Twisted Myths: 20 Classic Stories with a Dark and Dangerous Heart

Gr 7 Up—These 20 myths full of action and gruesome violence are populated by gods, goddesses, and other deities revered by various cultures. Stories come from 15 areas of the world, including Greece, Japan, China, and Egypt. Many of the selections are creation stories, but it is the gods with their immense powers who steal the show in tales filled with anger, hate, war, jealousy, trickery, and revenge. The illustrations exude the ruthlessness of the characters. In "Maui Finds Death," the goddess of death is pictured with a face full of rage and large pointed teeth dripping with blood. In her hand are the legs of Maui, whom she devoured when he tried to conquer her and save humanity. In "Odin's Sacrifice," a blood-drenched hand holds Odin's eyeball. (Odin had to cut it out as payment to drink from the well of wisdom.) The table of contents lists the origin culture for each tale. The stories include many names that are challenging to say, and unfortunately, there is no pronunciation guide, making the book difficult to read aloud. Recommend for readers who like stories full of blood and gore.—Elizabeth Kahn, Patrick F. Taylor Science & Technology Academy, Jefferson, LA