She Speaks: The Girls of Greek Myths in Their Own Words

Ages 8 to 12, Grades 3 to 7

Written by “the new Mary Beard,” classicist Honor Cargill-Martin flips the script in this enchanting anthology of eight Greek myths where women take center stage

In She Speaks, passionate classicist Honor Cargill-Martin redresses this imbalance by retelling eight classic Greek myths, this time from an all-female perspective.

Written in first-person, we hear from the astute sorceress Medea and her pivotal role in the quest for the Golden Fleece; discover the contributions of Cretan princess Ariadne in the slaying of the Minotaur; witness the strength and resilience of Atalanta, Circe, Helen of Troy, and many other women who have been previously overshadowed by their male counterparts.

With her meticulous research and insightful storytelling, readers will be mesmerized as Honor resurrects these voices, breathes new life into well-loved stories, and drags the Classics into the modern world.

Stories include:

PANDORA’S STORY: The first woman on Earth who opened a box—and gave the world hope

MEDUSA’S STORY: Not a monster, but a “monstered” woman accepting herself

MEDEA’S STORY: The astute sorceress’s quest for the Golden Fleece

ATALANTA’S STORY: The strongest women in all of Greece who defied the expectations of her time

ARIADNE’S STORY: The Cretan princess who slayed the Minotaur

HELEN’S STORY: The queen of Sparta who reclaims her beauty—and her throne!

PENTHESILEA’S STORY: The Amazonian warrior who never left a woman behind on the battlefield

CIRCE’S STORY: The mighty sorceress who turned human beings into animals

This enchanting anthology for children ages 8+ features:

• Eight classic Greek myths, specially retold for young feminists

• Insightful storytelling from ‘the new Mary Beard’, classicist Honor Cargill-Martin

• Striking illustrations by Camelia Pham

• Stunning holographic foil on the cover

About the Author

Honor Cargill-Martin is a twenty-four-year-old writer, classicist and art historian from London. Honor read Classical Archaeology and Ancient History at Oxford, where she won a scholarship before graduating with a first-class degree in 2019. She remained at Oxford to study for a masters degree in Greek and Roman History, graduating with a Distinction. She is currently studying for a doctorate focusing on political sex scandals in Ancient Rome at Christ Church College Oxford. Honor has published a number of fiction titles for children and teenagers, and her first adult non-fiction book Messalina: A Story of Empire, Slander and Adultery published in May 2023. 

Camelia Pham is a Vietnamese illustrator and art director based in Hanoi. After discovering a love of conceptual, storytelling illustration, she now finds herself illustrating full-time on a variety of projects from editorial features to advertising campaigns and narrative projects. Her art style utilizes strong colors, bold geometry, and kaleidoscopic textures to create a portfolio of work that is both complex in textures and thoughtful in concepts.