Oh. My. Gods. by Tera Lynn Childs

The summer between junior and senior year, Phoebe's life was right on track. She ran her heart out at cross-country summer camp, where the past seven winners of the final race went on to receive full scholarships to USC, her dream school. After crossing the finish line, she accepts her coach's compliments, hugs her best friends, and is surprised to see her mother standing there. Her mom has come home early from a family reunion in Greece to drop a bombshell: she's engaged, she's getting remarried in a matter of weeks, and they're moving to a place called Serfopoula.

Before she knows it, she's in Greece, where everything is new - a new country, a new home with a new stepfather named Damian and a new stepsister named Stella, a new school called the Academy - and everything is foreign. Then Phoebe is told that Greek gods really exist, and her classmates are their superpowered offspring. Damian, also a descendant of the gods, works at Academy and tries to look out for Phoebe. Being a mere mortal means that she has to work twice as hard to compete with the others in terms of athletics and academics, but Phoebe proves that she's to the challenge.

Oh. My. Gods. will be appreciated by mythology aficionados as well as athletes. Set in contemporary times, this fun fantasy is also a realistic drama. The classic fish-out-of-water story is accented by the supernatural twists, rather than being upstaged by them. Phoebe's acceptance of her new family and new situation comes gradually, as does the revelation of what happened to her father six years earlier. Considerate and daring, Phoebe is a strong young woman, both in body and spirit.

Tera Lynn Childs is currently working on the sequel, which is tentatively titled Goddess Bootcamp. I can't wait to read it.

Read my interview with author Tera Lynn Childs.

Consult my It's All Greek to Me booklist.