Greek Mythology

In my last post, I mentioned that we read The Odyssey in ninth grade English, and it's difficult to engage the kids.  They like the short myths and the drama, jealousy, and promiscuity that the gods and goddesses engage in, so I try to hook them by reading myths first so they get a better sense of the gods, goddesses, and other mythological creatures that appear in Odysseus' travels.  I recently read Everneath by Brodi Ashton.  This story is a modern-day Persephone story, and it includes many allusions and references to Greek mythology.  

In Everneath, Nikki, the protagonist, made a choice that would make all of the pain disappear: her mother’s death that continued to haunt her, her absent father, and insecurities about her boyfriend’s faithfulness.  Cole gave her the gift of numbness—at a price.  He brought her to Everneath, the underworld, and fed on her feelings.  It felt like 100 years passed, but when Nikki chose to escape, only six months had passed.  Nikki returns to “the real world,” and her old friends and family believe that she was addicted to drugs and had run away.  She knows she has to return to the underworld, but she just wants six months to try and say goodbye to her friends, family, and Jack, her love, before spending eternity suffering in the Tunnels.  That is, unless she finds a way to change her fate. 

I enjoyed the story because it was more than just teen fiction “fluff.”  In one of her teachers, Nikki finds guidance, and learns a valuable lesson about heroes and choices.  The pages of the book contain “quotable quotes,” lines that would spark classroom discussion and reflection on the parts of students.  Those are the types of stories I enjoy sharing with my students because I feel they gain not only an entertaining plot, but also some deeper insight that may teach them about themselves and the world around them.