Hannah Messenger and the Gods of Hockwold
When they decided to retire, Hera chose to live in a little village called Hockwold-cum-Wilton with her husband, Zeus, King of the Gods. Gradually, they were joined by many of the other gods which is how Hannah Messenger, granddaughter of Hermes, and her friends ended up living there. On the day, Hannah gets her powers, something weird happens and the protections on the village which make it impossible for mortals to see anything ‘godlike’ going on disappear and all the Gods and their descendants completely lose their memories. Hannah, Dylan, Amy and Alastair alone can remember who and what they are. When the God’s objects of power start to go missing, they need to stop the thief at all costs!
Fabulously funny, ‘Hannah Messenger and the Gods of Huckwold’ is a brilliant read. It’s the sort of story I love to read aloud to a class, offering plenty of opportunities to ‘do the voices’ and one which is sure to have them moaning when you stop reading! It’s the sort of book where a burst of discussion, sharing ideas about what might happen next, thoughts about particular characters or just saying how much they are enjoying the story follows every session and children regularly ‘remind’ you that it’s nearly time to read!
The plot offers a pacy adventure, a touch of mystery, plenty of humour and a tortoise called Dolio! Children are sure to be inspired to discover more about the Greek gods from the snippets which are threaded throughout the story and enjoy seeing the links between the gods and their descendants- for example, Hermes was the messenger to the gods (amongst other things!), explaining Hannah’s surname. Dylan’s poem is a great way of remembering who’s who in Zeus’s family tree and is sure to become a popular one to learn by heart!
Friendship, teamwork and trust are central to the story as Hannah comes to better understand both her family and friends as she seeks to save the objects sacred to the gods which are being stolen from houses around the village. I would love there to be more adventures for Hannah and her friends as this was such an enjoyable and engaging read!
Hannah Messenger and the Gods of Hockwold
Briony Pearce
UCLan Publishing ISBN: 978-1915235978
Published on the 6th June 2024