Odysseus in the Serpent Maze, by Jane Yolen & Robert J. Harris

Here I am again, returned to one of my original themes, one of the themes that first ignited, and later kindled, my love of stories as I made the slow, steady transition from childhood to adolescence:  Greek mythology.

But it isn't my adolescence that we're going to discuss, rather that of Odysseus and his (future) wife, Penelope; that of his lifelong best friend and behind-the-scenes protector, Mentor; that of Helen of Sparta (later "of Troy"); that of Idomeneus, prince (later king) of Crete.  In a reimagining of the younger years of arguably the final true hero of ancient Greece's "Age of Heroes", wily Odysseus and his friends set off on a series of accidental adventures that will shape the remainders of their (already fictitious) lives.  Powerhouse Jane Yolen (The Devil's Arithmetic, How Do Dinosaurs...?, Owl Moon, Children of the Wolf, and hundreds more that you probably read growing up) and author Robert J. Harris (Artie Conan Doyle Mysteries, The World Goes Loki series, Young Legends, Young Heroes), team up for Odysseus in the Serpent Maze by taking all we know about the Ithacan king's famed life on the ancient Mediterranean and rewinding the story to his early teenage years.  

We begin with Prince Odysseus and his pal Mentor getting lost at sea on their way home to Ithaca after a visit with Odysseus's grandfather, Autolycus.  After being adrift for days, they are picked up by pirates, who are holding two important captives aboard their ship:  Princess Helen of Sparta and her cousin, Penelope.  The famous foursome spend the rest of the novel making their way home, but certainly not easily.  Without too many spoilers, fans of Greek mythology will be pleased to see some old friends, including the irresistible sirens, the genius Daedalus and his apprentice Praxios, King Deucalion (son of King Minos of Labyrinth and Minotaur fame), the goddess Athena, Silenus the satyr, the monstrous serpent Ladon, along with the "wine-dark sea"* and "dawn" with her "rosy fingers"* (*taken directly from Homer's Odyssey).

It was, once again, my daughter who requested commanded me to read this book after getting a free copy of it to keep from her school library.  Copyrighted in 2001 (2000 say some sources?), I later learned that this is the first of the collaborative efforts between Yolen and Harris on ancient Greek heroes.  Their Young Heroes series includes a number of famous Greek protagonists:  Hippolyta and the Curse of the Amazons, Atalanta and the Arcadian Beast, Jason and the Gorgon's Blood.  Being quite the fan of Atalanta herself, I may have to recommend these to my Greek mythology-loving daughter!  Regardless, Yolen and Harris do a lovely job of humanizing the characters in Odysseus in the Serpent Maze.  More often than not, it is easy to forget that the characters of the ancient world were, first and foremost, humans (or, at the very least, created by humans).  The heroes of old were not always heroes; they were children first.  And, despite Odysseus's hatred of being referred to as a "boy" in this book, at age 13, he totally is.

Fun, accessible, and clearly crafted with love and acknowledgment of the original myths, Odysseus in the Serpent Maze is simply an enjoyable read for fans -young and old- of Greek mythology.

Reluctance, Robert Frost

It's back-to-school today.  Boo.  I have ALWAYS hated back-to-school, but perhaps most so as a parent.  Of course, I love the quiet and lack of bickering around the house, but I loathe the inorganic nature of sending kids to sit indoors for a third of the day when it is still warm outside.  School recommences earlier and earlier every year and the alleged powers that be espouse excuse after excuse.  The students hate it, the teachers hate it, the building admins hate it; starting this early is entirely unnecessary.  It's still summer, you basic fucks.

To that end, I stumbled across a rather fitting poem by Robert Frost entitled Reluctance.  I'll let it speak for itself.  It may not be actual winter creeping in yet, but school is in session...and that is winter for the soul.  

RELUCTANCE

Out through the fields and the woods

And over the walls I have wended;

I have climbed the hills of view

And looked at the world, and descended;

I have come by the highway home,

And lo, it is ended.

The leaves are all dead on the ground,

Save those that the oak is keeping

To ravel them one by one

And let them go scraping and creeping

Out over the crusted snow,

When others are sleeping.

And the dead leaves lie huddled and still,

No longer blown hither and thither;

The last lone aster is gone;

The flowers of the witch hazel wither;

The heart is still aching to seek,

But the feet question "Whither?"

Ah, when to the heart of man

Was it ever less than a treason

To go with the drift of things,

To yield with a grace to reason,

And bow and accept the end

Of a love or a season?

Lego Ninjago: Spinjitzu Brothers Series, by Tracey West

Jump up, kick back, whip around, and spin!  NINJAGO!  NINJAGO!

Any parent whose kids have ever watched this program will immediately recognize those lyrics and probably even be able to sing along to the rest of the show's theme song.  My kids first discovered Ninjago for themselves maybe four or five years ago and, to be honest, their dad and I enjoy it nearly as much as they do.  That's why, when my daughter recommended that I read her "Ninjago chapter books", it was easy for me to accept the challenge.

There are, to date, four books in the Lego Ninjago: Spinjitzu Brothers series, all of which are penned by author Tracey West.  They are as follows:

1. The Curse of the Cat-Eye Jewel
2. The Lair of Tanabrax
3. The Maze of the Sphinx
4. The Chroma's Clutches

Each book in the series begins with our favorite ninja (Kai, Cole, Zane, Jay, Nya, and Lloyd) on official ninja business under the guidance of their master, Sensei Wu.  From this framing narrative at the start of every installment, Wu encounters something that reminds him of a past adventure with his brother, Garmadon -- before Garmadon became an ultimate villain.  Be it a village puppet show or his eyes playing tricks on him in an art museum, Wu has a tale to tell because, as devotees will tell you, Wu has seen some shit.

Those of us who have seen enough of the show to know what constitutes "Ninjago canon" can enjoy this prequel series that fills in the gaps of growing up as the two sons of the First Spinjitzu Master.  (Holy hell, I am a nerd.)  Garmadon and Wu are sent out on a journey by their father to find "a special tea plant that may help purify Garmadon" after he was bitten by a wicked snake whose venom then infected his very soul.  Linked together, the books form an over-arching plot for Wu and Garmadon as they seek to find this cure-all tea, but they could certainly be read out of order.

Fun, simple, and at a maximum of 130ish pages (including pictures and large print), these are great little "brainless" reads for any adult (or child, in most cases).  I have read a couple of them in a single sitting, often as I wait for something (ex: kids at the trampoline park, something to read in anticipation of a hold arriving at my local library branch, etc.).  Best of all, my daughter enjoys them, and reading these allows me to share in the joy of conversing with her about something she loves.

My good friend Internet tells me that a fifth one will be released later in 2023, entitled Tea Time Terror, but Internet isn't always to be relied upon.  Still, whenever Number Five comes out, there's more than a solid chance we'll read it.