Literature & Fiction, Greek & Roman 

For fans of D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths and readers who enjoyed Homer's epic tales comes a retelling of The Iliad by a master storyteller and an award-winning illustrator that evokes the golden age of mythical Greece.   Homer's epic poem, The Iliad, is one of the greatest adventure stories of all time. In it, the abduction of the legendary beauty, Helen of Troy, leads to a conflict in which even the gods and goddesses take sides and intervene. It is in the Trojan War that the most valiant heroes of the ancient world are pitted against one another. Here Hectore, Ajax, Achilles, and Odysseus meet their most formidable challenges and in some casas their tragic ends.   Rosemary Sutcliff makes such extraordinary stories as those of those Trojan horse, of Aphrodite and the golden apple, and of the fearsome warrior women Amazons, accessible to contemporary young people.   This book has been selected as a Common Core State Standards Text Exemplar (Grades 6-8, Stories) in Appendix B.Praise for Black Ships Before Troy:AN ALA Best Book for Young Adults"This re-creation of the classic epics [is]...described in vivid, exquisitely cadenced prose....A splendid offering, bringing the ancient tale to new and vibrant life."-Kirkus Reviews, Pointer"[Sutcliff] brings into vivid focus the mythic story of the Trojan War, with all of its visually dramatic elements...[and] leaves many of the epic's powerful metaphors intact."-Publishers Weekly"Amazingly told, taut with cunning and terror."-Booklist - from Amzon