The Winged Sandals

Meeting an ancient God livens up Hector’s holiday. But when tragedy threatens, he must journey to the Underworld and prove himself a true hero.On holiday in Crete with his family, eleven-year-old Hector has a chance encounter with the ancient Greek god Hermes. Fed up of spending eternity on Mount Olympus, Hermes enjoys talking to mortals – except that, since nobody has believed in him for 2,000 years, very few even notice him. In Hector – happy to escape from his own distracted mum, his step-dad and his infuriating twin half-sisters – he finds an enthusiastic listener.Hermes introduces Hector to the world of Greek mythology, dishing the dirt on his dysfunctional Olympian family and bringing to life some of the best-known tales. But as myth and reality collide, Hector finds himself on a perilous quest to the realm of the dead - where he must make the hardest decision of his life.The Winged Sandals is an introduction to the magical, bizarre and ever-resonant world of Greek mythology, and an exciting adventure in its own right. It retells well-known myths in a fresh way, while also undercutting them with a 21st century humour.