Hera’s Terrible Trap Review

Synopsis from Sweet Cherry Publishing:

Tim Baker thinks his adventures are over until he hitches a ride to Ancient Greece on a stolen vase. Soon Tim finds himself trapped with an army of peacocks and a hero who can’t stop admiring himself.

Put that mirror down, Theseus!

Thank the gods his new friend Zoe is there to help. Just don’t tell her dad…

About: Hera’s Terrible Trap! is a children’s book written by Stella Tarakson and illustrated by Nick Roberts. It was published on 2/22/18 by Sweet Cherry Publishing, 208 pages. The genres are children’s book, mythology, and fiction. This book is intended for readers ages 6 and up. There are 2 books to this series so far: book 1 is called Here Comes Hercules! and book 2 is called Hera’s Terrible Trap!. According to the publisher’s website, “Sweet Cherry Publishing is an independent children’s publishing company that specialises in fiction series. Our books explore engaging characters and worlds that children will want to revisit time and time again, and our list targets a wide range of readers – from board books and picture books all the way through to YA. We publish a diverse selection of genres including action, fantasy, and coming-of-age, and our educational titles for younger children are very popular with parents and teachers.” Please see below for more information about the author and publisher.

My Experience: I started reading Hera’s Terrible Trap as a bedtime story for my 6 years old son on 5/4/18 and we finished it on 5/16/18. My son enjoys Tim Baker’s adventures a lot. He likes that this time Tim stands up to defend himself against the bully, Leo. We both enjoy the humor Thesus provides. He likes to boast about his heroism and his good looks. My son memorizes Theseus’ line by the end of the book, “Hey, we may be trapped, but at least my good looks can cheer us all up.” I like that line too. I like the time travel portion. I like the peacocks.

This book is told in the third person point of view following Timothy (Tim) Baker as he continues to protect the broken ancient vase. A few days ago, (book 1) Tim caught the goddess Hera and her servant Hermes’ attempted to steal the vase. Tim overheard that Hera wanted to bring the vase back to Greece to trap Hercules in it again. These days Tim doesn’t leave the vase out of his sight much. Once again, he removes the cloth covering the vase to check if it’s still there, but Hermes appear out of nowhere and grab onto it. Tim grabs onto the vase to prevent Hermes from stealing but finds himself “swirling through the air at a great speed.” Tim ended up in ancient Greece, at the hometown of Hercules and Hera. Hera then take possession of the vase and Tim barely escapes her wrath. On his run away from Hera, Tim bumps into Hercules and got to meet his family. Zoe, Hercules’ daughter wants to steal the vase back before Hera use it to trap her dad again. Zoe and Tim then sneaks into Hera’s castle’s antechamber to look for the vase but was caught by Hera and without warning, they were sent to a labyrinth. Somewhere along, a hero, the Minotaur Slayer, Theseus came to their rescue. Then they run into Stheno, Medusa’s sister, a monster with snakes on her head with the power to turn whoever looking at her into stone. Tim and Zoe are trapped!

This book is very well written and entertaining to read. A great book for introducing kids Greek mythology, heroes, and Ancient Greece. I like how Theseus seems to be hopeless at rescuing the kids because he couldn’t stop admiring himself and seems to lack the abilities to think up strategies, but then surprise readers in the end. I like the hopeless heroes because they are less intimidating and are fun to be around. I like that Tim is smart to think up strategies. I like reading the adventures with the snake hair monster. This book’s hero is Theseus, but my son likes that Hercules and the bully Leo are brought back, especially Leo because it teaches him to deal with bullies. This story is an excellent read and I highly recommend everyone to read the series.

Pro: fast paced, page turner, time travel, ancient Greece, mythology, humor, actions & adventures

(Side Note: I actually learned from this book that the publishers called Minotaur and Pegasus have both taken their name from Greek mythology! haha.. Definitely read more to learn more, and don’t need to read a non-fiction book to learn new knowledge haha..)

Con: none

I rate it 5 stars!

Buy it here for free shipping: Book Depository or Sweet Cherry Publishing

About the Author: Stella Tarakson

I entered the workforce armed with a law degree, but writing has always been my passion. It didn’t take me long to leave my sensible job and dive headfirst into the uncertain world of publishing – and I’ve loved every minute! I’ve had 30-something books published, and I still get a thrill when I see my name on a cover. I’ve written non-fiction for both children and adults, and now I’m writing children’s fiction. I love researching and writing about things that interest, intrigue and excite me – there’s nothing better than sharing my fascination of the world with my readers! https://stellatarakson.com (Info & photo obtained from author’s website).

More Information About Sweet Cherry Publishing:

Website: http://www.sweetcherrypublishing.com | Twitter: https://twitter.com/SweetCherryPub | Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SweetCherryPublishing | Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweetcherrypublishing

***Disclaimer: Many thanks to the author Stella Tarakson, publisher Sweet Cherry Publishing, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review. Please be assured that my opinions are honest.

xoxo,
Jasmine