Percy Jackson's Greek Gods

by Rick Riordan, John Rocco (Illustrator)

Overview

A publisher in New York asked me to write down what I know about the Greek gods, and I was like, Can we do this anonymously? Because I don't need the Olympians mad at me again. But if it helps you to know your Greek gods, and survive an encounter with them if they ever show up in your face, then I guess writing all this down will be my good deed for the week.

So begins Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, in which the son of Poseidon adds his own magic—and sarcastic asides—to the classics. He explains how the world was created, then gives readers his personal take on a who's who of ancients, from Apollo to Zeus. Percy does not hold back. "If you like horror shows, blood baths, lying, stealing, backstabbing, and cannibalism, then read on, because it definitely was a Golden Age for all that."

Dramatic full-color illustrations throughout by Caldecott Honoree John Rocco make this volume—a must for home, library, and classroom shelves—as stunning as it is entertaining.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781423183648
Publisher:	Disney Press
Publication date:	08/19/2014
Series:	Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 12.10(h) x 1.20(d)
Lexile:	790L (what's this?)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Rick Riordan (www.rickriordan.com) is the author of the # 1 New York Times best-selling The Heroes of Olympus, Book One: The Lost Hero; The Heroes of Olympus, Book Two: The Son of Neptune; The Heroes of Olympus Book Three: The Mark of Athena; The Heroes of Olympus Book Four: The House of Hades; the #1 New York Times best-selling The Kane Chronicles, Book One: The Red Pyramid; The Kane Chronicles, Book Two: The Throne of Fire; The Kane Chronicles, Book Three: The Serpent's Shadow; as well as the five books in the #1 New York Times best-selling Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. His previous novels for adults include the hugely popular Tres Navarre series, winner of the top three awards in the mystery genre. He lives in Boston, Massachusetts with his wife and two sons.

John Rocco (www.roccoart.com) studied illustration at Rhode Island School of Design and The School of Visual Arts. In addition to writing and illustrating four of his own picture books, including the Caldecott Honor-winning and New York Times bestselling Blackout, he has created all of the cover art for Rick Riordan's best-selling Percy Jackson, Kane Chronicles, and Heroes of Olympus series. He has also illustrated books by Whoopi Goldberg and Katherine Patterson. Before becoming a full-time children's book creator, he worked as an art director on "Shrek" for Dreamworks, and for Disney Imagineering. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and daughter.

Hometown:

San Antonio, TX

Date of Birth:

June 5, 1964

Place of Birth:

San Antonio, TX

Education:

B.A. in English and History, University of Texas

Editorial Reviews

Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods begins with a reluctant Percy wavering on whether he should tell “us” these stories because he does not want the Olympians to be angry with him again (as is his usual course). Percy eventually convinces himself that if telling us (the reader) about the Greek gods will help us survive an encounter with them in the future, then he will tell us the myths as his good deed for the week. Luckily, Percy is never short on his sarcasm and humor and adds both to every myth, along with some modern-day references. Percy starts with the creation of the world by Chaos and Gaea. He then describes with ease Kronos’s rise to power and how all of the Titans and the original twelve Greek gods came to be (and what has happened to each of them), holding the reader’s interest the entire time. This book is a wonderfully humorous collection of the original Greek myths. With titles such as “Apollo Sings and Dances and Shoots People,” “Hermes Goes to Juvie,” and “Persephone Marries Her Stalker,” what is there to not love? Combining the sarcasm and wit of Percy Jackson with the original Greek myths is a great way to hook tweens and teens on the stories without boring them. The beautiful illustrations by John Rocco enhance each story without taking away from the action and drama. There is also a list of illustrations and an index to help the reader navigate to each god or goddess with ease. Reviewer: Brandi Young; Ages 11 to 15.

VOYA, October 2014 (Vol. 37, No. 4) - Brandi Young

10/01/2014
Gr 3–7—Riordan takes the classic guide to Greek myths and makes it his own, with an introduction and narration by beloved character Percy Jackson. With 19 chapters, this oversize hardcover includes a variety of stories, from the early tales of Gaea and the Titans to individual tales of gods readers encounter in the "Percy Jackson" series (Hyperion), such as Ares, Apollo, and Dionysus. Percy's irreverent voice is evident from titles such as "Hera Gets a Little Cuckoo," "Zeus Kills Everyone," and "Artemis Unleashes the Death Pig," and the stories are told in his voice with his distinctive perspective ("Another guy who got a special punishment was Sisyphus. With a name like Sissy-Fuss you have to figure the guy had issues…"). The format and illustrations are fairly traditional, considering the tone, featuring painterly depictions of the gods and their world. While these are actual tales of Greek mythology, Percy's take adds more color than would be helpful for those working on research projects or reports. The stories do make for fun reading, however, and might work as starting points for schoolwork. This original and wildly entertaining spin on Greek mythology is bound to be popular among fans of the series.—Heather Talty, formerly at Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School, New York City

School Library Journal

2014-06-29
Percy Jackson takes a break from adventuring to serve up the Greek gods like flapjacks at a church breakfast.Percy is on form as he debriefs readers concerning Chaos, Gaea, Ouranos and Pontus, Dionysus, Ariadne and Persephone, all in his dude's patter: "He'd forgotten how beautiful Gaea could be when she wasn't all yelling up in his face." Here they are, all 12 Olympians, plus many various offspring and associates: the gold standard of dysfunctional families, whom Percy plays like a lute, sometimes lyrically, sometimes with a more sardonic air. Percy's gift, which is no great secret, is to breathe new life into the gods. Closest attention is paid to the Olympians, but Riordan has a sure touch when it comes to fitting much into a small space—as does Rocco's artwork, which smokes and writhes on the page as if hit by lightning—so readers will also meet Makaria, "goddess of blessed peaceful deaths," and the Theban Teiresias, who accidentally sees Athena bathing. She blinds him but also gives him the ability to understand the language of birds. The atmosphere crackles and then dissolves, again and again: "He could even send the Furies after living people if they committed a truly horrific crime—like killing a family member, desecrating a temple, or singing Journey songs on karaoke night."The inevitable go-to for Percy's legions of fans who want the stories behind his stories. (Mythology. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews

"Percy's gift, which is no great secret, is to breathe new life into the gods. Closest attention is paid to the Olympians, but Riordan has a sure touch when it comes to fitting much into a small space-as does Rocco's artwork, which smokes and writhes on the page as if hit by lightning. . .The inevitable go-to for Percy's legions of fans who want the stories behind his stories."—Kirkus Reviews

"Combining the sarcasm and wit of Percy Jackson with the original Greek myths is a great way to hook tweens and teens on the stories without boring them. The beautiful illustrations by John Rocco enhance each story. . ."—VOYA

"The age-old stories are endlessly strong, resonant, and surprising, while the telling here is fresh, irreverent, and amusing. Percy's voice. . . John Rocco illustrates the myths with drama, verve, and clarity. A must-have addition to the Percy Jackson canon."—Booklist Online

From the Publisher