If you’re into Greek mythology, you probably know Hermes as the messenger god, right? Well, in this book, Hannah Messenger is actually the granddaughter of Hermes himself. Yep, that’s right — eleven years old and carrying some serious divine blood. Instantly, I was hooked. Because let’s be real, most stories with Greek gods tend to focus on the big guys like Poseidon (hello, Percy Jackson), Zeus, or Hades. But Hannah Messenger and the Gods of Hockwold? It puts a fresh spin on everything, and I think a lot of kids are gonna love it.
Imagine this: a hidden little spot where the Greek gods are just kicking back, living chill, retirement-style lives. They’re doing everyday stuff — looking after their clan, that kind of thing — completely under the radar, with the outside world none the wiser about who they really are. Why? Because a magic force field shields their neighborhood, keeping mortals in the dark unless you’re somehow related to a god. It’s a pretty genius setup.
Now, things get wild when key power objects from each god disappear — right after that protective shield drops. Some gods start forgetting who they are, turning even more human, which makes things even more chaotic. Enter the demigod heroes: descendants of these Olympian gods who are on a mission to fix everything and get things back to normal. First up? They’ve gotta find the thief. How? By daring to parade around with one of the only remaining divine artifacts, tempting the thief to go for it. Clever, huh?
Things quickly turn adventurous — they even have to venture into Tartarus to track down Hermes himself, who’s been locked up for a while. Why? Well, let’s just say Hermes got into trouble with Zeus for pulling too many pranks. It’s a wild ride full of mischief, mystery, and a whole lot of Greek god fun.
Here’s what the back cover of Hannah Messenger and the Gods of Hockwold by Bryony Pearce says about the story.
Hannah Messenger and the Gods of Hockwold: Review
I really enjoyed Hannah Messenger and the Gods of Hockwold — but I’ll be real with you, that was mostly until about halfway through. The setup for catching the thief? Totally clever, like yeah, kids are gonna love that. And I was into how the group of demigods went all the way into Tartarus to visit Hermes — that was a highlight for sure. However, a little more challenge might’ve made things even more epic, but it was still pretty fun.
Now, here’s where things started to shift for me. Around the halfway point, the story began to lose a bit of my attention. First half? I was thinking I’d give it an 8.5 out of 10 — super cool story, really fun. But by the end, some parts felt kinda flat, even though there were a few moments I really enjoyed in the final chapters. Overall, I have to say the first half was way stronger. So, I’m settling on a solid 7.5 out of 10 for my review.
It’s well put together, but I did find it a little tricky to keep track of all the characters. More character details to inspire the imagination with standout personalities would’ve made things easier. That said, I still think this is a super fun read for kids — totally worth checking out. Plus, there are some real gems of wisdom in there, especially Zeus breaking down how the Olympian gods actually work. You’ve gotta read that part — so smart, I’d never thought of it like that before.
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Another book that might catch kids’ interest is The Throne of Zeus: A Choose Your Own Adventure Book. It’s an older one, but still totally worth checking out! If you’re after more Greek mythology books for kids, there are plenty of great options here too.
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