Written by Stella Tarakson, the Hopeless Heroes series of fiction books are ideal for newer independent readers aged around 7+. Lively and funny stories with witty, monochrome illustrations, they are modern with a huge twist of history...
The Hopeless Heroes series star a young boy named Tim. Tim lives with his Mum in a regular house in a regular street, and then one day he breaks a vase. This is no ordinary vase however, it's from Ancient Greece, and when it breaks it releases Hercules!
Having Hercules around certainly livens up Tim's world, as well as giving him company when his Mum is at work. It's actually a lot of fun and Hercules turns out to be very useful - although he is not the only Ancient Greek to make it to our modern world, and some of them aren't here just to hang out peacefully with Tim.
We've already read the first 2 books in the series, Here Comes Hercules! and Hera's Terrible Trap! and I gave my readers a sneak peek in a previous Hopeless Heroes post.
Without any more rambling, here are my answers to the Hopeless Heroes related questions...
1. Name another character that is thrown into an adventure:
First one I can think of is Dorothy in The Wizard Of Oz by Frank L Baum (age 9+), although it is quite a regularly seen theme in stories of all kinds, and the young lad Tick in James Dashner's Journal Of Curious Letters (age 9+) is another fantastic example.
2. Name a book you love to love:
Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. I have read it more times than any other and it's incredibly indulgent. I love the story, the writing, the message and the fact that we associate snow with Christmas because of it - even though it's more likely to snow at Easter!
3. Name a book with an impressive female character:
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings. Maya Angelou lived a life so full of adventure and tragedy that it's impossible to know how she ever managed to continue. A true hero.
4. Your favourite book with a bit of love:
The Sad Book by Michael Rosen. It's probably not the answer anyone would expect, but it is full of love and couldn't have been written by someone who hadn't suffered the loss he has. He understands what it means to lose a child, and he understands how devastating Meningitis can be. I can't even open it without crying, and I certainly can't read it aloud, yet it brings me huge comfort.
5. Name a book with a great message:
I actually really loved the straightforward message in Magnus And The Jewelled Book Of The Universe by S.L.Browne (age 7+) - greed usually means everyone ends up with less...
6. A character you thought was too self-obsessed:
I never liked Noddy, I always thought he was rude. As a child I couldn't understand why he expected everyone to just solve his problems for him. I think a lot of Enid Blyton's characters are quite gruff and self-centred.
7. A book that shocked you:
I remember being amazed by the description of the underwater world in The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader by C.S.Lewis - I read it with my jaw on the floor I think. I can't think of a shocking children's book right now, but I found The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks very shocking when I read that as an older teenager.
8. Name some books with beautiful covers:
I still think the most beautifully illustrated children's book I've ever read is Sunshine And Snowballs (age 2+), although Here We Are (Notes For Living On planet Earth) by Oliver Jeffers (for birth+) comes close second. I have some gorgeous grown up collectors edition books from The Folio Society that are among my most prized possessions.
9. A book you'll always go back to and keep re-reading:
A Christmas Carol. I'm addicted. Catch 22 by Joseph Heller and The Colour Purple by Alice Walker are both books I've read a few times too. They're more for teenage and grown up readers.
10. The scariest book you've ever read:
As a child I used to read a lot of old short stories, and the ghost stories would freak me out a bit at bedtime. As an adult I find The Shining by Stephen King a brilliantly scary book.
Stella Tarakson's Hopeless Heroes books really made us all laugh, while teaching us just a little Ancient Greek history in the process. With great illustrations by illustrated by Nick Roberts, the first 2 Hopeless Heroes Books are published by Sweet Cherry Publishing and available to buy now rrp £4.99 each. From all good book shops instore and online, including Amazon (affiliate link, also available on Kindle £2.99).
To see everyone else's answers to the questions, check out the other blogs taking part in the tour!
The Amazon link is an affiliate link, which means I become rich and wealthy if you go through my link and spend 14 million English pounds on books and novelty pet sofas. It won't however cost you any extra.
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