Sonderbooks Book Review of Nice Shot, Cupid!

Reviewed October 31, 2005.
Volo (Hyperion), New York, 2002. 181 pages.

I find these Myth-O-Mania books delightful—not just as something I know kids like, but because I enjoy them myself, and they make me laugh.

The premise is that Zeus is a big fat liar and has spread around the traditional stories of the Greek myths that we’ve all heard, making himself look good. The truth is that Hades, Lord of the Underworld, is a good, warm-hearted guy, who has to keep going around fixing up Zeus’s foul-ups.

Nice Shot, Cupid! tells the real story behind the myth of Cupid and Psyche. Want to know the real reason why Psyche couldn’t see Cupid’s face? The fact is, he was a gawky teenage god who wore braces and put green pimple cream over his face every night. He was afraid that if Psyche saw him looking like that, she couldn’t possibly love him. But who could blame him? His mother was Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, so he’d been taught that good looks are all-important.

Hades is a friend of Psyche, since she’s a fellow supporter of Eagle Eye, a big wrestling star. He goes through a lot of trouble to help her with the tasks Aphrodite sets her, and works hard to sort out the tangle, knowing the two are deeply in love.

These books are a wonderful, hilarious look at how a story can seem completely different from another person’s perspective. Although they don’t present the traditional Greek myth, you’ll find yourself remembering the traditional story much better than you ever did before. Great fun!

Reviews of other books by Kate McMullan:
Have a Hot Time, Hades! (Myth-O-Mania, Book One)
Phone Home, Persephone! (Myth-O-Mania, Book Two)
Say Cheese, Medusa! (Myth-O-Mania, Book Three)

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Book Reviews by Sondra Eklund

****Nice Shot, Cupid!*

Myth-O-Mania Book Four

by Kate McMullan