Books in Young Heroes series

A wild girlwith a mysterious pastWhen her adopted father is slain by a strange beast, Atalanta is determined to take care of herself. She is happy in the forest with only her friend Urso -- a giant bear -- for company. She wants nothing to do with the world of men.But the ferocious creature that killed her father is still out there, and Atalanta can't resist the opportunity to hunt it down, even if that means she has to join forces with a group of hunters to do so. Atalanta must prove that she is as strong and brave as any of the others, as they search together for the deadly Arcadian Beast.

Penelope screamed back as a serpent launched out of a side passage and aimed for her throat. Odysseus knocked Penelope down, and Silenus fell on top of her. Then Odysseus slammed the snake to the floor with the flat of his blade."Run! Run!" Odysseus cried.One by one they leaped over the stunned serpent and ran down the shadow-filled hall. Behind them came the furios hissing of serpents."They're everywhere!" Penelope cried. "Everywhere!"Odysseus knew, with darkening certainty, that she was right.

Hippolyta is a true amazon.Proud and brave, she lives for the thrill of the hunt and for the friendship of her fellow female warriors. Then, because her mother demands it and in defiance of the laws of her people, she must take her newborn brother to his father in Troy, where she finds herself in terrible danger.To save her people, Hippolyta must defy the gods -- and even accept the help of a boy -- and learn what it really means to be an Amazon: finding the courage to change her world.

Atalanta's life has always been filled with danger, adventure, and mystery. Abandoned as a baby, she was raised in the woods by bears until she was four years old. Atalanta has never had -- or wanted -- a place in society. The woods, her animal friends, and her life outdoors are the things she prizes. Then disaster strikes when a vicious creature unlike any other terrorizes the Arcadian countryside and destroys everything Atalanta holds dear. Her desire for revenge drives her out of the woods and on the beast's trail with the king's hunting party. Led by the arrogant hunter Orion, the expedition puts all of Atalanta's skills to the test. But assisted by her bear "brother" Urso, Atalanta proves she is as good a hunter as any man. She is not prepared, however, for the startling truths she will discover about justice, mercy, and her own destiny. This third entry in the Young Heroes series by Jane Yolen and Robert J. Harris is an adventure story from beginning to end, portraying the dramatic events that transform a girl into a legend, and a huntress into a hero.