Fantasy Children Jane Yolen Collection

Odysseus in the Serpent Maze

Odysseus believed the age of heroes was over. Then he and his friend, along with a spoiled princess named Helen and her cousin Penelope, are kidnapped by pirates!

Their journey leads them to Crete, where Odysseus must face the secret at the heart of the Labyrinth. There was a time when the Minotaur devoured all who entered, but now an even deadlier monster roams the maze. There Odysseus discovers the hardest part of being a hero: living long enough to tell the tale.

 

Hippolyta and the Curse of the Amazons

Hippolyta is a true amazon. Proud and brave, she lives for the thrill of the hunt and for the friendship of her fellow female warriors. Then, because her mother demands it and in defiance of the laws of her people, she must take her newborn brother to his father in Troy, where she finds herself in terrible danger.

To save her people, Hippolyta must defy the gods -- and even accept the help of a boy -- and learn what it really means to be an Amazon: finding the courage to change her world.

 

Atalanta and the Arcadian Beast

A wild girl with a mysterious past When her adopted father is slain by a strange beast, Atalanta is determined to take care of herself. She is happy in the forest with only her friend Urso -- a giant bear -- for company. She wants nothing to do with the world of men.

But the ferocious creature that killed her father is still out there, and Atalanta can't resist the opportunity to hunt it down, even if that means she has to join forces with a group of hunters to do so. Atalanta must prove that she is as strong and brave as any of the others, as they search together for the deadly Arcadian Beast.

 

Jason and the Gorgon's Blood

Jason is a young warrior in training -- and yet there's more to him than his simple appearance might suggest. Raised by the wise centaur Chiron and believing himself an orphan, Jason discovers that his true identity is not the only secret his guardian has been keeping. What he learns sends Jason and five of Chiron's other apprentices on a dangerous journey to save the kingdom of Iolcus from a horrible fate.

In a daring race against time, Jason and his companions must bridge yawning chasms, battle vicious harpies, navigate their way down treacherous rapids, and outsmart marauding centaurs. Surpris-ingly, Jason's greatest challenge comes from within, for becoming a great leader proves to be the most difficult task of all.

In another thrilling adventure that imagines Greek heroes as young men and women, Jane Yolen and Robert J. Harris explore the early years of Jason, before he led the Argonauts on one of the most famous quests in Greek mythology.

 

Centaur Rising

One night during the Perseid meteor shower, Arianne thinks she sees a shooting star land in the fields surrounding her family's horse farm. About a year later, one of their horses gives birth to a baby centaur. The family has enough attention already as Arianne's six-year-old brother was born with birth defects caused by an experimental drug—the last thing they need is more scrutiny. But their clients soon start growing suspicious. Just how long is it possible to keep a secret? And what will happen if the world finds out?

 

Finding Baba Yaga: A Short Novel in Verse

A young woman discovers the power to speak up and take control of her fate—a theme that has never been more timely than it is now…

You think you know this story.
You do not.

A harsh, controlling father. A quiescent mother. A house that feels like anything but a home. Natasha gathers the strength to leave, and comes upon a little house in the wood: A house that walks about on chicken feet and is inhabited by a fairy tale witch. In finding Baba Yaga, Natasha finds her voice, her power, herself...

 

Dragonfield and Other Stories

Stories deal with dragons, kings, outlaws, dream weavers, an alien poet, a frustrated musician, a water spirit, mermaids, demons, and an enchanted dove.