ereks mom 461 Posted July 22, 2019 Report Share Posted July 22, 2019 (edited) I need modern, easy-to-read versions (or both in one) that give the basics of The Iliad and The Odyssey but for high schoolers who are upper elementary or middle school reading level. Don't throw rotten stuff at me, but I don't like the formal language of Church or Colum. And I do NOT want graphic novels. Is there something *slightly* easier than Rosemary Sutcliff's versions or Roger Lancelyn Green's versions? I've been researching like crazy, and I'd love some feedback on the following: The Iliad by Nick McCarty The Odyssey by Robin Lister The Iliad and The Odyssey by Gillian Cross (or Homer's Iliad and Odyssey by Gillian Cross... Is there a difference?) The Adventures of Achilles and The Adventures of Odysseus by Hugh Lupton The Trojan War by Bernard Evslin The Adventures of Ulysses by Bernard Evslin Thanks so much! Edited July 22, 2019 by ereks mom Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lori D. 26,869 Posted July 22, 2019 Report Share Posted July 22, 2019 (edited) Totally unfamiliar with all of those. But if you can do it as a read aloud, or as "buddy reading" ("you read a page, I read a page"), the Rosemary Sutcliff retellings (Black Ships Before Troy, and The Wanderings of Odysseus) are very nice, and the illustrations really help pull a weaker reader through the text. Just a thought! What about Geraldine Maccaughrean's The Odyssey? She also has a version of Gilgamesh The Hero, but, alas, no version of The Iliad. Edited July 23, 2019 by Lori D. 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Momto6inIN 7,677 Posted July 22, 2019 Report Share Posted July 22, 2019 My 5th grader was able to read Sutcliff's versions, if that helps. I think esp if you did them as read alouds as Lori D suggests then middle and high schoolers could follow the story well enough regardless of their reading level. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lori D. 26,869 Posted July 23, 2019 Report Share Posted July 23, 2019 Coming back after having taken a quick look at your list of possible versions. I think any of them would work fine, although the Bernard Evslin ones look more informative, less story-driven of any of them. And the Robin Lister one has the fewest illustrations. - The Iliad by Nick McCarty -- looks very similar in language/illustrations//layout to the Rosemary Sutcliff books - The Iliad and The Odyssey by Gillian Cross -- looks like the most simple in reading level, with the least amount of text per page - The Odyssey by Robin Lister -- looks most like a chapter book story - The Trojan War / The Adventures of Ulysses by Bernard Evslin -- looks the most informative of Ancient Greece culture/times (factual explanations within the story) - Geraldine Maccaughrean's Odyssey -- looks similar in writing level and style, and in layout/fewer illustrations as the Robin Lister version 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
melmichigan 3,728 Posted July 25, 2019 Report Share Posted July 25, 2019 Mary Pope Osborne Tales from the Odyssey books 1 and 2 might meet your requirements. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ScoutTN 24,204 Posted July 29, 2019 Report Share Posted July 29, 2019 We like Padraic Colum's The Children's Homer. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ereks mom 461 Posted July 31, 2019 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2019 Thanks, all! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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