Persephone the Phony (Goddess Girls Graphic Novel #2)

Gr 3-7--Persephone learns to speak up for herself to her fellow immortal classmates and protective "chariot mother," Demeter. After a prologue in which Demeter tells a very young Persephone to "go along to get along" in terms of playing games to make friends, tween Persephone has taken that advice to the extreme. She accepts whatever label her friends at Mount Olympus Academy apply to her, whether it's assuming her interest in knitting or influencing her clothing and makeup. Hades, treated as an outcast, appreciates Persephone for who she really is, but her friends and Demeter interfere with their friendship. The cast is mostly white, though Persephone's friend Artemis is Black. The use of the Greek pantheon, complete with mythological settings and creatures, meshes well with messages of self-confidence and autonomy. VERDICT Readers will learn assertiveness during Persephone's journey from Olympus through the underworld and back in this self-contained story.