Demeter and Persephone, Spring Held Hostage

Demeter and Persephone, Spring Held Hostage, by Justine and Ron Fontes and Steve Kurth, is a popular Greek myth that was created to explain why and how the seasons change. This book is about Demeter and her daughter Persephone. When Persephone disappears one day, Demeter searches everywhere. She ultimately discovers that Persephone was kidnapped by Hades, the god of the underworld.

Persephone's mother, Demeter, is very stubborn. For example, she refused to grow and cultivate crops until she got her daughter back safely. This stubbornness persisted even though people on Earth were dieing.

Hades is the ruler of the underworld. He was very lonely in his kingdom. This is why he kidnapped Persephone.

I enjoyed reading Demeter and Persephone, Spring Held Hostage. I like the way the authors wrote this myth in comic book form. I think that this comic book form is the best and most effective way to represent the events and adventures in this book.

The strategy that I used when reading this book was connecting. While reading this book, I was able to connect this myth with other Greek myths. As a result, this strategy helped me understand the book better.

This book has three authors, Justine and Ron Fontes and Steve Kurth. I like the fact that the authors wrote this book in comic book form. This form made the book a lot more enjoyable as it read like a great comic book adventure. Other books written by these authors include:

• Amaterasu, Return of the Sun


• Atlanta, The Race Against Destiny


• Hercules, The Twelve Labors


• Isis and Osiris, To the Ends of the Earth


• Jason, The Quest for the Golden Fleece


• King Arthur, Excalibur Unsheathed


• Robin Hood, Outlaw of Sherwood Forest


• Thor and Loki, In the Land of Giants


• The Trojan Horse,The Fall of Troy


• Yu the Great, Conquering the Flood

I expect that these books above are also written in comic book form.

The Day in the Life of a Pirate

The Day in the Life of a Pirate, by Emma Helbrough, is a wonderful book that takes place during the golden age of pirates. This book is very different from other books that I have read. It is different because it literally puts you in the main character's shoes.

The main character in The Day in the Life of a Pirate is Jack Hovach. Jack Hovach is smart and wise. For example, he used water to shrink the ropes of the prisoners so they would not escape.

The captain of the ship is also very clever and sneaky. For example, he tricked the other ship by pretending that his pirate's ship was a trade ship so his pitrates could get aboard the other ship and steal its booty.

I enjoyed reading The Day in the Life of a Pirate. This was the first book I read that places the reader in the shoes of the main character, Jack Hovach. I like this book because it informs the redaer about pirates, what they do and how they do it. This is a good book if you want to know more about pirates. I found it very educational and extremely entertaining.

The reading strategy I used when reading this book was imagining. By imagining the scene, I could enjoy the book better. For example, I could visualize the battle between the pirates and the sailors. It semed as though I was there. I was transposed in the thick of battle.

The author of A day in the Life of a Pirate is Emma Helbrough. Other books written by Emma Helbrough include The Day in the Life of a Knight and The Day in the Life of an Indian. I especially enjoy how this author transposes the reader to events, occurences, and places in her books. The reader is placed in the main character's shoes. I expect that the other books written by this author do the same thing and place the reader in the main character's shoes.

Artemis Fowl, The Lost Colony

Artemis Fowl, The Lost Colony, by Eoin Colfer, is about the 8th family of fairies who live in Limbo, an island "out of time" in a different dimension. Something has gone wrong, and the people of Limbo are teleporting to Earth against their wishes. Now Artemis, Holly, Butler, a girl who also knows about the fairy people, and two powerful fairies of the 8th family have to figure out why that is happening and fix it.

One of the two fairies is named No1. No1 is different from the other fairies on Limbo. He is more peaceful and cannot warp like the other fairies.

Abbot is the villain in this book. He is the leader of Limbo because he brainwashed the other fairies to think he is a great hero.

I enjoyed reading Artemis Fowl, The Last Colony. This is my favorite book of the series. Eoin Colfer, the author, constantly surprises the reader more than any of his other books that I've read.

The reading strategies I used in this book were imaging and summarizing. I could imagine Artemis' expression when he was carrying the bomb to the volcano. After every chapter, I summarized what happened. This helped me get a better image of what was occuring in the book.

The author of the Artemis Fowl series is Eoin Colfer. Out of the entire Artemis Fowl series, I think The Lost Colony is his best book. This book is my favorite because it ends with a big surprise! I heartedly encourage you to read this book, if nothing else, to discover this amazing surprise.