Myths Meet Mayhem (Ludicrous Legends #2) by Jol Temple, illustrated by David Conley

Title: Myths Meet Mayhem (Ludicrous Legends #2)

Author: Jol Temple, illustrated by David Conley

Genre: Fantasy

Publisher: HarperCollins Australia

Published: 28^th July 2026

Format: Paperback

Pages: 112

Price: $16.99

Synopsis: Ludicrous Legends is a hilarious junior-fiction series that reimagines myths in a fun way for early readers, 7 to 10 years old.

When his three-headed dog eats his homework, Hector has to get some help from his centaur bestie, Hylo. Together they’ve got the basics of Greek mythology covered: Icarus’s dad started an airline, Pandora needs a refund on that box she bought, and King Midas really should see a doctor about his embarrassing problem!

A ludicrous, light-hearted and very loose retelling of three classical legends.

~*~

Hylo and Hector are back with more ludicrous legends! Hector is trying to finish his mythology homework, with some unhelpful help from Hylo as she tells him about Icarus, Pandora and Midas. He needs to finish it before they head into school.

What’s he meant to do, especially after his three-headed dog eats his homework. And no, that excuse doesn’t really fly in Ancient Greece either. Settle in, kick back and grab your favourite beverage and learn some more about these famous myths.

I’ll bet you know all about Icarus and Dedalus, escaping from Crete on wings made from feathers and wax right? Which means, you know how it ends, with Icarus flying too close to the sun, and plummeting to his doom, which the books tells us right off. And then his dad goes and uses the wings they created to start an airline…right. Watches his kid fall into the sea after flying too close to the sun and says, hey, let’s show other people how to do this!

Or what about Pandora? We’ve all heard about her box, referenced in many things and in many ways from Notting Hill to this retelling where Pandora tries to return her purchase of all the nasties in the world to the store she bought it from, according to Hylo.

Let’s face it, Hylo’s retellings are always a little bit out there, which is half the fun of these stories because they keep the essence of the myth, give it a twist, and then give readers a breakdown of the real myth afterwards.

So don’t worry, you’ll have fun whilst learning!

Want more? Meet King Midas, who is at the doctor because he is turning everything into gold in Hylo’s version. So, if you ever meet Midas, be careful if he offers you his hand. Jol Temple has done it again, taken three Greek myths and put a fun spin on them, to engage children with myths and old stories that have shaped stories today and that are still referenced in many things.

It’s a fun introduction to myths for younger readers, but older readers may enjoy it too. It’s accessible, light reading filled with a bit of whimsy, and a touch of what the myths were really about. So come and learn more about these myths and get to know a bit more about Hylo and Hector.

A great follow up! And it’ll be interesting to see where this series goes next.