The Goddess Girls
Encyclopedia
The Goddess Girls is a series of books written by Joan Holub
and Suzanne Williams, published by Simon & Schuster
under the Aladdin
imprint
. The books were published in paperback format and as ebooks.
The series re-created the ancient Greek mythology
with a modern spin, and tells stories of the younger generation of Olympian pantheon as priveleged tween
students attending Mount Olympus Academy (MOA) to develop their divine skills and prowesses.
Sholub came up with the idea to "write a mythology-based series set at a middle school", and was joined by Williams to produce a series focussed on four primary characters - Athena
, Persephone
, Aphrodite
, and Artemis
as a diverse group of loyal friends.
Athena is noted for being brainy, Persephone is mysterious and kind, Artemis is bold and strong, and Aphrodite is "effortlessly beautiful".
Zeus
was cast as the Principal of the Academy.
The series also included deities and characters from contemporary pantheons as visitors to the Academy.
, but due to her braininess, did not fit in as well socially in her school, Triton Junior High.
Her life changed one day when a papyrus
flew into her room, informing her she was the daughter of Zeus
, principal of Mount Olympus Academy, and that it was time for her to join the school for godboys and godgirls.
Upon arrival, she made friends with Aphrodite, Pandora, Artemis, and Persephone but also noted the presence of other characters like Medusa
and her sisters that showed certain similarities between her former school and her new school.
* To be published
Joan Holub
Joan Holub is an author of books for children.Among her many works, the most popular is Breakout at the Bug Lab , held by over 1200 WorldCat Libraries.-Bibliography:...
and Suzanne Williams, published by Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation, is a publisher founded in New York City in 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. It is one of the four largest English-language publishers, alongside Random House, Penguin and HarperCollins...
under the Aladdin
Aladdin Paperbacks
Aladdin Paperbacks is one of several children's-book imprints owned by Simon & Schuster.It was established by Jean E. Karl at Atheneum Books where she was the founding director of the children's department . Atheneum merged with or was acquired by Scribner's in 1978, then MacMillan in 1984, before...
imprint
Imprint
In the publishing industry, an imprint can mean several different things:* As a piece of bibliographic information about a book, it refers to the name and address of the book's publisher and its date of publication as given at the foot or on the verso of its title page.* It can mean a trade name...
. The books were published in paperback format and as ebooks.
The series re-created the ancient Greek mythology
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
with a modern spin, and tells stories of the younger generation of Olympian pantheon as priveleged tween
Tween (demographic)
A tween is a North American neologism that describes a person who is between the ages of 9 and 12 years old . The term is often described in popular media as referring to a pre-adolescent who is at the "in-between" stage in their development when they are considered "too old for toys, too young...
students attending Mount Olympus Academy (MOA) to develop their divine skills and prowesses.
Sholub came up with the idea to "write a mythology-based series set at a middle school", and was joined by Williams to produce a series focussed on four primary characters - Athena
Athena
In Greek mythology, Athena, Athenê, or Athene , also referred to as Pallas Athena/Athene , is the goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, warfare, strength, strategy, the arts, crafts, justice, and skill. Minerva, Athena's Roman incarnation, embodies similar attributes. Athena is...
, Persephone
Persephone
In Greek mythology, Persephone , also called Kore , is the daughter of Zeus and the harvest-goddess Demeter, and queen of the underworld; she was abducted by Hades, the god-king of the underworld....
, Aphrodite
Aphrodite
Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and procreation.Her Roman equivalent is the goddess .Historically, her cult in Greece was imported from, or influenced by, the cult of Astarte in Phoenicia....
, and Artemis
Artemis
Artemis was one of the most widely venerated of the Ancient Greek deities. Her Roman equivalent is Diana. Some scholars believe that the name and indeed the goddess herself was originally pre-Greek. Homer refers to her as Artemis Agrotera, Potnia Theron: "Artemis of the wildland, Mistress of Animals"...
as a diverse group of loyal friends.
Athena is noted for being brainy, Persephone is mysterious and kind, Artemis is bold and strong, and Aphrodite is "effortlessly beautiful".
Zeus
Zeus
In the ancient Greek religion, Zeus was the "Father of Gods and men" who ruled the Olympians of Mount Olympus as a father ruled the family. He was the god of sky and thunder in Greek mythology. His Roman counterpart is Jupiter and his Etruscan counterpart is Tinia.Zeus was the child of Cronus...
was cast as the Principal of the Academy.
The series also included deities and characters from contemporary pantheons as visitors to the Academy.
Synopsis
The first book opened with Athena as a 12-year old who had apparently been an abandoned baby of unknown parentage, but adopted by a loving foster family. Athena had a good relationship with her foster sister, PallasPALLAS
This article is about the research group. See Pallas for other uses of this word.PALLAS stands for Parallel Applications, Libraries, Languages, Algorithms, and Systems. It is a research group in of the at , led by...
, but due to her braininess, did not fit in as well socially in her school, Triton Junior High.
Her life changed one day when a papyrus
Papyrus
Papyrus is a thick paper-like material produced from the pith of the papyrus plant, Cyperus papyrus, a wetland sedge that was once abundant in the Nile Delta of Egypt....
flew into her room, informing her she was the daughter of Zeus
Zeus
In the ancient Greek religion, Zeus was the "Father of Gods and men" who ruled the Olympians of Mount Olympus as a father ruled the family. He was the god of sky and thunder in Greek mythology. His Roman counterpart is Jupiter and his Etruscan counterpart is Tinia.Zeus was the child of Cronus...
, principal of Mount Olympus Academy, and that it was time for her to join the school for godboys and godgirls.
Upon arrival, she made friends with Aphrodite, Pandora, Artemis, and Persephone but also noted the presence of other characters like Medusa
Medusa
In Greek mythology Medusa , " guardian, protectress") was a Gorgon, a chthonic monster, and a daughter of Phorcys and Ceto. The author Hyginus, interposes a generation and gives Medusa another chthonic pair as parents. Gazing directly upon her would turn onlookers to stone...
and her sisters that showed certain similarities between her former school and her new school.
Titles
| Cover | Title | ISBN | Date of publication |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athena the Brain | ISBN 9781416982715 | April 6, 2010 | |
| Persephone the Phony | ISBN 9781416982722 | April 6, 2010 | |
| Aphrodite the Beauty | ISBN 9781416982739 | August 3, 2010 | |
| Artemis the Brave | ISBN 9781416982746 | December 7, 2010 | |
| Athena the Wise | ISBN 9781442420977 | April 5, 2011 | |
| Aphrodite the Diva | ISBN 9781442421004 | August 9, 2011 | |
| Artemis the Loyal* | ISBN 9781442433779 | December 6, 2011 | |
| Medusa the Mean* | ISBN 9781442433793 | April 3, 2012 |
* To be published