Athena the Brain

By Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams

In Athena the Brain, Athena always knew she was smart and special, but she didn’t realize that she was a goddess! When she’s whisked away to Mount Olympus Academy, she worries about fitting in and dealing with her dad (Zeus). Luckily, she meets the Goddess Girls and finds the best friends she’s ever had.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Aladdin
• Release date: Apr 6, 2010
• ISBN: 9781416999126

Joan Holub

Joan Holub is the author and/or illustrator of over one hundred thirty books for children, including Apple Countdown and Wagons Ho! She is also the author of the acclaimed Goddess Girls series (coauthored with Suzanne Williams), which includes twelve titles such as Athena the Brain, Medusa the Mean, and Aphrodite the Diva.  

Book preview

1

The Letter

A STRANGE, GLITTERY BREEZE WHOOSHED into Athena’s bedroom window one morning, bringing a rolled-up piece of papyrus with it. She jumped up from her desk and watched in amazement as it swirled above her.

A message for Athena from Mount Olympus! the wind howled. Art thou present?

Yes, I’m thou. I’m present. I mean—I’m Athena, she replied in a rush.

Abruptly the breeze stilled, and the scroll dropped right in the middle of her science homework. A thrill swept over her. She’d never gotten a message from the gods before! No human she knew ever had. The gods and goddesses on Mount Olympus ruled Earth, but only made their powers known for important matters. What could they want? Was she being given an urgent mission to save the world?

She unrolled the scroll as fast as she could and began to read.

DEAR ATHENA,

THIS MAY COME AS A SHOCK TO YOU,

BUT I, ZEUS—KING OF THE GODS

AND RULER OF THE HEAVENS—AM

YOUR FATHER. AND THAT, OF COURSE,

MAKES YOU A GODDESS.

Huh? Athena’s knees wobbled so hard that she plopped back into her chair. She read on:

YOU MUST BE, WHAT . . . NINE YEARS

OLD NOW?

Try twelve, she mumbled under her breath. And for most of those years, she had yearned to know who her parents were. She’d spun endless stories in her head, imagining how they looked and what they were like.

At last a piece of the puzzle had dropped into her lap. Or onto her desk, anyway. Her eyes raced across the rest of the letter as she continued:

AT ANY RATE, YOU’RE PLENTY OLD

ENOUGH NOW TO CONTINUE YOUR

SCHOOLING AT MOUNT OLYMPUS

ACADEMY, WHERE I—YOUR DEAR

OL’ DAD—AM THE PRINCIPAL. I HEREBY

COMMAND YOU TO PREPARE AT

ONCE FOR THE JOURNEY TO MOUNT

OLYMPUS. HERMES DELIVERY SERVICE

WILL PICK YOU UP TOMORROW MORNING.

YOURS IN THUNDER,

ZEUS

*  *  *

Was this for real? She could hardly believe it! Beneath his signature was the worst drawing she’d ever seen. It looked sort of like a caterpillar, but Athena had a feeling it was supposed to be a muscled arm. She grinned. One thing was for sure, Zeus was no artist.

A blazing gold Z shaped like a thunderbolt—Zeus’s official seal—was embossed alongside the drawing. She traced her finger over it.

Ow! A burst of electricity buzzed her fingertip, and she dropped the scroll. As the sizzle zinged through her, the scroll shut with a snap and rolled across the carpet. No question about it, this letter was from the King of Mount Olympus!

Feeling dazed—and not from the electricity—she gulped. She was his daughter. A goddess!

Athena jumped to her feet, unsure if she should be happy or upset, but feeling a little of both. Rushing over to the mirror, she gazed at her reflection. Her determined gray eyes stared back at her, looking no different from before she’d read the letter. And her long, wavy brown hair was the same too. With a poke of one finger, she squished the end of her too-long nose up, then frowned at the piggy nose she’d made.

She wasn’t sure what she’d expected to see in the glass. To suddenly look beautiful, wise, and powerful? In other words—more like a goddess?

She turned as she heard her best friend Pallas come into their bedroom.

Crunch! Crunch!

Pallas eyed her, munching an apple. What’s that? she asked, gesturing toward the letter on the floor.

Umm. Athena quickly scooped it up and tucked it behind her back.

Looking suspicious, Pallas came closer, trying to see what it was. Come on. Give. I’ve known you forever. Why are you suddenly keeping secrets?

Athena thumped one end of the scroll gently against her back. On one hand, she wanted to twirl around and shout the news that she was a goddess! At the same time she wanted to hide the letter in the back of her closet and pretend it hadn’t come.

Zeus’s summons was going to change everything.

It’s a letter, she finally admitted. From my dad. Turns out he’s . . . Zeus.

Pallas stopped in mid-munch, her mouth full of apple. Wha? Zeu? Quickly she finished chewing and swallowed. Your dad is the King of the Gods?

Athena nodded, holding out the papyrus scroll.

Pallas pounced on it. By the time she finished reading, her eyes were huge. "You’re a goddess?" Her voice rose to a squeak on the last word.

I don’t want this to change things, Athena said quickly. We’ll still be best friends, right?

Pallas examined the scroll closely, seeming not to hear. Who brought it?

The wind.

It’s got the official seal and everything. It’s the real thing, then—an invitation to Mount Olympus. Pallas stared at Athena in wonderment. My best friend is a goddess!

So you think I should go? Even as Athena asked, she knew that the idea of going to Mount Olympus Academy was growing on her. But how could she tell Pallas that? She’d be devastated at the thought of Athena moving away.

Pallas tossed the scroll on her bed. It rolled itself tight and snapped shut again. Are you crazy? Of course you have to go! she exclaimed. "This is your chance to really be somebody! I mean, who wouldn’t want to be a goddess?"

Athena hugged herself and glanced out the window toward the Triton River, feeling a little hurt. It almost sounded like Pallas was trying to get rid of her. She’d lived with Pallas’s family since she was a baby. The two of them had shared this room and been as close as sisters all their lives.

But I’ll miss you, Pal, Athena said softly.

Pallas came to the window and looped her arm through one of Athena’s. Her voice was softer now, as if she’d just realized she’d be losing her best friend. Yeah. I’ll miss you, too. She took a deep breath. "But

Reviews for Athena the Brain

[Manu Varghese · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love greek mythology. So, any book that has anything to do with greek mythology, I love it.

[Kristin Nance · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

it was entertaining and I enjoyed it I hope you will read it

[kittysmama · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

omg i have the first book

[lexilewords · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Prelim Review: As a kid who grew up on the tales of gods and heroes of Greece, I wasn't sure what to expect. With the...frustration I felt over Disney's Hercules I was a little reluctant truth be told. However I shouldn't have worried. Holub and Williams kept the spirit of the tales without sacrificing (much) of the tales themselves. Much of who Athena meets and what happens, while twisted so as to fit the junior high setting and tropes, were fun takes on the real myths. How Medusa got her snakey-hair for instance or the invention of olives.

---
First I should point out that I was one of those people who went to see Disney's Hercules movie and spent almost the entire movie commenting to my friends that I couldn't believe the liberties they had taken.  It was pointed out to me that the actual myth was probably too hardcore for Disney (or children).  I am also a fan of the television shows Hercules: the Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess, both of which took enormous liberties as well, but stuck to the mythology well enough.

I sincerely wish that the Goddess Girls book series had been around back then.  Holub and Williams managed to adapt the myths of Medusa, Athena's birth, parts of the Illiad/Odyssey and even a few others into a sanitized, but entertaining read appropriate for the age group (10 ).  The four Goddesses we follow are Athena, Artemis, Aphrodite and Persephone.  Pandora is also a character, but as she's not a Goddess she isn't officially part of the mix.  We only see a couple of the Gods--Zeus, Hermes and Poseidon--though in later books I'm sure that'll change.

I found it to be interesting that Poseidon, who is Zeus' brother, was instead shown to be significantly younger than Zeus--not quite keeping in line of things, but that's okay.  Athena's transfer and adaptation to 'Olympus Junior High' is rocky, but relateable for young girls in a similar situation.  Not knowing the school rules, trusting the wrong person with sensitive information, making rivals and enemies simply by being yourself--these are all things kids go through.  Just because Athena happened to accidentally rain inventions down on the mortal plane or she showed up Poseidon by having Odysseus totally trounce the Trojans, well that was just fun.

[Hannah-Lee Tio · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I guess like it but it doesn’t really fit for all the people in the world how about people who dont know how to imagine i think it would be better if would be more kid like how about with pictures no offense but some people wouldn’t be very curious about the book i think they would just say the book is ok

[Li Sun · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love the way the author writes about Athena's moment to discover who she truly is and including Greek mythology

[mary_beth_robb · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Really cute way to teach the Hellenic deities

[roses7184_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It's like MG book candy! Ah, LOVE!

[benuathanasia · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A very cute, silly series for young girls. I enjoyed this book.

[toxicmasquerade · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I figured I would start reading the books in the kids section of BAM since they look interesting, and I need to know something about them. So, this is where I decided to start. It was actually a pretty good story about Athena's first few days at Mount Olympus Academy, MOA. Can't wait to read the next one.

[dbhutch_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In this the 1st book of the Goddess Girl series Athena is living with mortals and she is sent a scroll that tells her she is to move to Mount Olympus to go to school near her father Zeus ,whom which she has never met ... she leaves her mortal home and rides on a chariot to the school she is to go to.
She meets a few friends and foes in the mix of Goddess girls and God boys and the mortals that go to her new school Mount Olympus Academy.
She cause trouble but only because she don't know or understand the rules , then she wins the big fair at the end and gets to bring her mortal best friend (Pallas)up for the weekend