Readaloud of the Week: The Winged Girl of Knossos
In brief: What if the lost civilization of Atlantis was really the ancient Minoan civilization on Crete? That’s the jumping off point for this book, in which an inventor’s daughter gets caught up in a recognizable-but-distinctly-different take on the story of the Minotaur and Daedalus. Tomboy Inas helps her father with his flying-machines and fights to save her father from King Minos’s wrath after Theseus escapes from the Minotaur’s labyrinth with the king’s daughter.
What makes it a great readaloud: Inas is a great heroine—spunky, smart, and talented. (In addition to helping with her dad’s inventions, she’s a skilled bull rider.) And the illustrations are based on actual artwork from ancient Crete.
But be aware: This book was published in the 1930s, when the standard happy ending for girls was getting married.
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Looking for a middle grades fantasy for your next homeschool readaloud? We review three of our newer faves: The Time of Green Magic, Amari and the Night Brothers, and The Language of Ghosts.