Odysseus's visit to Hades is one of my favorite parts of The Odyssey, and Osborne retells it in a way for kids that is both highly engaging and true to the original. ( )

These take about 20 minutes for me to read, and it takes my 4th grader about an hour. It keeps him reading, and it's not too much of a time investment for me to be able to discuss the book with him after. A HIGHLY recommended series for kids in grades 2-4. Osborne breaks down about two Odyssey adventures into each book in the series and provides a glossary of Greek gods and some background on Homer & the Odyssey. It's really a perfect level for independent reading for my 9-year-old.

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This is book two in a series of books about Odysseus' travels. In this book, he loses half of his men when they are slaughtered on an island. He meets up with a sorceress and learns how to outwit her so that she ends up helping him and he is led to the land of the dead where he is able to visit with the spirit of his mother and learn how to return home.