In Athena the Brain , Athena always knew she was smart and special, but she didn’t realize that she was a goddess! When she’s whisked away to Mount Olympus Academy, she worries about fitting in and dealing with her dad (Zeus). Luckily, she meets the Goddess Girls and finds the best friends she’s ever had. Grade 3–6—Holub and Williams take readers into the world of the preteen goddesses at Mount Olympus Academy, which is staffed by the likes of Mr. Cyclops and the principal, Zeus. In the first book, 12-year-old Athena's life changes when a papyrus scroll blows into her window informing her that she's Zeus's daughter and must attend Mount Olympus Academy with the other "godboys" and "goddessgirls." At first she's doubtful she can balance school, a social life, and extracurricular activities; however, Athena proves her intellect by ending the Trojan War in Hero-ology, winning the invention fair, and thwarting mean-girl Medusa. In the second title, Persephone is a self-proclaimed phony. She's overly agreeable and conforms to the opinions and pressures of others. While escaping to Earth to get some peace, she wanders into a graveyard and begins a relationship with Hades, the misunderstood outcast. In the end, she learns that true friends will like you even if you express differing opinions. On top of Mount Olympus, the authors intertwine an enchanting mythological world with middle-school woes compounded by life as a deity or blessed mortal. The books should be popular with fans of girly, light fantasy. Be ready to refer readers to solid books on Greek mythology for further reading.— Adrienne L. Strock, Maricopa County Library District, AZ (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. Everything changes for 12-year-old Athena the day she is summoned from Earth to Mount Olympus by none other than her (surprise!) dad, Zeus. She enrolls at Mount Olympus Academy, a place of godboys and goddessgirls, where classes like Hero-ology, Spell-ology, and Beauty-ology complete a proper goddess education. Jealous Medusa tries to sabotage Athena, but quick thinking and good friends help her prevail over the bitter girl with the weird hairdo. This is a clever take on Greek deities and the Trojan War, but younger readers may not appreciate just how adroitly the authors tell the tale and older readers may want a richer mixture of character and dialogue than exists in this candy-coated story. Still, aside from questions of audience, this is a quick, agreeable read particularly well suited for those who enjoy a good Disney princess movie now and then. The next book in the Goddess Girls series, Persephone the Phony, is already available. Grades 4-6. --Cindy Welch A clever take on Greek deities. -- Booklist On top of Mount Olympus, the authors intertwine an enchanting mythological world with middle-school woes compounded by life as a deity or blessed mortal. The books should be popular with fans of girly, light fantasy. -- School Library Journal Authors Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams put a modern spin on classic myths with the Goddess Girls series. Follow the ins and outs of divine social life at Mount Olympus Academy, where the most privileged godboys and goddessgirls in the Greek pantheon hone their mythical skills! Joan Holub is the author of over 125 books for young readers, including Groundhog Weather School, Vincent van Gogh Sunflowers and Swirly Stars, Zero the Hero, Who Was Marco Polo?, Bed Bats & Beyond, and the Doll Hospital chapter book series. Of the four goddessgirls, she's probably most like Athena because she loves to brainstorm new ideas for books. But she's very glad her dad was never the principal of her school! Visit her at joanholub.com Suzanne Williams is the author of over 30 books for young readers, including Library Lil, Mommy Doesn't Know My Name, My Dog Never Says Please, and the Princess Power and Fairy Blossoms series. Her husband says she's the Goddess of Annoying Questions. (Most having to do with why her computer misbehaves.) That makes her kind of like Pandora except that Pandora never had to deal with computers. Suzanne lives near Seattle in Washington state. Visit her at suzanne-williams.com Athena the Brain 1 The Letter A STRANGE, GLITTERY BREEZE WHOOSHED into Athena’s bedroom window one morning, bringing a rolled-up piece of papyrus with it. She jumped up from her desk and watched in amazement as it swirled above her. “A message for Athena from Mount Olympus!” the wind howled. “Art thou present?” “Yes, I’m thou. I’m present. I mean—I’m Athena,” she replied in a rush. Abruptly the breeze stilled, and the scroll dropped right in the middle of her science homework. A thrill swept over her. She’d never gotten a message from the gods before! No human she knew ever had. The gods and goddesses on Mount Olympus ruled Earth, but only made their powers known for important matters. What could they want? Wa