two princesses who were being held captive on the ship. There is Helen, who is a stuck-up, two-faced brat who only thinks about her looks. The other is sensible, brave, and I-don't-care-if-I-get-my-dress-dirty Penelope. Though not as gorgeous as Helen, Odysseus reveals later in the story that he thinks Penelope is the beautiful one. All of them, (Mentor,Odysseus,Helen,and Penelope)with the help of an incredibly smelly satyr, end up on a terrifying and fascinating journey that they will never forget. Facing half-woman, half-bird creatures, a cruel army, a ferocious metal dog, a rockslide, and the terrifying many-headed snake in the serpent maze itself,all of them encounter terrrifying,emotional,hopeful,and hopeless moments that bring them all into a strange bond of friendship. If you like Odysseus in the Serpent Maze, you will certainly like Hippolyta and the Curse of the Amazons, and Atalanta and the Arcadian Beast. Have fun reading these enchanting books!

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Summary: Homer hasn't always been a yellow cartoon character...
Review: We all know Odysseus through Homer's epic rendition of his adventures, but this is a rollicking portrait of the hero as a very young man. In this absolute romp of a book we meet the future hero and crafty warrior in his early years, exploring the meaning of courage and loyalty, fighting most wonderful monsters, dealing with the gods of Greek mythology and with other characters from his own story. These secondary characters are as well-drawn as our hero himself, and Penelope gets to be a heroine in her own right, to my own personal satisfaction. The portrait of the other 'female lead' is absolutely classic and her signature phrase is a complete delight, the response to which the authors have nobly refrained from posing... but I refuse to spoil the surprise!

Odysseus in the Serpent Maze is terrific, page-turning fun, beautifully imagined by the ever-splendid Jane Yolen and her marvellous co-author Robert J. Harris. This team, who wrote The Queen's Own Fool (a highly-original tale revolving around Mary Queen of Scots), have now turned to Greek legend and have done a truly fine job. The sheer cleverness of the plot twists and turns never gets in the way of a really good story. The brief epilogue also, painlessly, helps younger readers sort the fact from the fiction.

One gets the impression that this is the first in a series, presumably entitled Young Heroes - at least I certainly hope so. Well done, Yolen and Harris, and the more Young Heros the better!

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Summary: Home sweet Homer
Review: When you think of Odysseus, you think of the big wooden horse, lots of blood and mayhem, and a mild-mannered Penelope who assumes that her suitors are as dumb as she is. But you may not see him (or her) quite the same way after reading this book. It's a fun romp for kids, and may also be for adults with knowledge of Greek mythos.

Thirteen-year-old Odysseus and his best friend Mentor want to be heroes (actually, Odysseus wants to be a hero, and Mentor tags along) at the home of Odysseus's thief-king grandfather. After a partially successful hunt in which they help stop a monstrous boar, the boys are sent home across the sea -- except a storm washes them overboard, and leaves them stranded in a box in the middle of the ocean.

After they are captured by pirates, the boys find that they are not the only captives. There are a pair of princesses, the incredibly beautiful (but spoiled, petty and self-absorbed) Helen, and the less beautiful but clever Penelope. With the help of an incredibly smelly satyr and a self-rowing ship, Odysseus and his friends escape. But they inadvertantly stumble into more places full of things and creatures both astounding -- and terrifying.

This is a pretty fun read. It's a coming-of-age story/adventure story/mythological story, that takes up mythical threads and adds on to them as it skilfully shows the growth of the characters. The things such as Daedalus's lab and the boat that rows itself are done with exquisite atmosphere, as is the boar hunt and the semi-humiliating scenes that follow. Comedy, horror, adventure, and occasional awe are mixed in expertly.

Odysseus is reminiscent of Lloyd Alexander's Taran, with his brash eagerness to be a hero and a man among men, and his gradual maturation when he has to deal with actual danger. There's a good chemistry between him and Penelope; though it's not yet romantic, it's one of mutual respect and understanding which hints at their future relationship. Mentor is good as the voice of reason (except when Helen addles his mind) and Helen is great as a spoiled royal brat who thinks of her looks, suitors, and status as a princess. You WILL want to strangle her.

If your kids have ever enjoyed Greek legends, or if you're trying to interest them, this historical/mythical fantasy may be the ticket.