Everyones favorite time-travelers are changing their style! "The Time Warp Trio" series now features a brand-new, eye-catching design, sure to appeal to longtime fans, and those new to Jon Scieszkas wacky brand of humor. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Gr 3-5-Hey, are you ready for this? Joe, Fred, and Sam are transported back in time to Mount Olympus while performing in a school play about ancient Greece. Needless to say, they aren't much of a threat when they try to use their cardboard thunderbolts on Cerberus. Instead, the boys use their wits, and a Ding Dong in the case of the three-headed dog, as they quickly slip in and out of danger. Children who know Nike is the Greek goddess of victory will double over with laughter when Sam Orpheus, friend of Nike, introduces his chums as Fred Cyclops, follower of Reebok, and Joe Paris, cohort of Fila. Humor continues as the friends help hide a nervous Zeus, who is worried that his wife, Hera, will blab to the other gods if she finds out he lost his thunderbolts. Dionysus wants to party and Ares wants to fight, but the real trouble starts when Zeus challenges Joe to give his golden apple to the fairest of all goddesses. This entry in the series is guaranteed to sail off of library shelves. Purchase extra copies for teachers to use in their units on Greek mythology. A handy description of the gods, goddesses, and other monsters who rule Olympus is included.-Linda L. Plevak, Alamo Area Library System, San Antonio, TX Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Gr. 4^-6. Once again the Time Warp Trio goes by the book and winds up face to snout with Cerberus. As the three-headed dog snarls at them, narrator Joe explains their arrival in Hades. They had planned to return "The Book" right after their school "Greek Mythology Musical," but once again the green mist transports them "farther and stranger than we'd gone before." On Mount Olympus, the trio trades snappy one-liners and insults with the gods, and confront such legendary monsters as Typhoon and the Chimera. The resolution comes quickly and conveniently, with the boys awaiting their next adventure. For some kids, this will be a stretch, but the usual smart-guy humor will draw them in. A list of gods and monsters is appended for quick referral, with such explanations as "Aphrodite: Goddess of love and beauty, and she knows it." Scieszka and Lane Smith, who has illustrated all the books in the series, have devised a nifty formula, and they deserve credit for leading kids "farther and stranger" than they would ordinarily go. --Linda Perkins From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.