The One-Eyed Giant (Tales from the Odyssey, 1) - Softcover

Osborne, Mary Pope

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0786809280 ISBN 13: 9780786809288

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2003

Synopsis

When Odysseus must leave his home to fight the Trojan War, he never imagines that he’ll be away from his family for so many years. Now, at long last, he is leading his men home across the seas. But many dangers await them – and none is more terrifying than Polyphemus, the one-eyed giant.

About this title

About the Author:

Mary Pope Osborne is the author of the best-selling series The Magic Tree House. She has also written many acclaimed retellings of myths and folktales and works of historical fiction.

From Publishers Weekly:

For graduates of D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths, these installments of the Tales from the Odyssey series deftly distill episodes from Homer's epic. Osborne (the Magic Tree House series) opens the first volume as Odysseus receives King Agamemnon's orders to join the fight against Troy, and bring home the Greek queen, Helen, kidnapped by a Trojan prince. In succinct chapters, the author then traces the labyrinthine journey of Odysseus and his men as they attempt to sail home to Ithaca. She touches on their encounters with the island of the lotus-eaters, Polyphemus the Cyclops and Aeolus, god of the winds. The second book brings the hero and his band to the island of the cannibal giants who devour a number of Odysseus's men, the palace of Circe the enchantress, who transforms some of the Greeks into swine, and the Land of the Dead, where Odysseus encounters his mother's ghost. Plot takes precedence over character development, but the hero's bravery and fidelity come through in his actions. In brief chapters and concise sentences, Osborne pares down each of these adventures into easily absorbed, swiftly paced episodes that will keep readers anxiously anticipating book three, Mermaids and Monsters, scheduled for spring 2003. Each volume includes a glossary of gods and goddesses and a pronunciation guide to the characters' names, which also help recommend this series as a tidy introduction to Homer and to Greek mythology. Final artwork not seen by PW. Ages 8-11. (Sept.)
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0786809280
• ISBN 13: 9780786809288
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 112
• Illustrator: Howell Troy