Zeus. King of the Gods

Zeus. King of the Gods by George O'Connor

My son received this graphic novel in his Easter basket and within two hours he was done reading it. As an avid fan of The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, I knew he would like to learn a little more Greek mythology.

I joined a graphic novel challenge and this is the first book I have completed for it. I loved it. The artwork is amazing and beautiful. Plus, I learned a lot of Greek mythology myself. I feel that if I go to see the movie The Clash of the Titans, I will actually understand it better because I read this book.

Graphic novels are not for everyone but I would challenge you to give them a try. It may take you an hour to get used to the reading style but it is well worth it. You read a graphic novel by following the panels. Short panels you read left to right down the page but longer panels may consume both pages, so you read across the top of both pages and then back to the left side to complete the shorter panels. You also have to read the pictures or graphics. Don't forget to admire the artistry. That is what makes a great graphic novel. Listen to me, I sound like an expert. Trust me, I am not. My son on the other hand, devours graphic novels.

What I love about graphic novels is that there is a whole group of young people who are reading because of them. This is how I hooked my reluctant son into reading. I also love that the industry is now taking novels and turning them into graphic novels to reach a whole new group of people who are turned off or not interested in traditional books.

There is a discussion guide at the back of the book and factoids about the Greek Gods. Be sure to check out the website as there are teacher ideas as well. Most importantly, there are to be future books in the series. Athena, the Grey-Eyed Goddess has already been released. Guess who is getting it for his birthday in a couple of weeks?? I am excited to read it too.