Martin Brown (1)Critiques

I've always been a fan of mythology so the Percy Jackson series is right up my alley. In this tale, we see Percy along with Thalia and Nico (children of the big three - Poseidon, Zeus, and Hades) tasked with finding the Sword Hades that has been stolen and if it reaches the Titons they will be able to control death and thus defeat the Gods.

Love these stories.½

Cute, funny, vaguely sarcastic in a winning way. Nice introduction to animals that many of us have never heard of in a very accessible and appealing format.

I love Rick Riordan's writing style and characterization. I have always enjoyed mythology and he does a great job of bring any and all mytholgy to life in a fresh and new way. I find the characters to be engaging and to feel really real. His characters feel fresh and diverse without feeling like he makes them diverse just to have diversity. He does not belabor the point of their diversity it just is a fact of who they are and yet anyone who reads his books can feel included in representation. I love how he weaves the mythology into modern times so you feel like you are learning something as you are being entertained.

Picture book of fantastic creatures written in Spanish.

Wetenswaardigheden uit diverse periodes van de wereldgeschiedenis: prehistorie, Egyptische piramiden, ontdekkingsreizigers, arbeiders in de 19de eeuw, oorlog in de 19e en 20e eeuw.

read about RARE animals

Halfway through this story I realised that I had already read this story. So I checked, and it's in the Demigod Files, which I think I read right after finishing the Percy Jackson series. I don't understand why it's now in my copy of the Trials of Apollo, and I honestly would have liked it better if it had been a new short story. Oh well, it was still kind of enjoyable I guess.

This is a collection of animals which are generally overlooked, not talked about, not included in animal books, and generally unknown. As he says in the introduction, "This book celebrates some of the thousands of mammals the never get seen and never get talked about even though they are every bit as amazing or weird or beautiful as their overexposed cousins." He also makes the very valid point that no one cares if an animal they've never heard of goes extinct, but they might be willing to fight to protect animals they know about.

Martin Brown, the author of this delightful and hilarious collection of animals, is apparently the illustrator of the "Horrible Histories" series. I think these is more popular in the UK though - nobody around here reads them. Anyways, I didn't need to know his previous work to love this book.

As the introduction explains, this book is all about the less popular, or less well-known mammals of the world. They might be endangered, rare, or just not a popular creature but each one gets a full spread with funny pictures, basic facts and status, and interesting tidbits of knowledge.

Once you've browsed through this book, you'll know about the Lesser Fairy Armadillo, Silvery Gibbon, Russian Desman, Banded Linsang (featured on the cover), Hirola, and many more.

The only back matter is a glossary and explanation of endangered status terms (least concern, extinct, etc.) so I certainly wouldn't recommend using this for research. However, it's just right for browsing. The reading level is middle grade but the text is not so dense that interested younger children won't be able to sit still for some listening.

Verdict: A fun and unique addition to your animal book section. Recommended.

ISBN: 9781338089349; US edition published 2017 by Scholastic; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

I loved this little novella in the Percy Jackson series. We got to see Percy working with Thalia and Nico again, which was cool. We also meet a new god and take on a "mini" challenge. However, even though it was a novella and much shorter than the other books, it was still packed with excitement and adventure and had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Some novellas feel rushed and too short, but this one didn't and that's a huge accomplishment.

Fun, entertaining, quick read.

I like this book particularly because of it's approach to history--it isn't what you would expect. I like the comic book type illustrations that are a part of each section. The colorful illustrations alone should grasp the attention of many, but the nasty bits left in is the true attention grabber. The text is not monotonous and it would be a good addition to any history class.

I think this book would be a great tool in a Social Studies classroom. While the book in its entirety many to be long, bits and pieces could be used. I see using a book like this at the beginning of a lesson to get the students interested in the time period that will be studied. I think it would be a great hook to get them excited.
One of my favorite tie bits from the book is in a “Did You Know...?” section on page 21:
To change the weather in Japan a dog was often killed with a shower of arrows. A block dog if they wanted rain, a white dog if they wanted fine weather. (Probably shot a Dalmatian if they wanted a spot of rain!)
While the thought of killing dogs for a weather preference is a horrible and disgusting act, the authors give it a humorous twist with the addition of the Dalmatian comment. The whole book is laid out like that, horrific acts are given a humorous twist.

This book is a really fun way to get kids into history. It includes some of the things they may not learn in school and is funny at times. It will be hard to read in one sitting, but children will want to go back to it again and again to learn more.

The Horrible Histories are a brilliant series that presents facts, mythologies and even basic philosophy of major eras through time. This one looks at the Ancient Greeks and focuses on the traditions that have moved through the modern world while using humor to show what's changed. At the beginning of the book, there is a timeline and then an introduction to the gods before going through the well know city states such as Athens and Sparta. Also a small history of Alexander the Great is included and a reference to the Romans at the end though what makes this book such a treat are all the smaller sections that deal with the cultures of Greece since they add a fuller picture.

The illustrations and cartoons bring everything to life so that the reader isn't even aware of the history until the end. By pairing this book with Percy Jackson and the Sword of Hades, a young reader gets two different and clever ways to enter into the world of ancient history as they follow Percy's story but then move to humorous facts about the Greeks.

In terms of age, this book is appropriate for a variety since the cartoons are more accessible for the older elementary school student but an older reader will enjoy the depth found in the narrative.

Another wonderful edition to the Percy Jackson series, The Sword of Hades is a small story that occurs before the last book of the series. For a reader who doesn't know the world of Percy Jackson, this story might be confusing though the plot does not affect the overall series plot. Percy is pulled along with two other demi-gods to the other world to find the Sword of Hades for Persephone and the story is a quick and enjoyable read.

A reader who is not terribly familiar with the tale of Hades and Persephone might find this a good entry point just as the books act as a wonderful springboard to other readings of the Greek Myths. For World Book Day 2009, this book was paired with Horrible Histories: Groovy Greeks so that the young reader is able to move from a well known fantasy world to a funny but true look at history.

The vocabulary is not terribly complicated so that a younger middle school reader will enjoy this as much as an older reader who has been reading through the series as it is published. There is some slightly violence and discussion of death that is dealt with in an honest and thoughtful manner.

It's funny!

A fairly decent, amusingly illustrated history book for 9 to 12s. It's not a sophisticated analysis of the ages or anything, but at that age sophistication isn't necessary. This will definitely get kids, especially boys I think, interested in history.

Great book even for an adult reader. From the same author his "Frightful First World War" its an amazing book for everyone. Great and funny illustrations.