Styx and Stones

De: Gary D. Schmidt, Ron Koertge

Narrado por: Mark Sanderlin

Percy Jackson meets The Labors of Hercules Beal in this hilarious, page-turning fantasy adventure with a heart of gold from two award-winning authors.

Simon expected more from life than being orphaned in ancient Greece and stuck in the Underworld for eternity. Determined not to forget who he is, he commits himself to escaping Hades. Along the way, he faces the monster Cerberus, befriends the tormented Sisyphus, and becomes Persephone’s favorite servant. Then, after centuries of failed attempts, he is finally thrust into modern times—and into the stall of a middle school bathroom. Naked.

With the help of Zeke, a nerdy rich kid on the social fringes, Simon learns to navigate this amazing and bewildering world. And with Simon’s help, Zeke begins to question his comfortable life and understand the true meaning of friendship. Everything seems to be going great . . . until the god of the Underworld sends a demon girl to bring Simon back. And suddenly, it’s not just the secret of Simon’s past that’s threatened, but their very lives—and everyone’s around them, too. Is their friendship strong enough to withstand the Will of Hades and save St. Nikolaos Academy Middle School?

From two-time Newbery honoree Gary D. Schmidt and two-time PEN Award winner Ron Koertge, Styx and Stones is an unforgettable coming-of-age adventure about friendship, courage, and identity, brimming with Greek mythology and high-stakes action.

Hades Deserved Better!

The story, the emotion, the action and the mythology stood out the most. As stated in the title, Hades deserved better and more sympathy.

Returned, not for me

As a mom of 4 I love so many of Gary D. Schmidts other books (both for my kids and for myself). I was super excited to find this new release since we enjoy mythology, so I got it right away. Sadly, I was disturbed with in the first chapter when there numerous disconcerting descriptions of how Simone dies over and over again and rather gruesomely at that. I didn't enjoy it, much less want to let my kids listen to it. I was shocked when I went back and checked the suggested ages, since it is listed as 8-12 (none of my kids are below that age). I know language can be crude in middle school, but I am so un use to reading it in his other books that it turned me off. I am glad I previewed this before letting my kids listen to it. I confess, I returned it before I finished because I knew I didn't want to have this on my shelf for my kids to read at this point. Go with Mr. Schmidts other books, this one disappoints.