Least favorite of this series. ( )

Least favorite of this series. ( )

Literary Merit: Poor
Characterization: Great
Recommended: Highly Recommended
Level: High School

This book was an absolute riot from start to finish. I'm a grown woman, and even I found myself laughing at some of the clever jokes told through fictional social media posts and emojis in this book. While it's not likely to win any literary awards (it is, after all, written in "chat speak"), it is a perfect overview of Greek myths told in a way that most middle and high school students will understand very well. As a bonus for us not-so-savvy adults, there's a helpful glossary in the back explaining what shorthand like ICYMI means ("In Case You Missed It," for those who are curious). For the teens this book is aimed at, there is also a helpful list of all of the characters featured in the book, sometimes with hilarious subtitles (such as "Niobe: not important").

Though I'm sure middle school students frequently use language like "FML" and "LMAO," I would feel more comfortable putting this in the hands of a high school student rather than an 11 or 12-year old. In my humble opinion, books like this are a fun, creative, and engaging way to teach teens about famous mythology and literature. This is certainly more helpful than shoving centuries-old texts at high school students and asking them to find meaning; it puts old literature into terms they can relate to (and also find hilarious), while getting them to talk to one another about classic stories. As an added bonus, this is also an insanely fast read; I'm pretty sure I had it finished in under half an hour. I might be a particularly fast reader, but I can easily see a high school student finishing this book in one sitting, so it could easily appeal to reluctant readers.

Though I'm sure the ancient Greeks would be appalled to see their mythology treated in such a way, mythology is one of those subjects that just happens to be both strange and wacky on its own. Athena springs from Zeus's head in full armor, Kronos literally eats his children, and King Midas is granted power that lets him turn objects into solid gold. Let's face it; mythology is already pretty funny and crazy, so writing it in the form of instant messages and emojis just makes sense somehow. The book focuses only on the most well-known myths, but gives a quick and easy overview of some of the most important characters in Greek mythology. It might not be as in-depth as a textbook on Greek mythology, but it makes for an entertaining quick reference guide.

While this book would be most appropriate on the shelf of a high school Classics teacher, I could also see it being a big hit on library shelves. Considering the popularity of books like the Internet Girls series (TTYL; TTFN; L8R, G8R; and YOLO), a book written in this unique style would be a hit with reluctant readers, especially those who struggle to understand classic literature and Greek mythology. While I can't bring myself to give it high marks for literary merit (though funny, the grammar is obviously appalling), it more than makes up for this with humor, creative story-telling, and excellent characterization of the pantheon of Greek gods.

This is one book in a series of books on different classics (A Midsummer Night's Dream, Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Pride and Prejudice, etc.), and I think it's a fantastic way to engage teens with works they might be reading in school. I remember quite vividly latching onto the insult "I bite my thumb at you" after reading Romeo and Juliet in high school; it's something teens do in order to relate what they're reading to the modern day. Courtney Carbone is, in my opinion, a genius for thinking this up, and I'd like to purchase her entire collection of humorous takes on literary classics for my own library's collection. If you're a fan of Greek mythology and need a good laugh, this book is definitely for you! ( )

Ever wonder what the Greek Gods would be like in today's smartphone, text-speak, social media society? Well, Greek Gods #squadgoals is for you. It's a goofy, fun slim book that tells the entire story of the Greek Gods pantheon all thru texts, emojis, and social media posts. Having a base knowledge of original myths helped make this especially funny for me, but you don't really need to be that familiar with the myths to still have fun reading the book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and would recommend it to anyone that likes taking a different look at the Greek Gods mythology.

I received an advanced print copy of this book from the publisher for a fair and honest review. ( )