Loki vs. Hermes: The Trickster Showdown

by Claudia Oviedo

Overview

It’s a battle of the leader of gods versus the god of the sun. The Greek god Zeus controls the skies and can shape shift as he wishes. With his connection to the sun, the Egyptian god Ra provides life, warmth, and growth. If these to gods were to go head-to-head, who would come out on top? Compare and contrast Zeus’s and Ra’s strengths and weaknesses in this Mythology Matchup.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781666343779
Publisher:	Capstone
Publication date:	01/08/2022
Series:	Mythology Matchups
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)
Lexile:	730L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

About the Author

Claudia Oviedo writes for children under various names. Reading about different mythologies is a favorite pastime with her kids. Honors include: 2009 Paterson Prize for Books for Young People, as well as the 2008 and 2015 Texas Institute of Letters Best Young Adult Book Award, and several starred reviews for her picture books.

Table of Contents

The Tricksters 4

The Tricksters' Beginnings 6

Bags of Tricks 10

Gods Gone Bad 14

Taking on Death 19

They Live On 24

Loki vs. Hermes at a Glance 28

Glossary 30

Read More 31

Internet Sites 31

Index 32

About the Author 32

Interviews

Stories include popular characters kids know and love from popular culture, movies, television series, and video games;

Editorial Reviews

11/01/2022

Gr 4–7—This exciting series will appeal to mythology fans and those who fancy the idea of superheroes duking it out—figuratively. Its clever premise stimulates critical thinking and sparks conversations and debates. Students must read the lively, fact-packed, well-written narratives in each volume and pit the back stories, roles, weapons, powers, personalities, and weaknesses/vulnerabilities of the paired mythological heroes (from diverse mythological traditions) against each other in "combat" and then determine the victor. They'll learn a lot about these super-beings along the way. Commendably, the series demonstrates power and strength aren't necessarily functions of physical strength only, but also of ethics, character, and mental and emotional might. The books emphasize the gods' human qualities as well as their otherworldly ones. Hopefully, students will self-reflect on ideas such as: what's most important: intelligence, talents, physical/mental/emotional/moral strength? Combinations of these? Are some more crucial in certain situations than in others? The narratives' terse, punchy sentences are written in a conversational tone, making for smooth, tension-filled reading; one gets a sense that the battles are about to begin. Bold graphics include attractive captioned b/w and color illustrations, and a fine back-matter feature, "___ vs. ___ at a Glance," a side-by-side comparative summary of each combatant's strengths, weapons, etc., is in itself a great discussion starter, as students judge which personality and other traits are most advantageous overall and in which "battles" certain qualities would be beneficial. Frequent sidebars throughout provide additional information and, where applicable, gods' media appearances are noted. VERDICT A clever, well-executed means for getting students stoked about mythology. Highly recommended for school and public collections.

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