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Thunder Girls / Grimmtastic Girls
• THUNDER GIRLS is a brand new middle grade series by Joan Holub & Suzanne Williams (Simon & Schuster) •
A middle school twist on Norse mythology, with students attending Asgard Academy high in the branches of a magical tree named Yggdrasil, which protects all nine Norse worlds from doomsday!
NEW! Thunder Girls #1: Freya and the Magic Jewel
Freya, the Norse girlgoddess of love and beauty, is looking forward to a fun year at Vanaheim Junior High. But after receiving a mysterious prophecy from her magical jewel named Brising— that she is the key to stopping a big, bad doomsday—she is summoned to Asgard Academy by the mighty god Odin, and told to “bring her magic”. When she accidentally drops her beloved jewel off the Bifrost Bridge, it seems there’s no way she’ll be able to deliver the magic Odin expects of her now. However she soon learns that true magic can come from unexpected places. Will Freya manage to rescue Brising, stop doomsday, and unite her new Asgard Academy schoolmates?
"Strengths: Freya has a positive attitude even though she doesn't want to go to a whole new world. She manages to make friends even while dealing with the loss of her jewel. The mythology is well explained, and the gods and goddesses true to the original portrayals, with a middle grade friendly twist. The covers are bright and colorful, so these will sell themselves to young readers who like magic or fairy stories, and can never have a series long enough to suit them ... I have a good collection of Greek and Roman mythology books, but struggle to find Norse title, so will probably purchase this series."
--Karen Yingling, Library Media Specialist, Ohio USA
"A frothy…series starter to introduce the wide, entertaining mythological world." (Fantasy. 8-12)
--Kirkus Review
"... this book does not disappointment. A wonderful book that introduces the middle grade reader to Norse Myth." -- Greer, goodreads
"A great, solid, book 1 of this series…I really appreciated the effort into getting much of the Norse mythology right." –Christian, goodreads
Amazon Barnes & Noble Books-a-Million Indiebound Publisher series link
NEW! Thunder Girls #2: Sif and the Dwarfs' Treasures
COMING OCTOBER 2018 / Pre-order at:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Books-a-Million
Indiebound
Publisher link to this book
• The GRIMMTASTIC GIRLS series by Joan Holub & Suzanne Williams (Scholastic) •
A fun adventure/middle-school twist on a super-popular theme: fairy tales!
“The tales within the new Grimmtastic Girls series have plenty of momentum as well as appealing heroines…The execution is highly diverting.” —Booklist
“The books feature a diverse cast and give the fairy tales modern makeovers...” —School Library Journal
Grimmtastic Girls #1: Cinderella Stays Late
Scholastic ISBN: 978-0545519830 (pap)
Once upon a time, in faraway Grimmlandia, a Grimmtastic girl named Cinderella is starting her first week at Grimm Academy on the wrong foot. Cinda's totally evil stepsisters are out to make her life miserable. The Steps tease Cinda, give her terrible advice about life at the academy, and even make her look bad in front of her new friends, Red, Snow, and Rapunzel! But when Cinda overhears the Steps plotting a villainous deed that could ruin Prince Awesome's ball, Cinda, her new friends, and a pair of magical glass slippers have to stop them--before the last stroke of midnight!
Discussion questions:
1. How does Cinda’s life change after her father gets remarried?
2. Would you prefer dancing at a ball or playing sports? Why?
3. The Grimmtastic girls welcome Cinda by letting her sit at their lunch table. How can you help new students feel more comfortable on their first day?
4. The magical mirror at Grimm Academy creates beautiful gowns for the girls. How would you describe your dream gown to the mirror?
5. What magical aisle in the library would you most want to visit?
6. Cinda’s magical slippers help her to dance at the ball. What powers would you want if you had a magical charm?
7. Why do you think Prince Awesome seems more interested in Cinda than he is in the stepsisters?
8. What does Cinda learn about the stepsisters’ E.V.I.L. plan?
9. How does Cinda’s relationship with her stepsisters change throughout the story?
10. How is this story similar to and different from the original Cinderella story?
Grimmtastic Girls #2: Red Riding Hood Gets Lost
Scholastic ISBN: 978-0545519847 (pap)
Red Riding Hood is thrilled to try out for the school play. Acting is her dream, and she's great at it--too bad she has stage fright! After a grimmiserable audition, Red decides to focus on helping her friends Cinda, Snow, and Rapunzel save Grimm Academy from the E.V.I.L. Society. But when Red gets lost in Neverwood forest and runs into Wolfgang, who might be part of E.V.I.L., she needs her magic basket and a grimmazingly dramatic performance to figure out what's going on!
Grimmtastic Girls #3: Snow White Lucks Out
Scholastic ISBN: 978-0545519854 (pap)
Snow White might be jinxed -- but at least she has the other grimmtastic girls to count on! She is having terrible luck. Her stepmom, Ms. Wicked, always puts her down, and is a member of the E.V.I.L. Society that is threatening Grimm Academy. Snow's new friend, Prince Prince, seems to be around for all her most grimmbarrassing moments. And Snow, Red, Cinda, and Rapunzel have been searching the castle for the treasure they know is hidden there, but it's nowhere to be found. Can Snow find her own magical charm, end her bad luck, and protect the school from E.V.I.L.?
Grimmtastic Girls #4: Rapunzel Cuts Loose
Rapunzel's magical fast-growing hair can be a nuisance, especially when an accident gives it magical powers she can't control! But Rapunzel can't let her grimmiserable hair woes distract her -- she and her friends, Cinda, Red, and Snow are trying to save Grimm Academy from the E.V.I.L. Society. Once Rapunzel tracks down her magic charm, she won't let a bad hair day get in the way of stopping E.V.I.L.!
Scholastic ISBN: 978-0545519861
Grimmtastic Girls #5: Sleeping Beauty Dreams Big
Scholastic ISBN: 978-0545783934(pap)
Sleeping Beauty -- who just goes by her middle name, Rose -- has always been a daredevil. But according to her fairy tale, after her twelfth birthday Rose must avoid all sharp objects. That isn't easy at Grimm Academy, where enchanted items can also be dangerous. Rose will have to stay wide awake to keep out of trouble-and to find her magic charm!
Grimmtastic Girls #6: Goldilocks Breaks In
Scholastic ISBN: 978-0545783941(pap)
Goldilocks is so eager to make friends at Grimm Academy, she's even tempted to accept an invitation to join E.V.I.L. -- it's just nice to be included! But she doesn't want to be a villain. Can Goldie get inside the secret society and do some good?