The Mark of Athena - this and that

Riordan, Rick. 2012. The Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena. New York: Disney Hyperion.

Usually, I listen to Rick Riordan's books, but I read this one instead.  I think I prefer this series in print.


US trailer

UK trailer

The Mark of Athena, in which:

Percy and Annabeth are finally reunited
We don't see nearly enough of Ella (I love that harpy!)
Seven demigods set forth on a quest
Leo is odd man out
The end is a real cliffhanger


Here's the plot, according to Ella,

Wisdom’s daughter walks alone

The Mark of Athena burns through Rome,

Twins snuff out the angel’s breath,

Who holds the key to endless death.

Giant’s bane stands cold and pale,

Won through pain from a woven jail.

Some odds and ends:

• 586 pages or 15 hrs, 9 min in audiobook version
• Read the first chapter of The Mark of Athena here.
• Listen to an audiobook excerpt of The Mark of Athena.
• A Teacher's Guide to Rick Riordan's books is available on his site.
• Fans will love it.
• I'm in the Greek camp.

Next up: The House of Hades, due out in October 2013.

This and that - 3 reviews

A little of this and a little of that, as I'm ahead in reading and behind in writing!

(short stories, novel, audiobook)

Kibuishi, Kazu. 2012.  Explorer: The Mystery Boxes. New York: Amulet.

This book is an unexpected little gem, something of a mystery itself. From the cover, I was expecting a graphic novel mystery, a la The Box Car Children infused with a bit of magic.  What I found instead, was a themed, graphic, short story collection.  Mystery Boxes contains seven stories by noted graphic artists including Raina Telgemeier (Smile).  What ties these disparate illustrators and authors together is that each story features a mysterious box, contents unknown.  The stories range from amusing ("Spring Cleaning by Dave Roman and Telgemeier) to profound (Jason Caffoe's, "The Keeper's Treasure") to social commentary on war (Stuart Livingston and Stephanie Ramirez', "The Soldier's Daughter").

Judging from the way  my Advance Reader Copy was scooped up by a child in my book club, I'd guess this will be popular if it can find the right audience.  I'm also assuming that we can look forward to more collections in the Explorer series. I, for one, would like to see more interest in short stories.  They don't seem to be required reading for middle schoolers - a pity.  (Another good short story series, though not in graphic novel format, is Jon Scieszka's Guys Read Library)

Doyle, Roddy. 2012. A Greyhound of a Girl. New York: Amulet.

Advance Reader Copy

I chose to read this one because it features a multi-generational Irish family.  It's hard not to like Ireland - a beautiful country full of "lovely" people.  In fact, you will hear people in Ireland describe nearly anything as "lovely" --friendly people they are in general, but I digress.

This is the first Roddy Doyle book that I've read and I wasn't sure what to expect. I thoroughly enjoyed it once I stopped looking for some artificial contrivance or tricky plot twist and settled in to enjoy a simple yet touching story of 12-year-old Mary O'Hara, and three of her female relatives, one of whom happens to be dead.  A Greyhound of a Girl covers a short span of time in a short book (208 small pages)  about life and death and family. Being of Ireland, of course it is not without humor.

Riordan, Rick. 2011. The Son of Neptune, The Heroes of Olympus Series, Book 2. Read by Joshua Swanson. Listening Library.
12 hours, 27 minutes.

As much as I enjoyed The Lost Hero, I'd be lying if I didn't say that it's good to have Percy back in the story.  Lost no more, but without his memories, Percy finds himself in the midst of the Roman demigod stronghold, Camp Jupiter.  In this installment, the listener learns little of Camp Half-Blood's activities, but is thrust into the militaristic world of the Roman demigods.  Before the story ends on a culture-colliding cliffhanger, a clear picture of the identities of "the seven" is unfolding,

Seven half-bloods shall answer the call,
To storm or fire the world must fall.
An oath to keep with a final breath,
And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death. 

 The narration by Joshua Swanson is beginning to grow on me (but perhaps that's because Leo doesn't appear much in The Son of Neptune).  My favorite new character in the series?  Hands down, it's Bella the Harpy, voiced perfectly by Mr. Swanson.

Sadly, we've got to wait until the fall for The Mark of Athena (book 3).

Enjoy an audio excerpt.

The Lightning Thief: The Graphic Novel and other Olympian news

Just how big is Rick Riordan in the publishing world?  Well, he doesn't have a mere web page, he has a world, The Online World of Rick Riordan.  And he needs an online world to contain all of his projects!

I've been meaning to share a few things about Rick Riordan since attending the American Library Association conference this summer. I am so impressed with Rick Riordan's commitment to his craft, his boundless imagination, his friendly personality, his circle of talented colleagues,  and most of all, his ever-increasing appeal to readers.  Like Midas, whatever he touches turns to gold.


Did you know that The Lightning Thief and subsequent books in the series are being released in graphic novel format?  I might have passed on this news, had I not attended a session in New Orleans that featured Rick Riordan in a panel discussion with his colleagues.  One of the panel members was Robert Venditti, who wrote the adaptation for the graphic novel.

Robert Venditti signing books @ ALA in NO

 Venditti explained both the challenges, and his method of condensing a beloved book into GN format. It was not a task that he undertook lightly, and it was clear to everyone in attendance that he put a great deal of effort into maintaining the spirit and content of the original book.  My co-worker and I spoke with him later about the process of working with Attila Futaki (artist) and Jose Villarrubia (colorist) in creating the adaptation to ensure that readers of the original book would not be disappointed. There is much more to the process than you might think.

The resulting book is a new way to experience the Percy Jackson saga (the rest of the series will follow!) and adheres to the story much better than the movie. And yes, Annabeth is blond, as she should be.  My only complaint with The Lightning Thief: The Graphic Novel (2010 Disney Hyperion) is  the font color for otherworldly messages.  I found it difficult to read, but perhaps I'm just getting old!

The Lost Hero, the first book in the Heroes of Olympus series, flew off the shelf all summer! Can't wait for the second installment, Son of Neptune?  Well, here's a teaser for you -

Read the first chapter here or
you can download an mp3 file of the first audiobook chapter here!

(It will be interesting to see how the issue of narration is reconciled.  So many listeners loved Jesse Bernstein, the narrator of the original Percy Jackson and the Olympians series.  Joshua Swanson narrated The Lost Hero, which is told in first person narration from varying points of view. Swanson portrayed all of the characters. When Percy re-enters the story in Son of Neptune, will listeners pine for the voice of Jesse Bernstein?  We'll find out next month.)

And did you know that October 4-11 is Olympian Week? Rick Riordan will be touring the country in support of his upcoming book. The first printing of The Son of Neptune will be three million copies!  Click the link to see if he'll be in a city near you!

And then, there's the Kane Chronicles - the series based on Egyptian mythology. It's no wonder that Rick Riordan needs an "online world!"  According to Rick Riordan, this popular series should wrap up after three books.  We'll see what happens next.

The 39 Clues, originally planned to end with book ten, finished up with book 11, Vespers Rising, written in part by Rick Riordan and detailing the origin of the clue hunt. I'm almost finished with this one in audiobook format (my new commute is too short for quality listening), but it sets the stage for the new Cahill vs. Vespers series. The Medusa Plot (book 1) by Gordon Korman was released last month. And the Cahill clan lived on!

And finally, in New Orleans, Riordan mentioned that he is not ruling out a foray into Norse mythology.  Let's keep our fingers crossed!

Children's book of Mythical Beasts and Magical Monsters: a review

Dorling Kindersley, Inc. 2011. Children's Book of Mythical Beasts and Magical Monsters: An introduction to fascinating myths and legends from around the world. New York: DK.

Thanks to the prolific writer, Rick Riordan,  kids cannot get enough of mythical beasts and magical monsters.  DK's new book should give them all the background information they need to keep up with Rick Riordan or their favorite fantasy writers.

This book is much more than a mythology book, however.  It is divided into three loosely organized sections, Nature and Nation, Magic and Mayhem, and Quests and Battles.  Each section contains approximately fifteen to thirty different entries covering civilizations from across the globe and spanning all of recorded history.

Nature and Nation features creation and pourquoi stories,  Magic and Mayhem - tall tales, legends, legendary creatures and trickster tales. Quests and Battles is self-explanatory - dragons, Robin Hood, El Dorado, Durga, the Hindu warrior goddess and more.  There are four "types" of pages with the book, each type marked with a color-coded symbol,

• Around the World: Wonder at the similarities and common elements in myths from around the world
• Who's Who: Find out about the relationships between gods of certain cultures and characters that feature in famous legends
• Telling the Tale: Discover the excitement and drama of myths that have been passed down from generation to generation.
• Character Up Close: Take a close-up look at mythological characters, how they are depicted, their role and their adventures.

With a table of contents, usage guide, extensive index, glossary, and acknowledgments for the hundreds of illustrations from museums and libraries, this is more of a reference book than a browsing book, however, its appealing layout and busy pages will likely attract browsers as well.  The Children's Book of Mythical Beasts and Magical Monsters can easily serve as a starting point for school reports. A well-balanced and informative book.

This images of this cover found on the web are not entirely accurate.  The actual colors are much brighter and more garish than portrayed - jarring, to be sure, but most certainly eye-catching!  Kids will pick this one up.

Today's Nonfiction Monday is at True Tales & A Cherry on Top, the blog of writer Jeanne Walker Harvey, who has a new nonfiction book on shelves now:

 My Hands Sing the Blues: Romare Bearden's Childhood Journey.

 Please stop by.

The Lightning Thief

Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief. (2010) Directed by Chris Columbus, Twentieth Century Fox.
Rated PG (for action violence and peril, some scary images and suggestive material, and mild language)

I went with three teenagers to see The Lightning Thief yesterday.  The theater was packed with young people, mostly boys. I have a few comments, but encourage you to stop here if you don't want to know how the movie compares to the book! 

First, let me say that we all enjoyed the film.  The special effects, acting, and pacing were great. I don't think that any viewers went away disappointed - that is, however, unless they were expecting strict adherence to Rick Riordan's novel.  Following are a few of the differences between the book and movie versions (in no particular order): the sequence of events at the Gateway Arch in St. Louis was deleted and replaced with an incident in Nashville, Tennesse. Annabeth is not a blonde and doesn't have a special baseball cap. Percy, not Gordon, wears the flying sneakers. The Ares cabin at Camp Half-Blood is never mentioned, and Percy's showdown with Ares in California is missing entirely. Also, as a New Jerseyan, I could not help but notice that Percy and company meet up with Medusa in Leeds, NJ (home of the famous New Jersey Devil). I don't recall the location in the book, but I'm sure that it was not Leeds, NJ.

A few modernizations to the story were added as well - in the Las Vegas casino, Grover struts to the groove of Lady Gaga, when crossing the River Styx, Grover complains about wasting money in a time of recession, Annabeth worries that Homeland Security will be looking for the group, and finally, Percy views Medusa in the reflection on his iPod Touch. None of these detract from the story, but may have the reverse effect of dating the movie as the years go by.

Overall, I thought the movie was great!  I'm looking forward to Rick Riordan's next series about life after Camp Half-Blood, and I hope to see Sea of Monsters on the big screen as well.

Enjoy the movie trailer!