Hit the Road, Helen

McMullan, Kate. Hit the Road, Helen. (Myth-o-mania #9)
1 July 2013, Stone Arch Books
E ARC from Netgalley.com

This is book nine in the Myth-o-mania series, and is a retelling, in Hades’ snarky voice, about the Judgement of Paris right on through the Trojan War and the Trojan Horse. It has been quite some time since I have read any of these, and I had forgotten how very complete they are. Of course, Hades’ assertion is that the whole Trojan war is Zeus’ fault, but everything is covered—Leda and Tyndareus and the birth of Castor, Clytemnestra, Pollux and Helen, Menelaus meeting Helen, Thetis and Peleus’ wedding and the apple of discord, Achilles being dipped in the river Styx. To make things a bit more lively, Hades talks about his La-Z-god chair, Necta-cola and his toga tux and calls Persephone “P-Phone”.

Strengths: Students who read these will have just as much exposure to classical Greek mythology as they would reading Edith Hamilton or D’aulaire’s Greek Myths. My students will often read one of these a day. This volume did seem longer than the others. I’m glad that Capstone has brought them out in hardcovers, since they get a lot of wear.

Weaknesses: They will be exposed to toga tuxes and Necta-cola.