King of Ithaka

Gr 8 Up—Odysseus has been gone for nearly all of his son's life. Despite being a prince, Telemachos has grown up with few responsibilities, until the day his neighbors declare that his father must be dead, and his mother must marry one of them so that there would be a king. In response, Telemachos, who has never left the kingdom, says he will travel the world to search for word of his father. Accompanied by Brax, a centaur, and runaway weaver Polydora, the teen discovers that the world is full of dangers, some of them giving the appearance of friendship. He also begins to discover what a good kingship requires by viewing the hurting realms of Pylos and Sparta. Readers familiar with The Odyssey will know some of how the story ends, but Barrett's depictions of familiar characters and situations are surprising and fresh, allowing a new tale to be told inside the old one. The author also makes much of no one expecting poets to tell the truth, just a good story, and Telemachos's own narrative ends with the traditional concluding words of a poet that seem to be a tongue-in-cheek commentary on storytelling. This is a strong retelling with definite YA appeal, particularly in Telemachos's final triumph, where he takes the chariot reins of his life in his own hands.—Alana Joli Abbott, James Blackstone Memorial Library, Branford, CT