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I have a quick recommend for all the little sibs of readergirlz! Check out Grimmtastic Girls, Goddess Girls, and Heroes in Training. These fun reads will keep your sisters and brothers busy all summer. Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams are the perfect team to spin tales for middle graders. You might even find yourself caught up in a book and smiling at the beloved characters running around in fresh story lines with charming humor.



Word is the collections have been spotted at Costco, too. Keep your eyes open for your siblings. Happy summer reading, rgz!

Goddess Girls

Enter to win an autographed copy of Goddess Girls #14: Iris the Colorful and Heroes in Training #7: Ares and the Spear of Fear, written by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams. Giveaway begins July 31, 2014, at 12:01 A.M. PST and ends August 30, 2014, at 11:59 P.M. PST.

Enter to win an autographed copy of Goddess Girls #13: Athena the Proud, by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams. Giveaway begins April 24, 2014, at 12:01 A.M. PST and ends May 23, 2014, at 11:59 P.M. PST.

Enter to win an autographed copy of Goddess Girls, Book 12: Persephone the Daring. Giveaway begins September 20, 2013, at 12:01 A.M. PST and ends October 18, 2013, at 11:59 P.M. PST.

By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: July 10, 2012

Enter to win an autographed copy of Suzanne Williams’ and Joan Holub’s Goddess Girls Super Special: The Girl Games.

Game on! It’s time for all young readers to embrace their mythical girl power and Olympic spirit!

Giveaway begins July 10, 2012, at 12:01 A.M. PST and ends August 7, 2012, at 11:59 P.M. PST.

Reading level: Ages 8 and up

Paperback: 320 pages

Overview: The first-ever standalone Super Special in the Goddess Girls series—let the games begin!

Athena, Persephone, Aphrodite, and Artemis are so annoyed at being left out of the annual boys-only Olympic Games. Their solution? The Girl Games! But as the Goddess Girls work to turn their dream into a reality, they come up against plenty of chaos, competition, and even the cutest kitten ever. Told in the four girls’ alternating points of view, this Super Special is packed with Olympic spirit!

About the authors:  Joan Holub is the author of 130 books for young readers, including Zero the Hero, Vincent van Gogh Sunflowers and Swirly Stars, and Shampoodle. She lives in North Carolina. Visit her at joanholub.com.

Suzanne Williams is the author of 35 books for young readers, including Library Lil, Ten Naughty Little Monkeys, and the Fairy Blossoms and Princess Power series. She lives near Seattle in Washington State. Visit her at suzanne-williams.com

Joan and Suzanne are co-authors of the the Goddess Girls series: Athena the Brain, Persephone the Phony, plus ten more titles, and the Heroes In Training series:Zeus and the Thunderbolt of Doom; Poseidon and the Sea of Fury (Jan. 2013), and two more titles.

How to enter:

• Fill out the required fields below

• Enter once daily

Giveaway Rules:

• Shipping Guidelines: This book giveaway is open to all participants with a US or Canadian mailing addresses.
• Giveaway begins July 10, 2012, at 12:01 A.M. PST and ends August 7, 2012, at 11:59 P.M. PST, when all entries must be received. No purchase necessary. See official rules for details. View our privacy policy.

Prizing courtesy of Suzanne Willaims.

©2012 The Childrens Book Review<

By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: August 17, 2011

Calling all contemporary tweens! Enter to win a copy of Goddess Girls #6: Aphrodite the Diva by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams—a classic Greek myth with a modern twist. Will Aphrodite end up proving she’s a diva with more beauty than brains? We have one (1) signed copy to giveaway to one lucky reader! Giveaway begins August 17, 2011, at 12:01 A.M. PST and ends September 15, 2011, at 11:59 P.M. PST.

Reading level: Ages 8-12
Paperback: 220 pages

About the Goddess Girls series: These classic myths from the Greek pantheon are given a modern twist that contemporary tweens can relate to, from dealing with bullies like Medusa to a first crush on an unlikely boy. Goddess Girls follows four goddesses-in-training—Athena, Persephone, Aphrodite, and Artemis—as they navigate the ins and outs of divine social life at Mount Olympus Academy, where the most privileged gods and goddesses of the Greek pantheon hone their mythical skills.

“…a clever take on Greek deities…” ~ Booklist

“…an enchanting mythological world with middle-school woes compounded by life as a deity…” ~ School Library Journal

Book overview: After a teeny misunderstanding in class, Aphrodite is failing Hero-ology. To raise her grade, she concocts a brilliant plan—an extra-credit project for matchmaking mortals. This brings her face-to-face with fierce competition—an Egyptian goddessgirl named Isis. Now the race is on to see which of them can matchmake Pygmalion—the most annoying boy ever! Will Aphrodite wind up making a passing grade after all? Or will she end up proving she’s a diva with more beauty than brains?

About Joan Holub: Joan Holub is the author of over 130 books including eight in the Goddess Girls series: Athena the Brain, Persephone the Phony, Aphrodite the Beauty, Artemis the Brave, Athena the Wise, Aphrodite the Diva, Artemis the Loyal, Medusa the Mean (ages 8-12; co-written with pal Suzanne Williams). Coming soon: Zero the Hero (illus by Tom Lichtenheld 2-2012, Henry Holt & Co); Wagons Ho! (Albert Whitman & Co 2011); Who Was Babe Ruth? (2012). Her other books include: Groundhog Weather School; Vincent van Gogh Sunflowers and Swirly Stars; and The Gingerbread Kid Goes to School.

Visit her at http://www.joanholub.com and http://joanholub.blogspot.com.

About Suzanne Williams: Suzanne Williams has written over 30 books for children, from picture books and easy readers to chapter books and middle grade fiction series. A former elementary school librarian, she lives in Renton,Washington (near Seattle). Her picture book Library Lil (illustrated by Steven Kellogg) won the New Mexico children’s choice award in 2000 and was on several other state award lists. Her most recent series are Princess Power (ages 8 – 12), Fairy Blossoms (ages 7 – 10), and the popular Goddess Girls (ages 8 – 12, with co-author Joan Holub.) You can visit her at her website: www.suzanne-williams.com and

By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: April 15, 2011

Fans of Mythology and the Goddess Girls series will once again be thrilled to know that we have the next installment to giveaway. One lucky reader will be the winner of Athena the Wise signed by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams, plus a colorful Goddess Girls bracelet made by the authors. Giveaway begins April 15, 2011, at 12:01 A.M. PST and ends May 13, 2011, at 11:59 P.M. PST.

Reading Level: Ages 8-12

Paperback: 240 pages

Book overview: Athena isn’t the only new kid at Mount Olympus Academy. When a mortal named Heracles transfers in, she knows what he’s going through. She started at MOA just a few months ago! Not only does Heracles need help fitting in, he also has to complete twelve “labors” or he’ll be kicked out of the academy. When her dad, Principal Zeus, asks her to secretly watch out for the new boy, Athena winds ups capturing mythical beasts and shoveling poop. It will take all of her famed wisdom to sort out her own problems and help Heracles succeed!

Authors Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams put a modern spin on classic myths with the Goddess Girls series (ages 8-12, Aladdin). Follow the ins and outs of divine social life at Mount Olympus Academy, where the most privileged godboys and goddessgirls in the Greek pantheon hone their mythical skills.

“…a clever take on Greek deities…” ~ Booklist

“…an enchanting mythological world with middle-school woes compounded by life as a deity…” ~ School Library Journal

About the Authors: Joan Holub is the author and/or illustrator of over 130 books for young readers and Suzanne Williams has written over 40 books for young readers. Visit Joan at www.joanholub.com and Suzanne at www.suzanne-williams.com

How to enter:

• Leave a comment in the comments field below

• An extra entry will be given for each time you twitter about the giveaway and/or blog about it. You will need to paste the link in a separate comment to make this entry valid. Click here to follow us on Twitter.

• Maximum entries: Three (3)

Giveaway Rules:

• Shipping Guidelines: This book giveaway is open to participants with a United States address.

• Giveaway begins April 15, 2011, at 12:01 A.M. PST and ends May 13, 2011, at 11:59 P.M. PST, when all entries must be received. No purchase necessary. See official rules for details. View our privacy policy.

Sponsored by Joan Holub.

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Artemis the Brave (Goddess Girls) Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams

Artemis has never understood her boy-crazy friends (especially Aphrodite) but when she meets Orion, a new exchange student at school, watch out! Suddenly she's ditching her friends and even forgetting archery practice with Apollo just to follow Orion around. The problem is, Orion's an egotistical jerk. Artemis is sick of having to defend him to her friends, and her friends are sick of having to listen to her go on and on about how great he is. But... even when Artemis realizes that Orion does stuff wrong, she can't help like him.

While this is the longest of the Goddess Girl series so far, it ties in the least with actual mythology. In this version, Orion (last name, Starr) is a mortal actor who does things like spray his body with something called "God Bod" to make him shimmer like his immortal classmates. He's not a hunter by any means, nor does he do anything heroic. The closest we come is that the fact he has a dog named Sirius. In another odd mythological quirk, the school play is the story of Eros and Psyche. With Aphrodite playing Psyche. While there is much mention of the "vengeful goddess" who causes all the harm, it never states that the goddess is supposed to be Aphrodite herself, because well, that wouldn't make sense in the context of the Mount Olympus Academy world. Also, let's just mention this-- BOY CRAZY ARTEMIS. What? Artemis?

While the mythology is thin in this one (and, with the school play, strained, and with Artemis chasing boys, laughable) it's still a good addition to the series, and it's a series I've been enjoying quite a bit. It's light and fun, showing good friendships with light romance. It's a good one for early middle grade and I'm very much looking forward to April's release of Athena the Wise and August's release of Aphrodite the Diva.

Book Provided by... my local library

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By Bianca Schulze, The Children’s Book Review
Published: August 22, 2010

Congratulations to Deb K! She is the very lucky goddess that has been selected by the random sequence generator at random.org to win a a set of the first three books in the Goddess Girls series.

Deb K said: This looks like a great series of books for girls~I would love to win for my granddaughter.

Special Mentions:

Annmarie W. said: This looks like such a wonderful series, where girls can learn about themselves & others. It’s nice to have the inspiration of goddesses, and see that human qualities transcend the ages and that we all have human feelings & emotions!

Grutmorg said: My great-niece is a very wise and brainy Athena. Her grandfather – my brother – suggested the name to his daughter who thought it was perfect for this bright-eyed first grandchild. He has tried somewhat unsuccessfully to interest her in Greek and Roman myths. These look like books that Athena and her grandpa can share and enjoy.

For those of you who were not so lucky, you can still add these books to your collection:

Goddess Girls #1: Athena the Brain

Finding out she’s a goddess and being sent to Mount Olympus brings Athena new friends, a weird dad, and the meanest girl in mythology—Medusa!

Goddess Girls #2: Persephone the Phony

Hiding her feelings works fine for Persephone until she meets a guy she can be herself with—Hades, the bad-boy of the Underworld.

“The authors intertwine an enchanting mythological world with middle-school woes compounded by life as a deity or blessed mortal. The books should be popular with fans of girly, light fantasy.”
~ School Library Journal 4/1/2010

Goddess Girls #3: Aphrodite the Beauty

Sure Aphrodite is beautiful, but being the goddessgirl of love is not always easy. Though others think she’s an expert on boy-girl relationships, they’re often just as confusing to her as to anyone else. And she certainly never thought she’d find herself jealous of one of her best friends!

Hey rgz!

Just had to let you know, the next tween Goddess Girls book has released! Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams have a fun blog tour lined up, during August and September, with swag bag prizes ready to go. So, share this with your younger sister or enjoy the series yourself! Like me!