Module 13: It's All Greek to Me, A Time Warp Trio Book by Jon Scieszka

Summary

The Time Warp Trio are on another exciting adventure in It's all Greek to me. Joe, Fred and Sam go back to Ancient Greece in a green mist just as they are about to put on a play about that time in history. They encounter the major Greek gods like Zeus, Aphrodite, Demeter, Athena, Hermes and Poseidon to name a few. They realize how very close to reality their class play about the time period really is.

Bibliographic Citation

Scieszka, J. (1999). It's all Greek to me. New York : Viking.

Impressions

The Time Warp Trio series is a delightful one. Readers learn about periods in history while getting a few laughs at the same time. The books in the series provide a light-hearted look at events in history without boring the reader. It's all Greek to me does not disappoint. The little quips and jabs made at the Greek gods are hilarious. To hear Zeus exclaim , "Ai yi yi" after finding his thunderbolts stolen was a riot.

Reviews

Once again the Time Warp Trio goes by the book and winds up face to snout with Cerberus. As the three-headed dog snarls at them, narrator Joe explains their arrival in Hades. They had planned to return “The Book” right after their school “Greek Mythology Musical,” but once again the green mist transports them “farther and stranger than we’d gone before.” On Mount Olympus, the trio trades snappy one-liners and insults with the gods, and confront such legendary monsters as Typhoon and the Chimera. The resolution comes quickly and conveniently, with the boys awaiting their next adventure. For some kids, this will be a stretch, but the usual smart-guy humor will draw them in. A list of gods and monsters is appended for quick referral, with such explanations as “Aphrodite: Goddess of love and beauty, and she knows it.” Scieszka and Lane Smith, who has illustrated all the books in the series, have devised a nifty formula, and they deserve credit for leading kids “farther and stranger” than they would ordinarily go. (Reviewed November 15, 1999)— Linda Perkins Reviewed November 15, 1999-Booklist

Gr 3-5-Hey, are you ready for this? Joe, Fred, and Sam are transported back in time to Mount Olympus while performing in a school play about ancient Greece. Needless to say, they aren't much of a threat when they try to use their cardboard thunderbolts on Cerberus. Instead, the boys use their wits, and a Ding Dong in the case of the three-headed dog, as they quickly slip in and out of danger. Children who know Nike is the Greek goddess of victory will double over with laughter when Sam Orpheus, friend of Nike, introduces his chums as Fred Cyclops, follower of Reebok, and Joe Paris, cohort of Fila. Humor continues as the friends help hide a nervous Zeus, who is worried that his wife, Hera, will blab to the other gods if she finds out he lost his thunderbolts. Dionysus wants to party and Ares wants to fight, but the real trouble starts when Zeus challenges Joe to give his golden apple to the fairest of all goddesses. This entry in the series is guaranteed to sail off of library shelves. Purchase extra copies for teachers to use in their units on Greek mythology. A handy description of the gods, goddesses, and other monsters who rule Olympus is included.-Linda L. Plevak, Alamo Area Library System, San Antonio, TX
Reviewed October 1, 1999-School Library Journal

Library Settings

Doing a book talk program on the books in the Time Warp Trio series would be an excellent way to teach children about periods of time in history while encouraging them to read. Each book could be used in a separate book talk program if one period in history was to be focused upon.