I am proud to announce that I have launched a new book series that will take the place of the Trickle Down, Olympus series. Trickle Down, Olympus
was the first collection of my Reader’s Theater plays I ever published
and has sold many copies since 2008. It contained 25 scripts adapted
from Greco-Roman myths, Arthurian legends, and Norse myths. It has been
priced at $29.95, which is kind of pricey for a book of plays. Since
the publication of the first book, I have written many other plays, some
of which resulted in the second book in the Trickle Down Olympus series (TDO: More Greek Myths), which I published roughly a year ago.
Since the Trickle Down, Olympus series began I have had several regrets.
- First, I wish I divided the plays into smaller, affordable books, so
those who only wanted a few plays wouldn’t have to buy a large,
somewhat expensive book.
- I also have realized that the title of the series has certain political connotations that I did not intend.
- I have become increasingly dissatisfied with the publisher Lulu,
which is a vanity press that is excellent for those authors who only
want a few copies of their, but for authors who sell more in bulk, their
services are limited.
- Many teachers have requested lesson plans, discussion questions, etc. to go along with the plays and the Trickle Down, Olympus series did not provide these.
- Since the first publication of the plays, I have drastically revised them.
- Since the first publication of the plays, I have written many more plays that I would like to make available for purchase.
For these reasons the series is being revamped into the Reaching Olympus series, published through Lightning Source. The first book (Reaching Olympus: The Greek Myths Volume I) is available for purchase through Amazon. (It is also available for download in the MythologyTeacher.com store.) Here are some improvements that will appear in the Reaching Olympus series:
- The plays have been revised and updated based on student and teacher feedback
- Each play has an individual teacher guide with includes a background
information section, plot synopsis, anticipatory questions, discussion
questions, essential questions for examining the “big ideas” behind each
myth, connections to art, literature, and film, and instructions for
teaching commonly-tested language arts terms using examples from the
play
- An updated glossary of important characters to help teachers remember who’s who
- An updated pronunciation guide
- A find-it puzzle (similar to the Trojan War Find-It puzzle on this site)
- Related bonus myths, activities, and games to go with the myths
Reaching Olympus: The Greek Myths Vol. I is the first in
the series. It includes the following myth-plays: Perseus, Atalanta,
Jason and the Argonauts (Parts I and II), Orpheus and Eurydice,
Narcissus and Echo, Daedalus and Echo, Oedipus Rex, and the Inventor’s
Apprentice. Supplemental materials include an ancient Greece
temple-building game, an Underworld (Where’s Waldo?-style) Find-it
Puzzle, the Ballad of Bellerophon (a bonus myth), a glossary of
important characters, and a name pronunciation guide.
The other installments will be forthcoming:
-
Reaching Olympus: The Greek Myths Vol. II, The Iliad and the Odyssey (a collection of nine plays, which re-tell the events preceding and following the Trojan War)
- Reaching Olympus: The Greek Myths Vol. III (Other myths such as King Midas, Eros and Psyche, Demeter and Persephone)
- Reaching Olympus: The Roman Myths, including the Aeneid
- Reaching Olympus: The Legends of King Arthur (a revamped series of plays based on Le Morte D’Arthur)
- Reaching Olympus: The Myths of the Norsemen (a revamped series of plays from Norse mythology)
- A possible volume featuring stories from the Arabian Nights
These volumes will be released gradually as I find time to complete
them. Meanwhile, if you are interested in purchasing the old Trickle Down, Olympus series (especially if you don’t want to wait for these new volumes), there a few copies still available for a limited time in the store.
Thank you for your support!
Z. Hamby
