Hutton, W. (1989). Theseus and the Minotaur. New York, NY: Margaret K. McElderry Books.Brief Annotation: Heroic Theseus travels to Crete to fight the Minotaur so that his country men and women will no longer have to be fed to minotaur as punishment for the prices death in their homeland. While in Crete, he gets the exchange of young Ariadne in exchange for her hand in marriage. After defeating the Minotaur, he travels back to his homeland but he forgets to change his sails to let his father know that he has won the battle. In his devastation, his father falls off the ledge of the cliff into the Aegean Sea. With his father dead, Theseus becomes the new king.
Genre: Myth
Grade Level: 5-8
Readers who will like this book like books about mythology and adventure.
Response/Rating (1-4): 2. Like any story that has been abridged, it was hard to follow at times. I could tell that there were some important details left untold like if he ever went back for Ariadne. The story seemed disjointed at times and did not have a smooth progression.
One question you would ask before a read aloud: What do you know about Greek mythology? Do you ever wonder how some things get their names (like the Aegean Sea)?
You're right about abridged versions; sometimes, they are difficult to follow. Your before reading question is a good one, and with a number of popular book series and video games based on mythology, students are likely to have quite a bit of prior knowledge. On a side note, the story of Theseus and the Minotaur is a perfect one to get you thinking about a book we'll read in the fall!
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