Heaven Sent

December 24, 2001
Hantman's (Hey, Day!) flighty tale (which begins, "Oh, poop!") launches the Goddesses series, starring a trio of Zeus's daughters. They, along with six other sisters, are known as the Muses. At the prodding of their vindictive stepmother, Hera, Zeus banishes practical Polly, innocent Era and headstrong Thalia from the heavens as punishment for a prank. Though the aging god intends to send them to the Athens of 423 B.C., he bumbles his order and instead the teens land in Athens, Ga., in 2001. Tapping the comical potential of their predicament, sassy narrator Thalia gets the story off to a spirited start, as the sisters initially confront clothing fads, modern appliances and the lifestyle and lingo of contemporary mortal high school students. The author successfully interjects several incidents reminiscent of slapstick alien routines (on the first day of school, ravenous Era bites into a candy bar without removing the wrapper), yet the gag soon grows old and the narrative becomes repetitious and sluggish. Thalia discloses her relationship with her best friend and suitor, the love-smitten Apollo, in flashbacks, and intermittently offers flippant snippets of Greek mythology ("I have eight sisters total, so there are nine of us. We're Goddesses of inspiration, Goddesses of the arts, and a real kick at parties"). Unfortunately, they may not be enough of a kick to hook readers on subsequent installments of their earthly exploits. Ages 10-up.

March 1, 2002
Gr 6-9-Three Muses, Thalia, Era, and Polly, give their deity Daddy, Zeus, a rough ride after hexing their stepmother, Hera, with a "makeunder" from Hades. Zeus doles out severe punishment by banishing his girls to time out in Athens, GA, as modern-day high school students. The only way back is for the teens to pass their father's test and defeat age-old arch enemies, the Furies, who have likewise enrolled in Athens High. This tale, winding teenspeak around Greek choruses and legends, will appeal to hip adolescents up for a new take on an old tale. The story, while modest, develops easily around its simple plot and promises follow-up titles in the series. Characters are engaging and footnotes help update readers on classical genealogy. Blending magic with girl power, this novel is a clever marriage of two genres-myth and contemporary teen novel-and a fresh addition to YA collections.-Lisa Denton, Oneida-Herkimer School Library System, Utica, NY

Copyright 2002 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2002
Gr. 7-10. Thalia, Era, and Polly are gorgeous, smart teenage goddesses. Really. Their father is Zeus: "Yeah, " the Zeus,"" says Thalia, who narrates this giddy, irreverent novel that reads like an adaptation of a show on the WB channel. When the girls try to halt Thalia's unwanted and upcoming wedding to Apollo, Zeus sends them to Earth--contemporary Athens, Georgia--where they must stay until they learn important lessons about character. With a closet full of kicky outfits and a school full of cute guys, the girls quickly adjust to their new life; but a clique of mysterious girls, who seem strangely familiar, thwart the goddesses' attempts to learn their lessons and return home. The tone is all wisecracking, lighthearted fun, helped along by Thalia's vocabulary, which includes words like " skanky" and " lame." The teen culture may date quickly, but it's balanced by timeless mythology that is extended in the irreverent footnotes. Teens will blaze through this breezy, lightweight fantasy and eagerly await the promised sequels.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)