I was looking for a fun and enjoyable fiction book featuring the ancient Greeks and I think I’ve found it. This is a lovely sequel to the first and I think children will enjoy it,

This was just as good as Hercules . I would love for my kids to learn about myths and legends in this fashion. I think it is a great way to connect current day kids with these ideas about the myths and legends of days gone by.

I’m really enjoying this series. It is a quick, lite version of Greek mythology. The characters stumble through this story with smarts and heart. I can’t wait for the next installment.

Hera’s Terrible Trap follows on immediately after Here Comes Hercules! Which is perhaps a good thing as it keeps the momentum going and you don't have to start wondering what heroes get up to when they're not on adventures.
 
To cut a long story short, the mysterious vase from Book One has through part enigmatic means and Hermes trying to steal it, transported Tim to ancient Greece.
 
Tim keeps his cool and fortuitously his wits about him as he goes on another journey with Hopeless Heroes.
This time however, Hercules takes a backseat in this adventure and it's his daughter Zoe, with the help of a self-involved Theseus that helps Tim to outsmart Hera and retrieve the magic vase.
 
This is another enjoyable tale with such fun personalities, each with attributes that help and sometimes hinder in the quest: Theseus is vain and self-absorbed, Zoe intrepid and resourceful, Perseus skillful and knowledgeable despite his retirement.
 
We and Tim come to the realisation that heroes are not all their cracked up to be, sometimes their reputations don't accurately represent who they really are and when push comes to shove, you've got to try yourself.
 
If you've ever wondered what Medusa's (the Gorgon's) sister was like, are interested in how to successfully escape a maze and would like to know how to best peacocks then this is the book for you.
 
My thanks to Netgalley and Sweet Cherry Publishing for a copy of the book in exchange for a candid review.

 
3 Stars - Liked it

Tim Baker thinks his adventures are over until he hitches a ride to Ancient Greece on a stolen vase. Soon Tim finds himself trapped with an army of peacocks and a hero who can’t stop admiring himself.
Put that mirror down, Theseus!

Thank the gods his new friend Zoe is there to help. Just don’t tell her dad…

Thank you to Sweet Cherry Publishing and NetGalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Anything Greek Mythology and you have my attention. This is the 2nd book of the "Hopeless Heroes Series"- Hera’s Terrible Trap. In the first book Tim Baker meets Hercules when he breaks his mother’s antique Greek Vase, which breaks a curse that Hera had Hercules trapped in.

Fast forward, the the 2nd book. After repairing the vase, Tim is guarding it as best he can, but Hermès still manages to come and steal it but Tim jumps to stop him, all the while pulling him up with him back to Ancient Greece. Tim is introduced to Hera, who he makes an escape from, while running, bumps into Hercules. He becomes friends with his daughter Zoe and together they are off to recover the vase if they can, going through a series of events, from being trapped in a maze with Theseus, to hiding in a cave to stay clear of Medusa the famous Gorgon. Head full of snakes, if you look at her you turn to stone, and hopefully find a way for him to get back home. As you read more into the story, we are introduced to more famous Mythological Characters.

I highly recommend this to the younger readers, it was a lot of fun, and I'm definitely excited to read the rest of the Series.

I enjoyed this book, I don't think I could ever tire of mythology featured in children's books. Sometimes they like to over-explain it, but I realize that I'm not the intended audience.

As a Greek mythology fan and as a person who works with kids, this was an amazing find! I can't wait to use it in the classroom, sharing the adventures of Tim Baker is sure going to be fun.

I'll be sure to keep the other Hopeless Heroes books in mind!

This is the second book in the “Hopeless Heroes” series. I would recommend you read the first book “Here Comes Hercules”, which is fun and will really help you get into the series.

I loved the first book in this series and “Hera’s Terrible Trap” picks up the story right where we left it. Hera and Hermes had recently visited Tim Baker‘s house to steal his Greek vase. They disappeared, but Hermes later returns. As Hermes steals the vase and returns to ancient Greece, Tim Baker is somehow swept along. There he escapes Hara and runs into Hercules and his family. He becomes fast friends with Hercules’ daughter Zoe and the two are punished by Hera and sent on an adventure. They work together to fight mythical creatures and Tim Baker find out how to return home.

This book was a lot of fun, filled with lots of Greek mythology, adventure, and friendships. This is a great addition to the series and I would recommend to children grades 2 and up.

Special thanks to Netgalley for my complementary copy and return for my honest review.

We loved it, good story that's not too quickly or easily solved but also not boring for the kids. Will definitely be reading the rest of this series!

Thanks to the publisher for the release of this through NetGalley for review.

This was a very cute middle grade. I think kids would love the stories these books have. They are great teachings also. I highly suggest that parents even read these to their younger children.

I was excited to read the second book in the Hopeless Heroes series, Hera’s Terrible Trap. In the first book Tim meets Hercules when he breaks his mother’s antique Greek Vase, which breaks a curse that had Hercules trapped.
After repairing the vase, Tim is guarding it as best he can, but Hermès still manages to steal it and pulls Tim with it back to Ancient Greece. Tim makes friends with Hercules’ daughter Zoe and together they are off to recover the vase if they can, and hopefully find a way for Tim to get back home.
Along the way they encounter many mythological characters, Stheno, Perseus and Theseus.
This book is just as fun as the first one! I highly recommend it for young readers! Thank you to Sweet Cherry Publishing and NetGalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
This will be featured on my blog on Sunday February 10, 2019.
colecampfireblog.com

This is fast becoming my fave kids series. I love this second instalment in the Hopeless Heroes series as much as I loved the first one. I love the humorous tongue in cheek approach to the gods and the adventure aspects of the story.

Tim and Hercules are back, but were introduced some other gods. I love that the gods stay true to mythology but also have a cool spin on their personalities.

This was a super engaging read and I cannot wait for the next one in the series.

What a grand, fun, and simply illustrated introduction to Greek mythology. Having gone to school in an era where the classics and the mythology around them were shoved aside, I enjoy seeing them brought back in such a delightful way for kids that gently teaches readers the mythology by using a twist of sci-fi time travel and a moral or two snuck in here and there.

Can't wait to catch up on and read the rest of the series.

This was just as good as the first book in the series. This is a wonderful introduction to Greek mythology for young readers. My daughter loved it.

This is a fun little book about Tim Baker, who has gotten himself into yet another pickle. Tim time-travels to Ancient Greece and is reunited with his old friend Hercules, but he also makes some new friends - Zoe and Theseus. In a nutshell, it's a short adventure story with a satisfying ending, but also a promise of a sequel.

The general rule for reading children stories is not to look too hard into them. However, the point with Zoe not acknowledging Theseus' utter incompetence, and persisting to admire him for his looks is hardly a point one can overlook.

Also, in line with my last year's review of Guinevere: At the Dawn of Legend, this one will contain an angry remark about historical, and even mythological inaccuracy:

*insert angry remark about how there were no sunflowers in Ancient Greece*
*insert angry remark about how Hercules is a Roman hero, whereas his Greek counterpart is called Heracles; a misconception we largely have Disney to thank for*

About: Hera’s Terrible Trap! is a children’s book written by Stella Tarakson and illustrated by Nick Roberts. It was published on 2/22/18 by Sweet Cherry Publishing, 208 pages. The genres are children’s book, mythology, and fiction. This book is intended for readers ages 6 and up. There are 2 books to this series so far: book 1 is called Here Comes Hercules! and book 2 is called Hera’s Terrible Trap!.

My Experience: I started reading Hera’s Terrible Trap as a bedtime story for my 6 years old son on 5/4/18 and we finished it on 5/16/18. My son enjoys Tim Baker’s adventures a lot. He likes that this time Tim stands up to defend himself against the bully, Leo. We both enjoy the humor Thesus provides. He likes to boast about his heroism and his good looks. My son memorizes Theseus’ line by the end of the book, “Hey, we may be trapped, but at least my good looks can cheer us all up.” I like that line too. I like the time travel portion. I like the peacocks.

This book is told in the third person point of view following Timothy (Tim) Baker as he continues to protect the broken ancient vase. A few days ago, (book 1) Tim caught the goddess Hera and her servant Hermes’ attempted to steal the vase. Tim overheard that Hera wanted to bring the vase back to Greece to trap Hercules in it again. These days Tim doesn’t leave the vase out of his sight much. Once again, he removes the cloth covering the vase to check if it’s still there, but Hermes appear out of nowhere and grab onto it. Tim grabs onto the vase to prevent Hermes from stealing but finds himself “swirling through the air at a great speed.” Tim ended up in ancient Greece, at the hometown of Hercules and Hera. Hera then take possession of the vase and Tim barely escapes her wrath. On his run away from Hera, Tim bumps into Hercules and got to meet his family. Zoe, Hercules’ daughter wants to steal the vase back before Hera use it to trap her dad again. Zoe and Tim then sneaks into Hera’s castle’s antechamber to look for the vase but was caught by Hera and without warning, they were sent to a labyrinth. Somewhere along, a hero, the Minotaur Slayer, Theseus came to their rescue. Then they run into Stheno, Medusa’s sister, a monster with snakes on her head with the power to turn whoever looking at her into stone. Tim and Zoe are trapped!

This book is very well written and entertaining to read. A great book for introducing kids Greek mythology, heroes, and Ancient Greece. I like how Theseus seems to be hopeless at rescuing the kids because he couldn’t stop admiring himself and seems to lack the abilities to think up strategies, but then surprise readers in the end. I like the hopeless heroes because they are less intimidating and are fun to be around. I like that Tim is smart to think up strategies. I like reading the adventures with the snake hair monster. This book’s hero is Theseus, but my son likes that Hercules and the bully Leo are brought back, especially Leo because it teaches him to deal with bullies. This story is an excellent read and I highly recommend everyone to read the series.

Pro: fast paced, page turner, time travel, ancient Greece, mythology, humor, actions & adventures

(Side Note: I actually learned from this book that the publishers called Minotaur and Pegasus have both taken their name from Greek mythology! haha.. Definitely read more to learn more, and don’t need to read a non-fiction book to learn new knowledge haha..)

Con: none

I rate it 5 stars!

***Disclaimer: Many thanks to the author Stella Tarakson, publisher Sweet Cherry Publishing, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review. Please be assured that my opinions are honest.

xoxo,
Jasmine at www.howusefulitis.wordpress.com for more details

This is a great story for the lower end of MG readers. This is the second book starring young Tim Baker, who has accidentally released Hercules from imprisonment in a vase, thus earning the anger of the goddess Hera. This tale follows Tim as he finds himself on Olympus and with a lot of help from Zoe (Hercules' daughter) attempts to retrieve the jar, which he needs to return home. A brilliant look at Greek Myths and a truly funny read for younger readers.

Hopeless Heroes is a great little story with full of adventure and humour. Think Who Let the Gods out for younger readers.

We first met Tim Baker when he accidentally broke an antique Greek vase while dusting to help his mother, who struggled to work two jobs to support herself and her son, in Here Comes Hercules!, the first book in the Hopeless Heroes series.

Hercules had been trapped inside the vase by his evil stepmother Hera, and upon his release Hercules decides to ‘help’ Tim complete his chores. Hercules’ brand of help tends to end in disaster and ruins the garden in the process.

With Hercules safely returned to Ancient Greece, Hera’s Terrible Trap! begins at the outdoor garden centre with Tim and his mother shopping for plants to replace those Hercules destroyed while ‘helping’ in the first book.

Tim has taken it upon himself to protect the newly mended vase. Evil Hera and her servant Hermes have already attempted to steal the vase to recapture Hercules so Tim is on guard. Despite Tim’s best efforts Hermes manages to steal the vase, along with a stowaway. Tim grabbed hold of the vase as Hermes made his escape and is now stuck in Ancient Greece.

In this book Tim reunites with Hercules and meets his wife Agatha and daughter Zoe. Against overprotective Dad’s wishes Zoe decides to steal the vase from Hera so she can’t use it to recapture Hercules. Unable to talk this determined little miss out of her plan Tim follows Zoe and the kids wind up on an adventure.

Together they come across other mythological figures including vain Theseus (who Zoe, despite how smart she is, hero worships), one of Medusa’s sisters Stheno and Zoe’s Grandpa Perseus. Along the way they encounter a labyrinth, weaponised fruit and guard peacocks! Yet even if they make it out of their adventure alive Tim has no idea if he will ever find a way to return home to present day England, where his Mum is no doubt frantic that her son is missing.

In this book we get a glimpse at one of Leo the bully’s family members and it becomes clearer why Leo is a bully in the first place, which I liked and look forward to getting to know him better in future books. I wasn’t, however, a fan of Tim getting back at Leo for tripping him by then tripping Leo. During this scene I heard my dreaded adult voice chiding Tim for his actions. Thankfully my adult voice shut up for the rest of the book.

Whereas the first book obviously needed more time to set up of the story and mythology, there was more action and adventure in the sequel. I did find the first book funnier although that’s probably more a reflection of how much fun I found Hercules’ bumbling attempts to help Tim to be. I thought that Zoe, being a strong and independent girl, would have been somewhat immune to Theseus’ alleged charms. It turns out that even smart girls can become groupies to doofus types.

Overall I enjoyed the sequel more than the first book and plan to continue reading this series. If you haven’t read the first book you could get away with starting the series with this one as it begins with a recap of the first, but to get the most out of it I’d recommend you read them in order.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Sweet Cherry Publishing for the opportunity to read this book. I’ll be looking out for Tim’s next adventure in Arachne’s Golden Gloves!