Most Popular Books by Joan Holub

Pandora is quite an inquisitive Goddess Girl—but she could stand to be more cautious. Pandora is one of the few mortals at Mount Olympus Academy—and probably the most curious of all the students in school. Her quizzical nature is famous—not that she thinks there is anything wrong with being curious, of course! When a godboy named Epimetheus brings a mysterious and fantastical box to school, Pandora’s curiosity is piqued. And when it unexpectedly lands in her lap—literally—she can’t help but take a look at what’s inside. What could be the harm in that? But little does she know that opening the box will open up more trouble than she thought….

In Athena the Brain, Athena always knew she was smart and special, but she didn’t realize that she was a goddess! When she’s whisked away to Mount Olympus Academy, she worries about fitting in and dealing with her dad (Zeus). Luckily, she meets the Goddess Girls and finds the best friends she’s ever had.

Meet the treacherous Alpheus in this twenty-eighth Goddess Girls adventure! After the sneaky river god Alpheus takes a precious cup from a river nymph, it’s up to Artemis to get it back! When Alpheus challenges Artemis to a surprisingly easy bet, with the winner getting the cup, Artemis thinks it’s too good to be true—and realizes Alpheus will stop at nothing to win. Can Artemis be a hero to her friends?

Iris has a rainbow of colorful experiences, from visiting the Underworld to conversing with her crush in this Goddess Girls adventure. Iris is the most colorful goddess girl at Mount Olympus Academy. In fact, her hair and delicate wings can change color according to her mood! When Principal Zeus entrusts her with the job of fetching some magic water, Iris is tickled pink—until she realizes she’ll have to get the water from the gray, gloomy River Styx in the Underworld! And when Iris figures out how to create magical rainbow slides that will allow her to travel from Mount Olympus to Earth and back in a flash, she suddenly becomes a messenger in high demand. All the while, Iris wonders whether her crush, Zephyrus, has caught wind of her infatuation, or if he’s into her BFF instead. Either way, Iris is determined she won’t go green with envy!

It''s time for the Olympic Games at Mount Olympus Academy and Artemis is not happy that she can''t compete because the games are for boys only.

A new mergirl shows up at Mount Olympus Academy—and Poseidon just might be her perfect match in this seventeenth Goddess Girls adventure. Amphitrite is a mergirl with a big crush on Poseidon—but will his quirks make her fall out of like?

Dogs, including Vampoodle--a poodle with fangs--enjoy Halloween fun.

In order to fit in at Mount Olympus Academy, new girl and forest-mountain nymph Echo copies the mannerisms of all the other students, but instead of ingratiating herself to her classmates, it only seems to grate on them.

Medusa is the ultimate mean girl in this series that blends modern drama with ancient myths. Well researched and true to the original myths, each volume in the Goddess Girls series addresses contemporary issues, like friendships and relationships, from a classically accurate—and entertaining—perspective. In Medusa the Mean, Medusa is sick and tired of being the only mortal at Mount Olympus Academy. Not only is she surrounded by beautiful, powerful, immortal classmates, but she also has snakes for hair and a reputation for being mean. Immortality, she thinks, will solve everything. So when she finds out about a necklace that promises just that, she’s sure it will help her get the two things she covets most: to be as popular as the four Goddess Girls and to have her supercrush, Poseidon, finally notice her. But when the necklace brings about popularity in the totally wrong way, things go from bad to worse. Can Medusa overcome her “meanie” status and prove that there’s more to her that meets the eye?

A little red pencil embarks on a creative writing adventure in this delightfully illustrated children''s book with "style, humor, and solid writing advice" ( Publishers Weekly, starred review). At the Pencilvania School, all the young pencils are given a writing assignment. With a basket of nouns, Little Red embarks on the storytelling path, discovering the joys of creative writing. But when she gets tangled in a run-on sentence full of descriptive adjectives, she must escape a dangerous encounter with the pencil sharpener, Wolf 3000! Acclaimed writer Joan Holub and Caldecott Honoree Melissa Sweet team up in this hilarious and exuberant retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. "The artwork—which integrates written text in a variety of lettering styles—fills the pages with a riot of color, shape, movement and design... Every writers'' group should start with this story." ( Kirkus, starred review). A Kirkus Best Children''s Books of 2013

The Goddess Girls by put a modern spin on classic Greek myths. This title focuses on Athena, goddess of wisdom.

Meet Cassandra, the newest student at Mount Olympus Academy! She has an amazing talent—but will her new friends believe her? This Goddess Girls story is based on the myth of Cassandra, who has the gift of seeing the future—except no one believes her. Can Apollo, the god of prophecy, help his new crush?

Hestia feels unseen at Mount Olympus Academy in this eighteenth Goddess Girls adventure. Hestia, the sweet goddess of the hearth, loves to cook, but is too shy to share her passion with other students. Her famous yambrosia salad is a MOA favorite—but no one has any idea that was her recipe! When she has to pick a symbol that represents her highest self for a Service to Humankind contest, her classmates laugh at her first choice of an ordinary cooking pot. After initial embarrassment, Hestia becomes determined to break out of her shell and stop feeling so invisible around everyone at Mount Olympus Academy. With the help of Pheme, and a lizard-tailed boy named Asca, she begins to see that she has much to offer others. But will her quest not show her best self after all?

After a sea battle between the Olympians and the Titans, the Olympians find themselves shipwrecked on an island, and when Uranus'' stars falls into the ocean, a dangerous wave of bubbles heads towards the island.

A construction site crew is busy at work in this rhyming Step 1 story. As the work continues readers are in for a surprise--the "crew" is actually a group of young friends engaged in a fun day of dramatic play. Two sheets of vehicle-themed stickers are included. It''s a natural for young readers who love to build and are fans of vehicles that dig, scoop, and sometimes go ka-boom!

What makes the great white shark (one of) the greatest fish in the sea? FIN-d out in this hilarious fish-out-of-water story that''s perfect for Shark Week and all year-round! "Don''t miss this one." -School Library Journal, Starred Review Hi! I am Great White Shark, and if you get this book, you''ll read all about ME--the greatest shark in the sea! Not so fast! Greenland Shark here, and as the oldest shark in this book, that makes me the greatest. Did someone say fast? I''m Mako Shark, and I''m the fastest shark in this book! Eat my bubbles! Wow, I''m Hammerhead Shark. You don''t need my special eyes to see that there are lots of great sharks in this book. Sink your teeth into it now! New York Times bestselling author Joan Holub makes a splash with bestselling illustrator Laurie Keller to deliver an entertaining undersea story filled with the greatest shark facts in the ocean!

In this fairy tale retelling, Sleeping Beauty goes to boarding school and must find protection from an evil curse. Sleeping Beauty—who just goes by her middle name, Rose—has always been a daredevil. But according to her fairy tale, after her twelfth birthday Rose must avoid all sharp objects. That isn''t easy at Grimm Academy, where enchanted items can also be dangerous. Rose will have to stay wide awake to keep out of trouble-and to find her magic charm!

For an extra credit project, Aphrodite begins a club for matchmaking mortals, which brings her to Egypt and face-to-face with her competition, the Egyptian goddess Isis.

Despite being the muse of epic poetry, Calliope has trouble putting her bright and fun ideas into action.

From the authors of the Goddess Girls series comes the third book in a series steeped in Norse mythology, magic, adventure, and friendship. Twelve-year-old Idun is the goddess of youth, and her magical and deliciously sweet golden apples are what keep all of the academy’s gods and goddesses healthy and youthful. They grow year-round—even in winter snow—in one very special grove in Asgard. But when the mischievous Loki ends up making a bet that jeopardizes Idun—and her powerful apples—she must figure out a way to protect herself and her magical orchards from a giant who wants those apples all to himself! Can Idun save the apples—and the gods and goddesses who rely on them—from the two bad seeds at Asgard Academy?