The Heroes of Olympus: The Demigod Diaries

Young listeners will be delighted with this audio edition of four short stories that supplement the books in Riordan’s Percy Jackson & the Olympians series, in which young characters are demigods—half-human offspring of the gods of Greek and Roman mythology. In the first three tales, the narrators—Nick Chamian, Jesse Bernstein, and Joshua Swanson—give fine performances that capture the essence of the author’s fantastical world and feature solid vocal characterization. According to Riordan, who reads introductions to his stories, the last story was written by the author’s teenage son, Haley, and focuses on a demigod fighting on the wrong side of a terrible war. Aaron Groben, who deftly voices an older man, a young boy, and a nasty monster, narrates this story. Ages 10–up. A Hyperion hardcover. (Aug.)