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A review by jenbsbooks
The Labors of Hercules Beal by Gary D. Schmidt
4.25
This was recommended to me highly by my SIL and I liked this a lot. It would be one I'd recommend to my boys (if they were reading) or for a family listen together. The timing for me was interesting, as this same month I read another YA where the MC's parents had been killed in an accident (Counting by 7s). My next book is also a YA (The Mystwick School of Musicraft ) where the MC's mother died and her dad is is gone. What's up with all these young kids and their parents?
I've always liked mythology, and here, the MC's name is Hercules. His brother is Achilles ... apparently their parents liked mythology too. A school assignment has young Hercules writing up how the famous twelve labors of Hercules might be performed today. The "recognition of the relevance of these Labors, how they connect to your own life." It's a big assignment, but it's a year long one, and all the kids have a big mythological challenge.
The first two chapters of the book introduce the characters and the situation ... I'm who who notes POV and tense. It's all 1st person, very conversational, with Hercules talking to US, the reader. It's mostly past tense, but it slides a little, especially at the start, from present, and even futuristic. That confused me a bit ("this fall, I'm going to the Cape Cod Academy" ... then same chapter "so that's why on the last day of August I walked on my own two feet to the seven o'clock Cape Cod Academy Orientation" and then same chapter delved into the first day of school ... it just seems like it should have all been past tense?)
After those first two chapters, the remaining chapters are the "Labors of Hercules" ... The Nemean Lion, The Hydra, The Hind, The Boar of Erymanthus, The Augean Stables, The Birds of Stymphalus, The Cretan Bull, The Mares of Diomedes, The Belt of Hippolyta, The Cattle of Geryon, The Golden Apples of the Hesperides, Cerberus. I feel like I have a decent background in mythology, but I wasn't that familiar with ALL twelve labors (certain ones are more memorable, have been addressed more in other books/movies, etc). It was really interesting how the author (and Hercules) came up with present day correlations.
I was attached to the characters ... like several other books, it has a group of people coming together, helping, growing. There were times I was hit emotionally.
Listening to the audio, it was very obvious how often "said" was said ... he said, she said, he said, she said. 1083 times in a 350 page book. It was grating at times. I'm not sure of the time setting, I think it was contemporary, but it seemed like 12-year old Hercules and friends were in a lot of situations that weren't the average daily activities for a 7th grader.
I've always liked mythology, and here, the MC's name is Hercules. His brother is Achilles ... apparently their parents liked mythology too. A school assignment has young Hercules writing up how the famous twelve labors of Hercules might be performed today. The "recognition of the relevance of these Labors, how they connect to your own life." It's a big assignment, but it's a year long one, and all the kids have a big mythological challenge.
The first two chapters of the book introduce the characters and the situation ... I'm who who notes POV and tense. It's all 1st person, very conversational, with Hercules talking to US, the reader. It's mostly past tense, but it slides a little, especially at the start, from present, and even futuristic. That confused me a bit ("this fall, I'm going to the Cape Cod Academy" ... then same chapter "so that's why on the last day of August I walked on my own two feet to the seven o'clock Cape Cod Academy Orientation" and then same chapter delved into the first day of school ... it just seems like it should have all been past tense?)
After those first two chapters, the remaining chapters are the "Labors of Hercules" ... The Nemean Lion, The Hydra, The Hind, The Boar of Erymanthus, The Augean Stables, The Birds of Stymphalus, The Cretan Bull, The Mares of Diomedes, The Belt of Hippolyta, The Cattle of Geryon, The Golden Apples of the Hesperides, Cerberus. I feel like I have a decent background in mythology, but I wasn't that familiar with ALL twelve labors (certain ones are more memorable, have been addressed more in other books/movies, etc). It was really interesting how the author (and Hercules) came up with present day correlations.
I was attached to the characters ... like several other books, it has a group of people coming together, helping, growing. There were times I was hit emotionally.
Listening to the audio, it was very obvious how often "said" was said ... he said, she said, he said, she said. 1083 times in a 350 page book. It was grating at times. I'm not sure of the time setting, I think it was contemporary, but it seemed like 12-year old Hercules and friends were in a lot of situations that weren't the average daily activities for a 7th grader.