Beast Keeper

Eleven-year-old Demon has his work cut out for him when his father, the god Pan (who he has just met for the first time), steals him away from his human mother and assigns him to look after the Stables of the Gods. In this rippingly funny first book in the Beasts of Olympus series, readers get an alternate perspective on classic Greek myths as Demon tends to the Cretan Bull, Hydra, and other creatures that have suffered at the hands of gods and heroes—especially Heracles (“Nice people did NOT go around pulling skins off poor innocent lions”). Bean’s dynamic cartoons amp up the comedy and drama, while a glossary and pronunciation guide round out a story that, underneath its fun, offers food for thought on everything from absentee parenting to the mistreatment of animals (even immortal ones). Simultaneously available: Hound of Hades. Ages 7–9. Author’s agent: Sophie Hicks, Sophie Hicks Agency. (Jan.)