This book is a very quick-read, only 59 pages in the eBook, and it mixes gods from different creatures. I was amazed at how much action the author was able to cram into the plot. There was not a lot of character development, but it really kept my interest. I was surprised to find the book coming to an end as the suspense was still high. The resolution informs readers that more monsters are on the way! PERSONAL RESPONSE:I thought that this book was good to read, because it tells the story of three kids running around the neighborhood to find their friend. The book shows that true friends stick together and fight to find each other if one goes missing.PLOT:"The Battle Begins" is about a boy, Owen Brown, who was going to be late for school. After homeroom his friend, Dana, disappeared through the floor of the school. Owen had to find Dana before everyone noticed she was gone and he did. He had to go on a mythological rescue mission with his friends Jon and Sydney.They had to watch out for three, fifty and a hundred. Those are mythological creatures. They end up finding Dana in the Underworlds. Owen and Jon are able to make a deal with Hades to get her back. CHARACTERIZATION: Owen is a main character and does not change throughout the story. Owen is a scrawny, short blonde haired boy. Jon is another main character, who also does not change throughout the story. He has brown hair. Sydney is one of Owen’s newest friends. She could be a main character and does not change throughout the story. She is taller than Owen and Jon and has long brown hair. SETTING:"The Battle Begins" takes place at Pinewood Bluffs Elementary, the Underworlds, and at a museum. This book has no specific time period but might be during the 1990's.THEMATIC CONNECTION:The author’s message is that mythology might not always be a myth and to expect the unexpected. Don't always think that if its a myth it cannot be true or cant happen in today's world.I would recommend "The Battle Begins" to any person who likes mythology and can read hard to pronounce names. If the person can read hard to pronounce names it does not matter the age or gender. I liked this book because it was suspenseful and it is about mythology.
What do You think about The Battle Begins (2012)?
I love all of the underworld series there great books!
—Dannyl44
Read aloud for my Kindergartner and he LOVED it.
—Maria
