Athena the Brain

In the first book in Holub and Williams's Goddess Girls series, which places Greek myths in a playful, modern context, 12-year-old Athena has been raised on Earth, where she never quite fit in due to her superior intellect and unusual abilities, like inventing and then playing the world's first trumpet and flute. But then she learns that Zeus is her father; he invites her to attend the Mount Olympus Academy, where he is the principal, and students take classes in Revenge-ology and drink nectar at meals. At Mount Olympus, Athena faces new challenges: while she's befriended by Persephone, Aphrodite, and Artemis, mean girl Medusa and her sisters resent Athena when cute Poseidon shows interest in her. And, besides keeping up with class assignments (like designing a quest for Odysseus), Athena also wants to win an invention contest and covets a spot on the cheerleading squad. Readers familiar with Greek myths should get a kick out of this plucky restaging. Available simultaneously: Persephone the Phony. Ages 8–12. (Apr.)