Title of the work
Country of the First Edition
Country/countries of popularity
Original Language
First Edition Date
First Edition Details
Tracey West, Heroes in training: Dionysus and the Land of Beasts. New York: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division, Aladdin Press, 2017, 112 pp.
ISBN
Genre
Action and adventure fiction
Alternative histories (Fiction)
Bildungsromans (Coming-of-age fiction)
Humor
Illustrated works
Mythological fiction
Novels
Target Audience
Children (6–10 years)
Cover
We are still trying to obtain permission for posting the original cover.
Author of the Entry:
Ayelet Peer, Bar-Ilan University, ayelet.peer@gmail.com
Peer-reviewer of the Entry:
Lisa Maurice, Bar-Ilan University, lisa.maurice@biu.ac.il
Daniel A. Nkemleke, University of Yaoundé 1, nkemlekedan@yahoo.com
Craig Phillips (Illustrator)
Phillips is an Australian award winning illustrator who works with various publishers, including Random House, Simon & Schuster, Penguin, Scholastic, Bloomsbury, Egmont, Hardie Grant, and many more. As a child he was inspired by mythology and cartoons, and fantasy novels such as the Hobbit and Conan the Barbarian. He is still fascinated by the cartoons, comics, novels and stories that he enjoyed as a child and tries to capture that feeling in his work. His comics have been serialised in children’s literary magazines and were collected and published as Giants, Trolls, Witches, Beasts: Ten Tales from the Deep, Dark Woods in 2017 by Allen and Unwin. He lives in New Zealand.
Source:
Official website (accessed: October 12, 2018).
Bio prepared by Ayelet Peer, Bar-Ilan University, ayelet.peer@gmail.com
Tracey West
, b. 1965
(Author)
West is an American children’s author. She has written about 200 books for children. She studied English and Journalism at Rutgers University, and now writes fiction and non-fiction books. Among her publications are Dragon Masters, Cupcake Diaries, Pokémon and more. West continues the Heroes in Training series which was created by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams. (see under Zeus and the Thunderbolt of Doom)
Source:
Official website (accessed: August 16, 2019).
Bio prepared by Ayelet Peer, Bar-Ilan University, ayelet.peer@gmail.com
Summary
This is the fourteenth book in the Heroes in Training series (see Zeus and the Tunderbolt of Doom). In this installment, the Pythia tells the Olympians they must find the last Olympian. They head to the “Land of Grapes” and meet the rock band “Dion and the Goat Guys”. The lead singer is Dionysus who turns out to be an Olympian as well. Meanwhile Apollo gets his own magical object, when his Lyre turns golden and whatever he sings about materializes. In the end the group must unite to vanquish Cronus’ forces. Their next mission will be going to Olympus to fight Cronus’ army.
Analysis
By the time the Olympians encounter Dionysus, the hierarchy in their group is already well established. Zeus is the unquestionable leader (although Hera still doubts his decisions) and all the other Olympians perfect their own special skills.
As always in the series, the new member is reluctant at first to join the unfamiliar group, in this case because he will lose his own position as a famous singe. Yet in the end, Dionysus understands that he is an equal part of this group and that they can all work well together, each of them having his/her own special talent. Dionysius’ talent is that through his singing, and while wearing an ivory crown, he can force others to do as he sings/commands.
The focus of this series is on teamwork, family relations as well as growing up and finding one’s true courage. Therefore each Olympian shares a special gift (a magical object and also a special talent) and their forces work better when combined. The author emphasizes that even within a team of equals, one does not lose his/her own unique identity.
The series also focuses on the maturation and transformation of Zeus until he slowly becomes the assertive leader of the group. When Cronus’ soldiers attack, we get a glimpse at Zeus’ thoughts: “Something kicked in – something deep inside him. His eyes scanned the battlefield. All the Olympians and their powers flashed through his mind. He knew what to do, but they didn’t have much time.” (p. 67). From an uncertain adolescent, Zeus becomes a calmer and more calculated leader, who can objectively assess his friends’ strengths and devise a plan for their salvation.
Addenda
The review refers to the Kindle edition.
