Review: ‘Oh My Gods!’ by Stephanie Cooke and Insha Fitzpatrick; art by Juliana Moon (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $25)

'Oh My Gods!' by Stephanie Cooke and Insha Fitzpatrick.

I have recently learned the appeal of a good graphic novel to slay the thirst for a story when I’m busy.

This one, aimed at readers of around eight years old and up, is a modern take on the gods of Olympus.

Karen lives in New Jersey and her mum has received a golden opportunity of a job offer. It means that she’ll have to relocate for a while, and the best option for all involved is that Karen, who I think must be about 12 or 13, should go and live with her oddball father, Zed, on Mount Olympus.

As far as Karen is concerned, Zed is a benevolent oddball whom she’s fond of but doesn’t know particularly well. She also thinks that Mount Olympus is just some ordinary place in Greece. She’s a good kid and, seeing that her mum deserves this chance, agrees to go cheerfully enough.

One of the first clues that something special is happening is when Karen is met on the plane and ushered up to first class; flying in to Mount Olympus, the town appears to be floating on a cloud, something that passes Karen by.

Her father has turned up to meet her in a horse-drawn carriage - Karen is so mortified that he’s dressed the horses as pegasi that she has her hand over her face and misses the fact that they’re flying. All this is gleaned from the illustrations, such an immediate way to access a story, including the dramatic irony.

Karen starts school, makes friends, and finds them odd. It’s not until a student is turned to stone in the library and she falls under suspicion that she starts to understand that they are gods and she must be a demigod. Her new friends club together to clear her name and an investigation begins.

This is not only a fun and gripping story, but a fantastic way to get into Greek mythology. They’re all here: Apollo, Hermes, Artemis, Aphrodite, and of course, Medusa, but they’re just kids at high school trying to get along and fit in. Then, of course, there’s Karen’s dad, Zed. I wonder who he might be? We’ll have to wait until book two for the penny to drop for Karen, and to find out what special powers she might wield. Great fun.