Especially Good Greek Myths

By R.A. Spratt

Reviewed by Helen Gearing

One of R.A. Spratt’s most beloved characters, Nanny Piggins (a fabulously beautiful, supremely athletic nanny who firmly trusts in the power of chocolate to heal any ailment troubling the children in her care), returns in a new collection of short stories for middle-grade readers.

Especially Good Greek Myths retells a compelling selection of myths with Spratt’s trademark ability to notice small details and celebrate the most incongruous, zany, odiferous, and often hilarious moments in stories which have inspired countless adaptations across millenia.

With the privilege of an unbroken oral history passed down countless generations of Piggins (going right back to the ancient story days), Nanny Piggins teaches her charges the true motives behind Theseus’ success with the minotaur (a misunderstood monster suffering a cruel, cake-free existence at the hands of its tyrant father), Hermes’ appointment as messenger to the gods (a dastardly tale of sibling pranks and infant labour), Medusa’s unexpectedly happy ending (despite being cursed with snakes for hair), and many other happenings within the mythic world.

R.A. Spratt’s latest novel is full of humour, snappy dialogue, exciting adventures, and relatable moments as the siblings listening to Nanny Piggins’ stories interject their own thoughts on the Greek heroes’ behaviour. Each story is accompanied by a ‘Fun Fact’ page, which opens new angles (through historical facts) for readers to consider as they draw their own conclusions about the stories and their ongoing relevance to modern culture.

Readers ten years and older who enjoy funny, fast paced stories with a historical or fantastical bent will joyfully devour Spratt’s latest offering. And for more Nanny Piggins stories, I thoroughly recommend R.A. Spratt’s excellent podcast, ‘Bedtime stories with R.A. Spratt’, where listeners can enjoy hearing Spratt narrate her own work.

Penguin 2025

R A Spratt