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By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: April 1, 2012

Enter to win one of two autographed copies of Goddess Girls: Medusa the Mean (Book 8) by the talented author duo Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams.

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 . . .

Giveaway begins April 1, 2012, at 12:01 A.M. PST and ends April 14, 2012, at 11:59 P.M. PST.

Reading level: Ages 8-12

Paperback: 245 pages

Book overview: The Goddess Girls series by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams puts a modern spin on classic Greek myths. 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 . . .

Medusa wants to be more like her two sisters and the other kids at Mount Olympus Academy — immortal. Is that too much to ask? As one of the few mortals at MOA, it’s hard not to get jealous when you’re surrounded by beautiful, powerful goddessgirl and godboy classmates. And it isn’t easy making friends either, especially when you have snakes for hair and one mean reputation!

About the authors: Joan Holub is the author and/or illustrator of over 130 books for young readers and Suzanne Williams has written over 40 books for young readers. Visit Joan at www.joanholub.com and Suzanne at www.suzanne-williams.com

How to enter:

• Fill out the required fields below

• Maximum entries: Three (3)

Giveaway Rules:

• Shipping Guidelines: This book giveaway is open to all participants with a US mailing address.
• Giveaway begins April 1, 2012, at 12:01 A.M. PST and ends April 14, 2012, at 11:59 P.M. PST, when all entries must be received. No purchase necessary. See official rules for details. View our privacy policy.

Sponsored by Joan Holub.

©2012 The Childrens Book Review. All Rights Reserved.

By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: December 9, 2011

Enter to win a signed copy of Goddess Girls #7: Artemis the Loyal by Suzanne Williams & Joan Holub. This dynamic writing duo give classic myths from the Greek pantheon a modern twist that contemporary tweens can relate to!

Giveaway begins December 9, 2011, at 12:01 A.M. PST and ends January 6, 2012, at 11:59 P.M. PST.

Reading level: Ages 8-12

Paperback: 288 pages

Book overview: It’s time for the annual Olympic Games, and the four goddessgirls are not happy–especially Artemis. Even though she’s better at sports than most of the godboys, she can’t compete because rules say the Games are boys-only. No fair!

Led by Artemis, Athena, Persphone and Aphrodite, the ladies of Mount Olympus hatch a plan to get Zeus to open up the games to everyone. Will they succeed–or end up watching from the sidelines again?

About the Goddess Girls series: These classic myths from the Greek pantheon are given a modern twist that contemporary tweens can relate to, from dealing with bullies like Medusa to a first crush on an unlikely boy. Goddess Girls follows four goddesses-in-training – Athena, Persephone, Aphrodite, and Artemis – as they navigate the ins and outs of divine social life at Mount Olympus Academy, where the most privileged gods and goddesses of the Greek pantheon hone their mythical skills.

“…a clever take on Greek deities…” ~ Booklist

“…an enchanting mythological world with middle-school woes compounded by life as a deity…” ~ School Library Journal

Next to come: Medusa the Mean (April 2012)

About the authors:

Joan Holub is the author of over 130 books including eight in the Goddess Girls series: Athena the Brain, Persephone the Phony, Aphrodite the Beauty, Artemis the Brave, Athena the Wise, Aphrodite the Diva, Artemis the Loyal, Medusa the Mean. (ages 8-12; co-written with pal Suzanne Williams). Coming soon: Zero the Hero (illus by Tom Lichtenheld 2-2012, Henry Holt & Co); Wagons Ho! (Albert Whitman & Co 2011); Who Was Babe Ruth? (2012). Her other books include: Groundhog Weather School; Vincent van Gogh Sunflowers and Swirly Stars; and The Gingerbread Kid Goes to School.

Visit her at http://www.joanholub.com and http://joanholub.blogspot.com.

Suzanne Williams has written over 30 books for children, from picture books and easy readers to chapter books and middle grade fiction series. A former elementary school librarian, she lives in Renton,Washington (near Seattle). Her picture book Library Lil (illustrated by Steven Kellogg) won the New Mexico children’s choice award in 2000 and was on several other state award lists. Her most recent series are Princess Power (ages 8 – 12), Fairy Blossoms (ages 7 – 10), and the popular Goddess Girls (ages 8 &n

By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: December 1, 2011

Here’s the scoop on the most popular destinations on The Children’s Book Review site, the most coveted new releases and bestsellers.

Kids’ Christmas Books: For the Naughty & Nice

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Author Interview: Gary Paulsen

Review: Scat by Carl Hiaasen

Where to Find Free eBooks for Children Online

The most coveted books that release this month:

Witch & Wizard: The Fire

by James Patterson and  Jill Dembowski

(Ages 11-15)

Big Nate and Friends

by Lincoln Peirce

(Ages 8-12)

Artemis the Loyal (Goddess Girls)

by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams

(Ages 8-12)

Pretty Little Liars #10: Ruthless

by Sara Shepard

(Ages 14-17)

THE BEST SELLERS

The best selling children’s books this month:

PICTURE BOOKS

Home for Christmas

by Jan Brett

(Ages 0-5)

By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: August 17, 2011

Calling all contemporary tweens! Enter to win a copy of Goddess Girls #6: Aphrodite the Diva by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams—a classic Greek myth with a modern twist. Will Aphrodite end up proving she’s a diva with more beauty than brains? We have one (1) signed copy to giveaway to one lucky reader! Giveaway begins August 17, 2011, at 12:01 A.M. PST and ends September 15, 2011, at 11:59 P.M. PST.

Reading level: Ages 8-12
Paperback: 220 pages

About the Goddess Girls series: These classic myths from the Greek pantheon are given a modern twist that contemporary tweens can relate to, from dealing with bullies like Medusa to a first crush on an unlikely boy. Goddess Girls follows four goddesses-in-training—Athena, Persephone, Aphrodite, and Artemis—as they navigate the ins and outs of divine social life at Mount Olympus Academy, where the most privileged gods and goddesses of the Greek pantheon hone their mythical skills.

“…a clever take on Greek deities…” ~ Booklist

“…an enchanting mythological world with middle-school woes compounded by life as a deity…” ~ School Library Journal

Book overview: After a teeny misunderstanding in class, Aphrodite is failing Hero-ology. To raise her grade, she concocts a brilliant plan—an extra-credit project for matchmaking mortals. This brings her face-to-face with fierce competition—an Egyptian goddessgirl named Isis. Now the race is on to see which of them can matchmake Pygmalion—the most annoying boy ever! Will Aphrodite wind up making a passing grade after all? Or will she end up proving she’s a diva with more beauty than brains?

About Joan Holub: Joan Holub is the author of over 130 books including eight in the Goddess Girls series: Athena the Brain, Persephone the Phony, Aphrodite the Beauty, Artemis the Brave, Athena the Wise, Aphrodite the Diva, Artemis the Loyal, Medusa the Mean (ages 8-12; co-written with pal Suzanne Williams). Coming soon: Zero the Hero (illus by Tom Lichtenheld 2-2012, Henry Holt & Co); Wagons Ho! (Albert Whitman & Co 2011); Who Was Babe Ruth? (2012). Her other books include: Groundhog Weather School; Vincent van Gogh Sunflowers and Swirly Stars; and The Gingerbread Kid Goes to School.

Visit her at http://www.joanholub.com and http://joanholub.blogspot.com.

About Suzanne Williams: Suzanne Williams has written over 30 books for children, from picture books and easy readers to chapter books and middle grade fiction series. A former elementary school librarian, she lives in Renton,Washington (near Seattle). Her picture book Library Lil (illustrated by Steven Kellogg) won the New Mexico children’s choice award in 2000 and was on several other state award lists. Her most recent series are Princess Power (ages 8 – 12), Fairy Blossoms (ages 7 – 10), and the popular Goddess Girls (ages 8 – 12, with co-author Joan Holub.) You can visit her at her website: www.suzanne-williams.com and

By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: April 15, 2011

Fans of Mythology and the Goddess Girls series will once again be thrilled to know that we have the next installment to giveaway. One lucky reader will be the winner of Athena the Wise signed by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams, plus a colorful Goddess Girls bracelet made by the authors. Giveaway begins April 15, 2011, at 12:01 A.M. PST and ends May 13, 2011, at 11:59 P.M. PST.

Reading Level: Ages 8-12

Paperback: 240 pages

Book overview: Athena isn’t the only new kid at Mount Olympus Academy. When a mortal named Heracles transfers in, she knows what he’s going through. She started at MOA just a few months ago! Not only does Heracles need help fitting in, he also has to complete twelve “labors” or he’ll be kicked out of the academy. When her dad, Principal Zeus, asks her to secretly watch out for the new boy, Athena winds ups capturing mythical beasts and shoveling poop. It will take all of her famed wisdom to sort out her own problems and help Heracles succeed!

Authors Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams put a modern spin on classic myths with the Goddess Girls series (ages 8-12, Aladdin). 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.

“…a clever take on Greek deities…” ~ Booklist

“…an enchanting mythological world with middle-school woes compounded by life as a deity…” ~ School Library Journal

About the Authors: Joan Holub is the author and/or illustrator of over 130 books for young readers and Suzanne Williams has written over 40 books for young readers. Visit Joan at www.joanholub.com and Suzanne at www.suzanne-williams.com

How to enter:

• Leave a comment in the comments field below

• An extra entry will be given for each time you twitter about the giveaway and/or blog about it. You will need to paste the link in a separate comment to make this entry valid. Click here to follow us on Twitter.

• Maximum entries: Three (3)

Giveaway Rules:

• Shipping Guidelines: This book giveaway is open to participants with a United States address.

• Giveaway begins April 15, 2011, at 12:01 A.M. PST and ends May 13, 2011, at 11:59 P.M. PST, when all entries must be received. No purchase necessary. See official rules for details. View our privacy policy.

Sponsored by Joan Holub.

Sign up for our free newsletter to be in the know about all of

Artemis the Brave (Goddess Girls) Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams

Artemis has never understood her boy-crazy friends (especially Aphrodite) but when she meets Orion, a new exchange student at school, watch out! Suddenly she's ditching her friends and even forgetting archery practice with Apollo just to follow Orion around. The problem is, Orion's an egotistical jerk. Artemis is sick of having to defend him to her friends, and her friends are sick of having to listen to her go on and on about how great he is. But... even when Artemis realizes that Orion does stuff wrong, she can't help like him.

While this is the longest of the Goddess Girl series so far, it ties in the least with actual mythology. In this version, Orion (last name, Starr) is a mortal actor who does things like spray his body with something called "God Bod" to make him shimmer like his immortal classmates. He's not a hunter by any means, nor does he do anything heroic. The closest we come is that the fact he has a dog named Sirius. In another odd mythological quirk, the school play is the story of Eros and Psyche. With Aphrodite playing Psyche. While there is much mention of the "vengeful goddess" who causes all the harm, it never states that the goddess is supposed to be Aphrodite herself, because well, that wouldn't make sense in the context of the Mount Olympus Academy world. Also, let's just mention this-- BOY CRAZY ARTEMIS. What? Artemis?

While the mythology is thin in this one (and, with the school play, strained, and with Artemis chasing boys, laughable) it's still a good addition to the series, and it's a series I've been enjoying quite a bit. It's light and fun, showing good friendships with light romance. It's a good one for early middle grade and I'm very much looking forward to April's release of Athena the Wise and August's release of Aphrodite the Diva.

Book Provided by... my local library

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Goddess Girls Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams

A lot of my comments on this series hold for each book, so I thought I'd review them together instead of separately so you don't have to read the same thoughts over and over again.

The basic premise is that many of the Greek gods and goddesses attend Mount Olympus Academy, where they learn the things they need to know to become gods and goddesses. There are a few regular humans as well (Pandora) and non-immortal characters (Medusa, centaurs). Everyone's a student except Zeus, because he's the loud, good-natured, and slightly bumbling principal. If you know your Greek mythology, there's a lot of it represented here, but it's rather watered down to make the books more age appropriate* (I'll get into specifics in a bit).

Overall it's a light and fun series. While I'm not sure on the need to refer to everyone as godboys or goddessgirls (it gets a little annoying) there's something about this series that I really enjoy. Also, as a fast adult reader, they're the perfect length to read (and finish!) in the bath.

Athena the Brain

In the first book, Athena gets a letter from Zeus claiming he's her father and that she needs to transfer to Mount Olympus Academy immediately. Through her newcomer eyes, we get a good sense of the social structures and how the Academy functions. She immediately makes an enemy, but Medusa hates everyone so... eh. She also quickly becomes best friends with Persephone, Aphrodite, and Artemis.

Athena's mother is a fly, who still lives in Zeus's brain. They are still rather in love and talk to Athena a lot, giving her the family she always wished for. (See what I mean about watered down?)

This book also features the Trojan War, which is a class project in Hero-ology.

Persephone the Phony

As we learned in the first book, Persephone's mother, Demeter, is very over-protective-- Persephone's the only Academy student who has to live at home! Here we also learn how much Persephone hides of herself-- Demeter's always told her to "go along to get along" so she always agrees with her friends' thoughts and plans, even when deep down,

By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: August 22, 2010

Congratulations to Deb K! She is the very lucky goddess that has been selected by the random sequence generator at random.org to win a a set of the first three books in the Goddess Girls series.

Deb K said: This looks like a great series of books for girls~I would love to win for my granddaughter.

Special Mentions:

Annmarie W. said: This looks like such a wonderful series, where girls can learn about themselves & others. It’s nice to have the inspiration of goddesses, and see that human qualities transcend the ages and that we all have human feelings & emotions!

Grutmorg said: My great-niece is a very wise and brainy Athena. Her grandfather – my brother – suggested the name to his daughter who thought it was perfect for this bright-eyed first grandchild. He has tried somewhat unsuccessfully to interest her in Greek and Roman myths. These look like books that Athena and her grandpa can share and enjoy.

For those of you who were not so lucky, you can still add these books to your collection:

Goddess Girls #1: Athena the Brain

Finding out she’s a goddess and being sent to Mount Olympus brings Athena new friends, a weird dad, and the meanest girl in mythology—Medusa!

Goddess Girls #2: Persephone the Phony

Hiding her feelings works fine for Persephone until she meets a guy she can be herself with—Hades, the bad-boy of the Underworld.

“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 4/1/2010

Goddess Girls #3: Aphrodite the Beauty

Sure Aphrodite is beautiful, but being the goddessgirl of love is not always easy. Though others think she’s an expert on boy-girl relationships, they’re often just as confusing to her as to anyone else. And she certainly never thought she’d find herself jealous of one of her best friends!

Hey rgz!

Just had to let you know, the next tween Goddess Girls book has released! Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams have a fun blog tour lined up, during August and September, with swag bag prizes ready to go. So, share this with your younger sister or enjoy the series yourself! Like me!