Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Book Review & Giveaway for Goddess Girls, Artemis The Brave

By Joan Holub & Suzanne Williams
Published by Simon and Schuster Kids
Released on December 7th, 2010 TODAY
Ages 8-12
Source- Joan Holub
4 Stars- I Recommend Picking This Up

Artemis's friends and classmates see her as the most courageous goodessgirl at school. Little do they know that despite her expert archery skills, the smelly Geryon, ring nose Minotaurs, and scorpions in Beast-ology class scare her as much as they do anyone else! But what's really brothering her now is that funny feeling she has whenever she looks at Orion. She's never had a crush before. Will she find the courage to talk to Orion, to make him see her as more than a pal, and to ace Beast-ology class? (quoted from the back of the book)

Set at the prestigious Mount Olympus Academy, Artemis along with her best friends Athena, Persephone, and Aphrodile, and her twin brother Apollo are there to learn to master their skills. When Orion, a new student to the academy enrolls, Artemis, who's usually the brave one is learning to deal with feelings she has when she's around Orion. Orion is a little too sure of himself and a little to selfish to really care about others around him. Artemis learns to over come the feelings of what it's like when your first crush doesn't like you the way you like them and the importance of being a true friend.

Joan and Suzanne have done a brilliant job with their unique spin on Greek mythology with their Goddess Girls series. They've made a series for young readers, that is relatable and enjoyable to read. I think this is a fantastic series for kids ages 8-12. The characters are great, and even though they are immortal and have godly powers, they are still easy for girls to relate to, as they deal with much of the same things they are dealing with.

I liked that the story has a little bit of everything. I got to see the girls together in action, as they learn to master their skills with some of the mythological beasts. I liked seeing Artemis and her brother Apollo at their archery competition, and while also seeing the girls dealing with normal girl stuff like crushes and friendship. I recommend picking up this series today, and picking up your copy of Artemis The Brave, the 4th book the Goddess Girls series which releases TODAY!

Be sure to visit Joan's site here for more on the series- http://joanholub.blogspot.com/

More books in the series include:

Athena the Brain Finding out she’s a goddess and being sent to Mount Olympus brings Athena new friends, a weird dad, and the meanest girl in mythology—Medusa!
Persephone the Phony Hiding her feelings works fine for Persephone until she meets a guy she can be herself with—Hades, the bad-boy of the Underworld.
Aphrodite the Beauty Sure Aphrodite is beautiful, but it’s not always easy being the goddessgirl of love.
NEW! Artemis the Brave (Dec. 7, 2010) She may be the goddess of the hunt, but that doesn’t mean Artemis always feels brave.
Athena the Wise (April 5, 2011)
Aphrodite the Diva (Summer 2011)
(quoted from Joan's site)

To celebrate the release of Artemis The Brave, Joan has graciously allowed us to host a fantastic giveaway!

Please fill out this form below to enter:

4 comments:

  1. Hi Katie! Thank you so much for hosting the Artemis the Brave giveaway and for your lovely, thoughtful, thorough review! I'm glad you find the books relatable to today's girls. You nailed this story's central emotional issue succinctly (quoting from your review): "Artemis learns to overcome feelings of what it's like when your first crush doesn't like you the way you like them and the importance of being a true friend."

    Suzanne and I are having such a good time collaborating on these Goddes Girls books. Working together is such a nice way to stay in touch with a friend when you live across the country from one another. We both love writing humor, school situations, and stories about friends that touch on the true emotions kids experience. Suzanne was a school librarian for many years.

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  2. Hi, Katie. Let me add my thanks to Joan's. Our editor at Aladdin, Alyson Heller, just saw your wonderful review and sent an email with your link! Amazing how news travels on the web! Anyway, Joan and I are thrilled you like Artemis the Brave and the whole GG series. We're busily working on outlines for Goddess Girls 7 & 8 now, and will soon see galleys for GG 5 & 6. Thanks for your fantastic blog and for connecting our books with readers!

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  3. Hi Joan and Suzanne- Thank you so much for your wonderful comments! I wish I had this series when I was younger. I'm really looking forward to my little girl reading this series.

    Joan- I am so flattered about your comment and quoting my review. I think these books are great for young girls, as they'll be able to relate to the Goddess Girls and what they're dealing with. I loved the message Artemis has.

    Suzanne- WOW! News travels very fast and I thank you and Joan, Simon & Schuster and Aladdin for all the support! It's a fantastic series and I'm looking forward to reviewing the rest of the series.

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  4. Great review!

    I've read Athena and Aphrodite. And I enjoyed them both. I don't know why I haven't read Persephone yet, she's one of my favorite stories.

    This series is seriously cute and I'm excited to read Artemis' journey!

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I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves. ~ Anna Quindlen

Good children's literature appeals not only to
the child in the adult, but to the adult in the child.
~ Anonymous ~