Caroline B. Cooney

When she is left as the sole survivor of the island where she was once a playmate for a princess, Anaxandra takes on the role as Princess Callisto herself when found by Menelaus and taken to his kingdom in Sparta. Reader's Guide available.

Goddess of Yesterday

Kirsten Simkiss

I enjoyed it. I don't think I'd quite give it 5 stars, but I'd feel okay giving it 4.5 out of 5.

This book is the story of a young girl growing up in the times of the ancient Greeks, most notably just before and during the beginning of the Trojan War. Anaxandra, the daughter of a pirate, is taken hostage until her father returns his stolen gold. Due to her being six at the time and not understanding what was happening, she shows them where the gold is and, after that, is taken to live with the king who has taken her hostage. After six years and an attack by another group of pirates, the king who took her in and his city are either enslaved or killed. To avoid being enslaved, she accidentally takes on the name of the Princess Callisto and is taken home to Sparta by King Menelaus as his guest, where she meets Helen of Troy and their children.

The first thing that I found to be particularly unusual about this book was that Anaxandra worships Medusa as their patron goddess. I have never seen her worshipped before in any way, shape, or form - but hey, there's always a first.

The second thing, which I loved, was that this book doesn't show Helen as a helpless damsel in love. In this book, she's a cold goddess who falls in love with a young prince and revels in the idea of a war being fought over her. I thought her portrayal was magnificent. Her consistently cold treatment of others is definitely a take I haven't seen people examine in literature.

Goddess of Yesterday

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