August 1, 2018
The details of life in ancient Greece are presented as a travel guide for visitors from the future.After prefaces, introductions, charts, and warnings, readers are welcomed to Athens and told that "ancient Greece is the birthplace of everything," a nakedly Eurocentric claim that sets the book's tone and is repeated throughout. Next, a visit to Sparta is presented as a risky experience for time travelers, with the gruesome details of how Spartans were groomed to become "the best soldiers in the world." In the Battle of Thermopylae, time travelers are invited to "have the honor of fighting for a glorious cause," to defend Greek civilization against the Persians, who are pictured as dark-skinned and sinister Middle Easterners. In the Battle of Salamis, "Xerxes is Beaten Like a Persian Carpet," as the subheading blares. Art, philosophy, and architecture characterize the golden age of Greece. In two chapters on Alexander the Great and his "Greek Conquest" (a chapter heading), the text's irreverence reaches a new low: The daughter of King Darius of Persia "isn't too pleased to marry her father's killer, but then, it's so hard to find a good husband these days." Apparently, the world owes nearly every positive advancement to ancient Greece; slavery, conquest, and oppression of women are just part of the package.This book is stuffed with fascinating information, but its presentation reinforces an us-versus-them mentality, with Europe on top. (bibliography) (Nonfiction. 8-13)
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October 29, 2018
This addition to the Thrifty Guide series takes readers on a time-traveling journey to ancient Greece, as narrated by the snarky “Time Corp CEO and Corporate Overlord” Finn Greenquill. Readers are welcomed to Athens and Sparta and informed about historical events and figures, including the Battles of Thermopylae and Salamis, Alexander the Great, and Greece’s golden age. Along the way, Stokes introduces Greek gods and provides historical fashion tips and other “Helpful Hints” on topics (“The only people who get to go to school are rich boys”). Bonet contributes light, good-humored visuals. Underlying the book’s tongue-in-cheek tone are insights into Greek history and mythology. Ages 8–12.
September 1, 2018
Grades 3-6 This irreverent introduction to ancient Greece answers the buzzing swarm of questions with the flyswatter of information. Part of the Thrifty Guide series, it is presented as a travel book for time travelers, written under the direction of Finn Greenquill, CEO and Overlord of Time Corp. Beginning in Athens and Sparta, and finishing with Alexander the Great and the eventual fall of ancient Greece, there is a lot of information packed into these sometimes snarky pages. Sidebars highlight notable Greeks to lunch with, lost treasures to snag, epithets to avoid ( the Great is so pass�), and faux Yelp-like profiles of places such as the Oracle of Delphi and the Spartan barracks. Specifically, the book emphasizes the fact that while the ancient Greeks might be long gone, their legacy is enduring. Fans of the Addison Cooke series, also authored by Stokes, will recognize the madcap derring-do that marks the writing and makes this history book anything but dry. Final two-color artwork is not seen.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)
January 1, 2019
These tongue-in-cheek travel guides to Ancient Greece and Rome provide lots of historical information while incorporating plentiful humor, and cartoony illustrations add to the effect. As the jokey narratives cover important aspects of these civilizations, inserts suggest people and places to see during your "trip." Yes, the time-travel conceit is gimmicky, but it makes for entertaining reading. Bib.
(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)