The Thrifty Guide to Ancient Greece: A Handbook for Time Travelers

by Jonathan W. Stokes, Xavier Bonet (Illustrator)

Overview

The only guidebook you need for your next time travel vacation!

The Thrifty Guide to the Ancient Greece: A Handbook for Time Travelers is a snappy, informative travel guide containing information vital to the sensible time traveler:

  *  How can I find a decent tunic that won't break my bank account?
  *  Where can I score cheap theater tickets in ancient Athens?
  *  What do I do if I'm being attacked by an army of one million Persians?

This two-color book is filled with humorous maps, reviews of places to stay and top attractions (Don't miss the first-ever Olympics!), and tips on who to have lunch with (Alexander the Great and his horse, Bucephalus, naturally). If you had a time travel machine and could take a vacation anywhere in history, this is the only guidebook you would need.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781101998151
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	09/11/2018
Series:	The Thrifty Guides , #3
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	144
File size:	35 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Jonathan Stokes (www.jonathanwstokes.com) is a former teacher who is now a rising star as a Hollywood screenwriter. He has written screenplays on assignment for Warner Brothers, Universal, Fox, Paramount, New Line, and Sony/Columbia. Inspired by a childhood love of The Goonies and Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Jonathan wrote his first novel, Addison Cooke and the Treasure of the Incas, published by Philomel in 2016. Born in Manhattan, he currently resides in Los Angeles, where he can be found showing off his incredible taste in dishware and impressive 96% accuracy with high fives.

Xavier Bonet is an illustrator and comic book artist who lives in Barcelona with his wife and two children. He has illustrated a number of middle grade books including Omnia, by Laura Gallego; Michael Dahl's Really Scary Stories series; and the Keepers trilogy, by Lian Tanner. He loves all things retro, video games, and Japanese food, but above all, spending time with his family. Visit him at www.xavierbonet.net/ and follow him on Twitter or Instagram @xbonetp.

Read an Excerpt

Congratulations, you’ve made it to ancient Greece! Any nausea you feel from the time travel will soon wear off, and you won’t feel like throwing up again until your time travel bill arrives.

At first glance, you may not think ancient Greece is much to look at, what with the dirt roads, dusty hills, and complete lack of chain stores. So, what’s so great about it?

Oh, nothing, really. Only that ancient Greece is the birthplace of everything.

The Greeks are pioneers in painting and sculpture. They invent the musical scale. They lay the foundation for the world’s architecture. They even invent theater. Think about that! Before the Greeks, there is no such thing as a comedy or a tragedy.

The Greeks invent democracy, our system of government. They also create the world’s first trial by jury.

Hippocrates is the founder of modern medicine—he’s the first doctor to treat disease using a scientific method. Herodotus is the world’s first historian. Eratosthenes invents geography. Aristotle figures out that the earth is a round globe. He is also the world’s first zoologist, classifying animals into species. Theophrastus is the first botanist in written history. What do these people have in common? They are all Greek.

The Greeks are the first people to discover that the earth revolves around the sun. The Greeks invent everything from the water wheel to the odometer. For better or worse, we have Greeks to thank for geometry and alarm clocks. Greeks even invent the alphabet that your eyeballs are using to read this sentence.

So, what’s so great about ancient Greece? Only everything. Also, you already asked this question. You may be stuck in a time loop. If so, refer to page 10: “What to Do If Your Time Machine Is Stuck in a Time Loop.”

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Basics of Time Travel
One: Welcome to Athens
Two: Welcome to Sparta
Three: The Battle of Thermopylae
Four: The Battle of Salamis
Five: The Golden Age of Greece
Six: Alexander the Great
Seven: Greek Conquest
Eight: The Fall of the Greek Empire

Editorial Reviews

10/29/2018
This addition to the Thrifty Guide series takes readers on a time-traveling journey to ancient Greece, as narrated by the snarky “Time Corp CEO and Corporate Overlord” Finn Greenquill. Readers are welcomed to Athens and Sparta and informed about historical events and figures, including the Battles of Thermopylae and Salamis, Alexander the Great, and Greece’s golden age. Along the way, Stokes introduces Greek gods and provides historical fashion tips and other “Helpful Hints” on topics (“The only people who get to go to school are rich boys”). Bonet contributes light, good-humored visuals. Underlying the book’s tongue-in-cheek tone are insights into Greek history and mythology. Ages 8–12. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for The Thrifty Guide to Ancient Greece:

"this history book [is] anything but dry" —Booklist



Praise for the Thrifty Guides series:

"These books are educational and entertaining as all get out!"—BN.com Kids Blog

"Stokes’s practice as a screenwriter is evident; readers will feel like they’re in a blockbuster film. A high interest video game-like exploration of the American Revolution."—School Library Journal

"An entertaining introduction to America's War for Independence conveyed with enough kid-friendly humor that it may make those who dismiss history as a bore reconsider."—Kirkus Reviews

"Easy to read, will engage reluctant readers of history, and spur discussions."—School Library Connection

"A very funny tour of Rome’s bloody and tumultuous past."—Publishers Weekly

"An entertaining introduction to ancient Rome with kid-friendly humor that may make those convinced that history is boring reconsider."—Kirkus Reviews

"A unique presentation that’s written casually and feels more approachable than a litany of facts. Fans of the 'You Wouldn’t Want to Be a…' series looking for something just a tad more sophisticated will find a lot to love."—School Library Journal

From the Publisher