PERSEUS

The popularity of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series has created strong interest in the Greek myths, and McCaughrean’s retelling of the story of Perseus is full of the adventure and details that eager learners crave. Cynthia Bishop’s even narration anchors the many twists and turns of Perseus’s life, beginning with the foretelling of his birth and continuing through his childhood and famous adventures with Medusa, Pegasus, and Poseidon’s fearsome sea monster. The actors who portray Perseus, Dana (his mother), and Andromeda (his wife) enliven the action with their expressive readings, and the actors who portray the oracle, Medusa, and King Polydectes are convincing in their menace. The resulting performance makes the mythical both real and memorable. A.F. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2011]