Medusa

Starred review from November 13, 2023
Using the Medusa mythos as a framework, Marsh (The Lost Year) crafts a unique and distinctly feminist fantasy series launch set in a contemporary world. When confronting a bully, seventh grader Ava Baldwin somehow freezes him in place. Within days, she’s whisked away to Accademia del Forte in Venice, Italy, a boarding school her mother also attended. Things take a turn for the bizarre when headmaster Mr. O’Ryan reveals himself to be the mythic hunter Orion and announces that Greek gods are real—and that all the students at the academy are descended from monsters of myth. Though Ava seems to flourish at the academy, she’s haunted by her mother’s distraught silence upon Ava’s departure. As Ava’s new best friend, Irish-born Fia, defiantly questions the school’s male-focused dogma, Ava considers both what it means to be a monster and the school’s true intentions. By exploring the patriarchal origins often present in Greek mythology, Marsh evokes powerful analogies about how girls and women can be taught to fear the world and themselves via a take-charge, intelligent heroine and her compassionate first-person voice. Ava is described as having golden-brown skin. Ages 8–12. Agent: Alex Glass, Glass Literary.

January 1, 2024
Ava and her new friends, descendants of mythological monsters, journey across ancient and modern worlds to change their fates. Seventh grader Ava Baldwin is about to choose her favorite goddess as the topic for her report when she's interrupted. Owen King, an arrogant white boy, talks over her to claim Athena, and after they're assigned to share the topic, he tries to snatch her library book. "Chill out," he tells Ava; "It's not a big deal." Overcome with rage, Ava's anger explodes--and Owen freezes, remaining still as stone even as he's taken away in an ambulance. Ava soon discovers that through her mother, she's a descendant of the monster Medusa; like Medusa, Ava can freeze men. She's sent to the Accademia del Forte, a boarding school in Venice, where she'll learn to control her powers along with other kids from around the world who are descendants of mythological monsters. There, Ava shares a room with an Empusa, befriends a Chimera, and schemes with a Harpy. When her friend Fia is cruelly punished for attempting to expose injustice within the school, Ava leads her companions on a journey to restore power to those who deserve it, traveling from Tartarus, "the deepest pit of the underworld," to Olympus, the home of the gods. Readers familiar with this genre will still find plenty of new twists to thrill and delight. Curly-haired Ava has West African and European heritage. A fast-paced adventure offering a fresh, feminist take on popular themes. (Fantasy. 8-12)

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January 1, 2024
Grades 4-7 After a mortifying incident in front of her old classmates, Ava is relieved to get a fresh start at a new school. Only after arriving does she learn that the Accademia is actually a "monster rehab" facility for the descendants of monsters from Greek myths--and she herself is a descendant of Medusa (petrification powers included). The school's teachers demand unquestioning deference to the gods, and when outspoken classmate Fia's voice is stolen as a punishment, Ava and her new friends embark on a whirlwind tour of goddesses from the underworld to Olympus to get it back. Along the way, they gather the lost pieces of Medusa's "real" story. This rapid-fire tour of Greek myths and monsters may be a little light on context for readers new to the pantheon, but existing fans of the mythology will enjoy character reveals and reinterpretations. Ava's righteous indignation about the gods' history of silencing women drives her. Award-winning Marsh's contribution to the magical-boarding-school genre focuses on the importance of questioning authority and owning your own story.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

March 1, 2024

Gr 3-6-Ava Baldwin, 12, is tired of being bullied by Owen and loses her cool; her dark hair pops out like snakes and suddenly he's literally frozen. The next morning, her mother sends Ava and her brother Jax to the exclusive school she attended in Venice. The school is run by the Olympians, and incoming students must be tested to know which mythological Greek monster they are descended from. When Ava finds out she is related to Medusa (who is still alive), she embarks on an adventure with her friends-a Harpy, a Chimera, and an Empusa-to uncover the true story of Medusa, give voice to the goddesses who have been silenced by male gods, and perhaps find her own purpose. While this story fits into the increasingly popular modernized mythology trope, it puts a different spin on it from the perspective of the "villains" and will appeal to a younger audience. However, the theme of women being oppressed by the male gods is presented in such a didactic manner that it detracts from the powerful message. Medusa is described as black-haired with her skin glowing golden brown; Ava is depicted as having the same skin color in the cover illustration. Many other characters are described as pale-skinned when appearance is mentioned. Missing is additional information about Greek mythology, the monsters, and Medusa. VERDICT A story flipping traditional mythology and the voices telling them on their head starring a resourceful, brave Gorgon. Suggested where mythology stories are popular.-Clare A. Dombrowski

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