You may have read Zeus on the Loose or Zeus to the Rescue but I hadn't. I guess these books came out after my little boys grew too old for silly Zeus stories. But I was curious. I am always curious about Greek Gods (and Goddesses) because my childhood did not contain them. So when I hear about Hermes, I think handbag rather than God of the herds or herald of the Gods. When I read the name Cupid I think of someone on a Hallmark card. I feel sad about it and try to mug up from time to time. But watching Hercules, the Disney film is not enough to get one in touch with Zeus. Neither will this but it is very funny nonetheless. And on the principal of the more a child hears about Zeus, the more they will pick up their D'Aulaires' and not have Greek myths missing from their childhood, Zeus Sorts it Out is recommended.
Basically, Zeus is summoned to fight bullies. Charlie, our anti-hero, keeps getting his head flushed down a toilet. So Zeus sets up his headquarters in the boys' lavatory. Zeus has violent ideas of revenge which Alex, Charlie's best friend, has to minimise. Dougherty manages to slip in Heracle's Labours, vocab like Cerynian Hind and Erymanthian Boar, characters like Artemis and Hippolyta. So that eventhough roast bull flavoured crisps with mustard feature in the story, there is more substance and a lot of humour than one would expect.
Six to eight year olds are going to love this but younger folks too.
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