Second Printing for Wrath of Achilles

Heard from B-C (publisher Bolchazy-Carducci) yesterday that Wrath of Achilles is about to sell out its first print run and that a second is on its way. Thanks to all who purchased!

Follow Your Fates in Classical Outlook

Sharon Kazmierski, in the Clearing House section of the latest issue of Classical Outlook (v.85, issue 2 (winter)), wrote about a column and a half review of the series, giving it both a positive review and an endorsement for more titles (and endorsement I am on board with if B-C is as well). Thanks, Sharon!

Article in Prima, ACL's Newsletter for Classics at the Elementary & Middle School Levels

Just received an e-notification that the new issue of Prima is available on-line and there is an article in it about The Wrath of Achilles and The Journey of Odysseus. The article covers a teacher in New Hampshire who used the books with her class(es) with great success. I appreciated of course the positive comments but also that both teacher and students seemed to understand the broader goal of the series (and that apparently they're hoping for more, which I hope to give them). Thank you, Jessica!

Click here for the .pdf of the newsletter; the article is on pages 26 & 27.

Click here for the Prima page on the ETC (Excellence Through Classics) web site where the link to the Fall 2009 Prima is located.

Catching Up After the Holidays: The Exile of Aeneas Illustrations & Review in the Half Moon Bay Review

There are a couple of developments to report that I missed over the holidays:

1. Received Brian's sketches for the illustrations for The Exile of Aeneas and they of course look great. I look forward to seeing them in their final form and to seeing what the cover will look like.

2. A former colleague of mine in his Christmas card sent a review written by a fifth grader from the Half Moon Bay Review that was published in September. Click here to read it.

Review in Children's Bookwatch

Children's Bookwatch, published by the Midwest Book Review, carried a brief but positive review of The Journey of Odysseus in its November 2009 issue; I especially like that the reviewer understood one of my goals of the series: maintaining the integrity of the original as a way to teach it as well as the culture that produced it.

The Journey of Odysseus
Ed Horatius [sic], author
Brian Delandro Hardison, illustrator
Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers, Inc.
1570 Baskin Road, Mundelein, IL 60060
www.bolchazy.com
9780865167100, $12.00, www.amazon.com

"The Journey of Odysseus" (presented by Follow Your Fates) is a reprisal of the ancient Homeric Odyssey as a choose-your-own -adventure role playing game in which the reader is faced with the same choices Odysseus faced. Ultimate, canny survival depends upon the guile of the reader, as it did for Odysseus. Sometimes the choices faced will seem too harsh or the reprisals too severe, but in forcing the reader to experience these differences between modern day sensibilities and the mores of ancient Greek times, a fresh experiencing of the mythic events begins, in full contrast and comparison. "The Journey of Odysseus" will appeal to young adults and juvenile readers ages 12-18 or older. Also in this outstanding series, "The Wrath of Achilles" (97808656-16708, $12.00) is very highly recommended as well.

http://www.midwestbookreview.com/cbw/nov_09.htm (review appears b/w 1/2 and 2/3s down the page)

Aeneid Back Cover Text

Just received and sent back the back cover text for The Exile of Aeneas, so we're one step closer to publication. Can't wait to get the images in.

Exile of Aeneas Proofs

Received the proofs for The Exile of Aeneas a few days ago and was able to mail them back last night with corrections. Tentative publication date is now mid-December, but we'll see if that changes.