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Goddess Girls #26
Persephone the Grateful
Get to know Persephone, the Queen of the Underworld, in this twenty-sixth Goddess Girls adventure!
253 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 2020
58 people are currently reading
430 people want to read
About the author
Joan Holub
370 books1,234 followersNY Times bestselling children's book author:
GODDESS GIRLS series + HEROES IN TRAINING series (w Suzanne Williams); THIS LITTLE TRAILBLAZER a Girl Power Primer; ZERO THE HERO; I AM THE SHARK. Lucky to be doing what I love!
GODDESS GIRLS series + HEROES IN TRAINING series (w Suzanne Williams); THIS LITTLE TRAILBLAZER a Girl Power Primer; ZERO THE HERO; I AM THE SHARK. Lucky to be doing what I love!
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
December 12, 2020
Goddess Girls has a lot of books in its series. After book #20 things kind of got less interesting. Not saying the books were bad, but not as interesting as they used to be. However, Persephone the Grateful brought back that Goddess Girls feel to it. This was a good book and it was very funny too!
December 31, 2021
Awww the ending of this one was sweet. I love the little lessons each of these books has....I probably benefit from them as much as actual kids do 😂
August 21, 2021
i love this series. i started it in 4th grade and as long as they keep writing more books I will keep reading them. i don't care that I'm going to be a sophomore in college if goddessgirls drops new books I'm getting them. i adore this series they're so cute
here's my notes
1. they're all 13 aw
2. i used to be SO ANNOYED when I was a kid that they would say "each other's crushes" instead of just girlfriend and boyfriend. now that I'm old I know that's probably way better of an idea to introduce to kids since they actually can understand that lol
3. the writing is so cutesy and funny (LIKE SO CUTESY AND FUNNY). the stinky feet shades? literally laughed out loud at work. just the word choices too like ooky or whatever it was cute and silly and fun
4. absolutely so cute I love the hades and persephone couple obviously who doesn't but in here they're adorable and they make me so happy
5. this is a great way to teach young kids the general idea of greek mythology. obviously its nothing like the actual myths but if you know what the actual myths are they're fun like homages to them. this one specifically obviously from the cover you can see its the persephone and minthe myth but its also the persephone and pirithous myth too which I didn't realize until like the middle
6. hades is so clueless is so cute. just guy things
7. atlas the titanboy
"the only titan godboy"
8. ok this comment I wrote in my notes was "omf they're so cute" i know I've said that a lot
9. I missed reading about the original 4 a lot I know the last few books have been centered around other random mythology characters but Im so happy to read the OG GGs again. my loves <3
10. lmao they all have crushes on her
11. use of the prefix "mega"
12. the dad thing with zeus? why is he only recognized as athena's dad. he's like everyone there's dad. why don't they also call him their dad too. who are their parents canonically in this goddessgirls universe. who are artemis and apollo's parents. demeter is persephone's mom in this but who's her dad. heracles also has zeus as a dad and he's mortal and still goes to mount olympus academy. why are some of the gods regular age but the rest of them are literally eternally 13 years old. why don't they ever age. why are they immortal but stuck as a preteen. is there a more adult book where its the Olympic gods at a high school. i think mount olympus academy is actually a boarding middle school not even a high school. sus
13. I've literally straight up been reading ~spice books~ recently so this was a funny pause from that since this is literally a children's chapter book. my tastes are just all over the place i guess. lol🤪
HAHAHA
also. the author of these follows me on Goodreads I'm not sure why but I'm honored. if u see this hi I love your books they're adorable I will always buy them when they come out
here's my notes
1. they're all 13 aw
2. i used to be SO ANNOYED when I was a kid that they would say "each other's crushes" instead of just girlfriend and boyfriend. now that I'm old I know that's probably way better of an idea to introduce to kids since they actually can understand that lol
3. the writing is so cutesy and funny (LIKE SO CUTESY AND FUNNY). the stinky feet shades? literally laughed out loud at work. just the word choices too like ooky or whatever it was cute and silly and fun
4. absolutely so cute I love the hades and persephone couple obviously who doesn't but in here they're adorable and they make me so happy
5. this is a great way to teach young kids the general idea of greek mythology. obviously its nothing like the actual myths but if you know what the actual myths are they're fun like homages to them. this one specifically obviously from the cover you can see its the persephone and minthe myth but its also the persephone and pirithous myth too which I didn't realize until like the middle
6. hades is so clueless is so cute. just guy things
7. atlas the titanboy
"the only titan godboy"
8. ok this comment I wrote in my notes was "omf they're so cute" i know I've said that a lot
9. I missed reading about the original 4 a lot I know the last few books have been centered around other random mythology characters but Im so happy to read the OG GGs again. my loves <3
10. lmao they all have crushes on her
11. use of the prefix "mega"
12. the dad thing with zeus? why is he only recognized as athena's dad. he's like everyone there's dad. why don't they also call him their dad too. who are their parents canonically in this goddessgirls universe. who are artemis and apollo's parents. demeter is persephone's mom in this but who's her dad. heracles also has zeus as a dad and he's mortal and still goes to mount olympus academy. why are some of the gods regular age but the rest of them are literally eternally 13 years old. why don't they ever age. why are they immortal but stuck as a preteen. is there a more adult book where its the Olympic gods at a high school. i think mount olympus academy is actually a boarding middle school not even a high school. sus
13. I've literally straight up been reading ~spice books~ recently so this was a funny pause from that since this is literally a children's chapter book. my tastes are just all over the place i guess. lol🤪
HAHAHA
also. the author of these follows me on Goodreads I'm not sure why but I'm honored. if u see this hi I love your books they're adorable I will always buy them when they come out
June 25, 2020
God...Okay. I'm giving this a one. Just for the immense amount of incorrect references to actual Mythology. And just how cringy it was to read. I can't say it due to spoilers, but the whole series is rather...Bad.
April 24, 2021
This is the series that introduced me to Greek mythology and made me fall in love with it. Reading the newest book I was very conflicted, I want to like this book, but I also hate it. To narrow it down, there are three problems I have with this book.
1. The targeted audience-Who is this book targeted to? The main characters are mostly ages 12 to 14 which makes it seem a little more YA but the way it's written seems like a book for children maybe ages 9-11. There are also many things that are off-putting. There are many words that I would not expect children ages 9-11 to know.
Because of that, I'm assuming this book ages 9-12 mostly 10-12 which makes sense because I did find it in the juvenile fiction section.
2. Persephone the winy-I can not stand Persephone. I was so close to dnf-ing this book. Eventually, she got less annoying to the point where it was bearable (barely, but bearable.) The first chapter of the book she meets Minthe, a water naiad who likes Hades. Minthe is a jerk, and Persephone's a jerk back to her. Apparently, Persephone is not usually mean, and she decides, no vows, to never be a jerk again. Fast forward 10 pages later and she's acting annoying like usual. What is up with this girl?
3. "We're each other's crushes." Yes, this is a literal quote from the book. Okay, so we've already established the targeted audience being around 9-12 which is the pre-teen/tween stage, so why the heck can't the author just say dating? Just please, stop with the "he's my crush and I'm his crush and Athena's crush is Hercules but Hercules' crush is-" No, just stop. Please.
4. Enough of the romance. I know I just said they should ditch the crush thing and just say they're dating but hear me out! Why does everyone have to have a crush on everyone? Can we just have one or two stories where there is no romantic subplot? When I was a child I really looked up to these characters as strong female role models, but honestly, why do they all need a guy? It's especially stupid that Artemis, Athena, and Hestia have "crushes" since in real Greek mythology they've all vowed to never be with men. Speaking of men, if all these girls are going to date people, do they have to be guys? Can they be girls too? There have been 26 books in this series? With 20 different female characters, how is it that almost all of them end up with guys? Even that random girl who speaks once!
Ugh, this just makes me mad. I will still recommend these books to my sister because apparently kids like these sorts of books. I will probably also read the next book that comes out because I can't help myself. I'm hoping this new character is less annoying and doesn't end up with someone. And if she does, can it be a girl, please? And if it can't can they at least be dating, and not "each other's crushes."
1. The targeted audience-Who is this book targeted to? The main characters are mostly ages 12 to 14 which makes it seem a little more YA but the way it's written seems like a book for children maybe ages 9-11. There are also many things that are off-putting. There are many words that I would not expect children ages 9-11 to know.
Because of that, I'm assuming this book ages 9-12 mostly 10-12 which makes sense because I did find it in the juvenile fiction section.
2. Persephone the winy-I can not stand Persephone. I was so close to dnf-ing this book. Eventually, she got less annoying to the point where it was bearable (barely, but bearable.) The first chapter of the book she meets Minthe, a water naiad who likes Hades. Minthe is a jerk, and Persephone's a jerk back to her. Apparently, Persephone is not usually mean, and she decides, no vows, to never be a jerk again. Fast forward 10 pages later and she's acting annoying like usual. What is up with this girl?
3. "We're each other's crushes." Yes, this is a literal quote from the book. Okay, so we've already established the targeted audience being around 9-12 which is the pre-teen/tween stage, so why the heck can't the author just say dating? Just please, stop with the "he's my crush and I'm his crush and Athena's crush is Hercules but Hercules' crush is-" No, just stop. Please.
4. Enough of the romance. I know I just said they should ditch the crush thing and just say they're dating but hear me out! Why does everyone have to have a crush on everyone? Can we just have one or two stories where there is no romantic subplot? When I was a child I really looked up to these characters as strong female role models, but honestly, why do they all need a guy? It's especially stupid that Artemis, Athena, and Hestia have "crushes" since in real Greek mythology they've all vowed to never be with men. Speaking of men, if all these girls are going to date people, do they have to be guys? Can they be girls too? There have been 26 books in this series? With 20 different female characters, how is it that almost all of them end up with guys? Even that random girl who speaks once!
Ugh, this just makes me mad. I will still recommend these books to my sister because apparently kids like these sorts of books. I will probably also read the next book that comes out because I can't help myself. I'm hoping this new character is less annoying and doesn't end up with someone. And if she does, can it be a girl, please? And if it can't can they at least be dating, and not "each other's crushes."
April 15, 2023
Now THIS is the GODDESS GIRLS we know and love. A Minthe retelling about learning from your insecurities and reconciling with people you don't like?? They also managed to incorporate the myth of Pirithous- with a message about one-sided crushes. Like that takes skill. It's almost as pollyanna as Persephone and Aphrodite fighting over a lost kitten named "Adonis" (yes, that happened in another book, and no, I still haven't gotten over it LMAO).
This one came out in 2020, so I never read it as a kid. I was pleasantly surprised. Here, we actually get to empathize with Minthe and delve into all those messy emotions of jealousy, needineess, puppy love, and all-around awkwardness that are so common for tweens. This book was a bit didactic, just like all the others, but I think that's kind of the point. I learned a lot from this series as a kid- not only about Greek mythology, but about self confidence, crushes, and complicated friendships.
There's something about GODDESS GIRLS' little red-haired Persephone that truly hacks the psychology of a 12 year old girl. She's mousy on the outside and strong at her core. She's gentle yet fiercely herself. She's figuring out who she is and how much independence she wants. She's learning how to balance mother-daughter time with friends and crushes. This girl is so emotionally aware and genuine. And she never changes her values, even when Hades enters the picture. I love watching her grow in self-confidence with every book as she discovers how to assert herself.
The highest praise, though, is that I can actually tolerate Hades in these books. I don't love him, but I don't hate him either. Probably because they had to age him down... a lot. Erasing the real pain and complicated power dynamics, and romanticizing H&P- yeah that doesn't work for me in YA and adult books. But I give GODDESS GIRLS a pass because these are books for 8-12 year olds. Persephone's mutual crush on Hades and her anxieties about it feel real and universal.
(Also, I know Deo wasn't around for this particular installment, but can we just take a moment to acknowledge that we FINALLY have some good Demeter representation?!? These are some of the only books that show a loving mother-daughter relationship between the Two, and I am here for it).
I think The Kore would approve.
This one came out in 2020, so I never read it as a kid. I was pleasantly surprised. Here, we actually get to empathize with Minthe and delve into all those messy emotions of jealousy, needineess, puppy love, and all-around awkwardness that are so common for tweens. This book was a bit didactic, just like all the others, but I think that's kind of the point. I learned a lot from this series as a kid- not only about Greek mythology, but about self confidence, crushes, and complicated friendships.
There's something about GODDESS GIRLS' little red-haired Persephone that truly hacks the psychology of a 12 year old girl. She's mousy on the outside and strong at her core. She's gentle yet fiercely herself. She's figuring out who she is and how much independence she wants. She's learning how to balance mother-daughter time with friends and crushes. This girl is so emotionally aware and genuine. And she never changes her values, even when Hades enters the picture. I love watching her grow in self-confidence with every book as she discovers how to assert herself.
The highest praise, though, is that I can actually tolerate Hades in these books. I don't love him, but I don't hate him either. Probably because they had to age him down... a lot. Erasing the real pain and complicated power dynamics, and romanticizing H&P- yeah that doesn't work for me in YA and adult books. But I give GODDESS GIRLS a pass because these are books for 8-12 year olds. Persephone's mutual crush on Hades and her anxieties about it feel real and universal.
(Also, I know Deo wasn't around for this particular installment, but can we just take a moment to acknowledge that we FINALLY have some good Demeter representation?!? These are some of the only books that show a loving mother-daughter relationship between the Two, and I am here for it).
I think The Kore would approve.
February 13, 2021
I picked this book up to read with my kids because I love Greek Mythology! It definitely has a lot of that in it but it was hard to read, even for me. The names are very hard for an early reader and there was a lot of repetitive language that didn't really help the story. I did like the story of how Minthe became Mint the plant. The kids enjoyed the plot of the geocache and also the little crushes and flirting.
December 22, 2021
In this Goddess Girls adventure, Persephone learns to be grateful for what she has, struggles with jealousy, and witnesses the consequences of cheating. Three excellent topics for a children’s book. The reader also gets a mythological explanation for mint, and sees a the school bully finally meet someone who makes them nicer. What can I say? I’m a sucker for happy endings!
Read
December 26, 2020This book gently encourages readers to understand their adversaries' motivations, to feel empathy for their frustrations and relate to their fallibility, and to understand that they are dynamic persons capable of change.
May 5, 2021
I love all of the goddess girl books I have read so far. This even had a few lessons in it. They all have some Greek truth/history in them, but this one had a mind growth lesson and that was pretty cool.
Read
March 26, 2021Perfect, as always.
June 16, 2021
⭐ 3.5 stars ⭐
July 21, 2021
This book was good
However it was not as good as the other books in the series.
Also the message got a little preachy at times.
Overall a good book
However it was not as good as the other books in the series.
Also the message got a little preachy at times.
Overall a good book
October 18, 2021
This is a good series for elementary school readers. Seems like it might just be for girls, but these books are an introduction to mythology.
December 15, 2025
I don't know how I never finished the last few books in this series, but coming back to these books was really cute and fun.
December 11, 2020
Persephone will be back!
Yay, I'm so happy!
She is pink, so I didn't recognize her at first. She is grateful for her life as goddess girl,
as we'll get the myth of Minthe in this installment! And Minthe's life is not as good as it shoul be.
I love this message of friendship, not misjudging someboby and being sympathetic.
A great message during the pandeny!
In this third Persephone installment, Persephone is to get jealous, but will make new friends.
Adventure is ahead, when she and Hades are supposed to go on a geo-caching quest, together with some friends and for surprise, some meanies. But eveything could turn out different, starring the biggest bullies of MOA (Kydoimos and Makhai). I will see also the first books different, for sure!
I'm not sure what to think about the crushes (is there a little continuity error towards Iris the colorful?)....but actually, I'm so glad to see featured Antheia as one of the by my wished for return characters!
Trouble is ahead, when Theseus will show up with a far too curious, clever friend.
It's about Persephone to fix all the things and clear her relationship with Hades (aw, my favorite couple!)
And will this be the very last book? I hope not!
I just relalize that it's awfully long ago when the last Persephone book got released and also the first installment in the series, and I'm so thank ful for Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams for this treat in the pandemy. Without Persephone, I wouldn't have loved the Goddess Girls so much because she is my favorite character,
and the Goddess Girls one of my favorie series ever , and of course, the one with the most installments I have....
A merry Christmas for all those reading the review!
Yay, I'm so happy!
She is pink, so I didn't recognize her at first. She is grateful for her life as goddess girl,
as we'll get the myth of Minthe in this installment! And Minthe's life is not as good as it shoul be.
I love this message of friendship, not misjudging someboby and being sympathetic.
A great message during the pandeny!
In this third Persephone installment, Persephone is to get jealous, but will make new friends.
Adventure is ahead, when she and Hades are supposed to go on a geo-caching quest, together with some friends and for surprise, some meanies. But eveything could turn out different, starring the biggest bullies of MOA (Kydoimos and Makhai). I will see also the first books different, for sure!
I'm not sure what to think about the crushes (is there a little continuity error towards Iris the colorful?)....but actually, I'm so glad to see featured Antheia as one of the by my wished for return characters!
Trouble is ahead, when Theseus will show up with a far too curious, clever friend.
It's about Persephone to fix all the things and clear her relationship with Hades (aw, my favorite couple!)
And will this be the very last book? I hope not!
I just relalize that it's awfully long ago when the last Persephone book got released and also the first installment in the series, and I'm so thank ful for Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams for this treat in the pandemy. Without Persephone, I wouldn't have loved the Goddess Girls so much because she is my favorite character,
and the Goddess Girls one of my favorie series ever , and of course, the one with the most installments I have....
A merry Christmas for all those reading the review!
January 24, 2021
LOVED IT
I LOVED IT just to make it simple and I hope there will be a new book in this series in the near future
I LOVED IT just to make it simple and I hope there will be a new book in this series in the near future
May 6, 2022
This book was good, it wasn’t my favorite out of this series but it was pretty good! Not really much to say other than it was good because that’s all it really was.
March 2, 2024
Literally used to be my fave series ever when I was a kid so I decided to read a newer one for old times sake. But the new books do not hit like the old ones.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews