Three Girls and a God

May 1, 2002
Gr 6-9-Three of the nine Muses from ancient Greek mythology have been exiled and transported to Athens, GA, USA, 2002. Evil stepmonster Hera wants the girls gone and has thrown in the equally evil Furies to ensure that they are forever banished from Mount Olympus. Their loving, yet scattered, father Zeus sends Apollo down to Georgia in the guise of "Dylan from Denver." But can he help the Muse sisters win the challenges that will allow them to return home, or does his presence merely muddle an already murky landscape? The story is told primarily by Thalia, but her sisters occasionally take over the story in a confusing first-person change. The Furies, too, have their say as denoted by the font change in the text. Flashes back to Mt. Olympus do not move the story forward. The Muses appear to blend into 2002 well enough not to elicit stares from their manner of dress and speech, but not well enough to name a popular movie. And when Apollo arrives, none of the student body seems to care that he wears a football uniform (including the helmet) every day. One nice touch is the footnotes in several places that explain the Muses' references to other characters in Greek mythology. Unfortunately, this novel is not likely to move readers to explore more mythology or the next book in the series.-Elaine Baran Black, Gwinnett County Public Library, Lawrenceville, GA

Copyright 2002 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.