Hantman's (Hey, Day!) flighty tale (which begins, "Oh, poop!") launches the Goddesses series, starring a trio of Zeus's daughters. They, along with six other sisters, are known as the Muses. At the prodding of their vindictive stepmother, Hera, Zeus banishes practical Polly, innocent Era and headstrong Thalia from the heavens as punishment for a prank. Though the aging god intends to send them to the Athens of 423 B.C., he bumbles his order and instead the teens land in Athens, Ga., in 2001. Tapping the comical potential of their predicament, sassy narrator Thalia gets the story off to a spirited start, as the sisters initially confront clothing fads, modern appliances and the lifestyle and lingo of contemporary mortal high school students. The author successfully interjects several incidents reminiscent of slapstick alien routines (on the first day of school, ravenous Era bites into a candy bar without removing the wrapper), yet the gag soon grows old and the narrative becomes repetitious and sluggish. Thalia discloses her relationship with her best friend and suitor, the love-smitten Apollo, in flashbacks, and intermittently offers flippant snippets of Greek mythology ("I have eight sisters total, so there are nine of us. We're Goddesses of inspiration, Goddesses of the arts, and a real kick at parties"). Unfortunately, they may not be enough of a kick to hook readers on subsequent installments of their earthly exploits. Ages 10-up. (Feb.)
