Joan Holub has written many beginning chapter book series around Greek mythology. This new series, part of Aladdin's Quix line of transitional chapter books, features various monsters and creatures from Greek and adjacent mythology.
Pegasus is excited but nervous about going to the School for Magical Monsters, where for the first time he won't be the only Creature. But when he arrives, he discovers that Beasts attend the school too! The Creatures and Beasts have separate living areas, but they join up during the day for school. Their first assignment is to try and find a solution for the dying flowers in the meadow and Pegasus is pleased to be paired with Sphinx but very nervous about the Beasts in his group, Chimera and Geryon.
However, eventually all the creatures learn to work together and even become friends, dispelling some of the stereotypes about each other in a fun party. Pegasus gets his magic power (wings) and has lots of new friends as well.
A few black and white pictures are spread throughout the book; it begins with a list of characters and ends with a glossary, questions, and an author's note. Quix books are under 100 pages and the lexile of this particular series ranges between 500-600. I've put some of the Quix books in transitional chapters, instead of beginning chapters, but this one is definitely a beginning chapter - it has limited artwork and all the proper names of the different creatures make the vocabulary more challenging.
Verdict: If you have fans of Holub's other series and interest in Greek mythology, this is a nice addition to the easiest range of beginning chapter books.
ISBN: 9781665917711; Hardcover on Baker & Taylor for $10.07
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