Tim doesn’t have it easy, after his dad died he was known as Cinderella as he was always doing the chores in the house. When Hercules arrives things take a change! Genuinely decent read for kids

A quick, fun read! Actually laughed out loud at some points. Sometimes you just need a book like this to lighten your mood! Would go down a storm with the kids at school! Can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy.

After breaking his mother's ancient Greek vase, Hercules comes out and starts to cause troubles in Tim's life. Tim is a middle school age boy who tries to help out around the house as his mother has to work two jobs. When he breaks the vase he does not realize that the man that comes out is a Greek demigod. He believes that the man is a genie. Throughout the story Tim and Hercules become close as they try to get teach Hercules how to act in our world and to also get back to his family.

This was a cute story with great little illustrations. It made me keep smiling with the references to Greek Mythology and just Hercules personality. Each of the characters: Tim, Hercules, and Tim's Mom, are likable characters that are also relatable. I love Greek Mythology and I believe that this would be a great introduction it it for younger readers. There are enough funny and touching scenes that will keep them interested though I wanted to know if they would get Hercules home also. This is the first book of a series and I would recommend picking this up for your little ones.
A good edition to a good month of reading for me.

What do you do when you break a Greek vase and release a Greek hero, Hercules? There are all kinds of adventures, not least because the hero is a bit short in the intelligence stakes. A great read for the younger reader and a good introduction o Greek myths.

I really enjoyed this book. I am always looking for new books to study with the children in my classroom.
A good story and lots of ideas.
Tim is an only child helping out his mum after school when he breaks a priceless heirloom. This is bad enough but then things get worse when he accidentally released a Greek God trapped in the vase.
Key stage 2 aged children would love it!

This was a fun book, and great for middle schoolers. It is the first book in a series that will introduce readers to Greek mythology in a way that is easier for them to understand such stories. The book has humor and is fast and easy to read. It was well written and the characters were great! I loved this book and look forward to more. I think it is a great book for middle schoolers to read!

THe concept was decent. Putting ancient character into the modern world always leads to hilarity. The execution simply did not work for me. The writing was pedestrian, almost painful.

I received a digital copy of this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Gormless Gods and Hapless Heroes: Tim Baker and the Ancient Curse is a middle grade novel written by Stella Tarakson and illustrated by Nick Roberts.

Tim Baker is a fairly typical elementary school boy, but some of the kids at school tease him by calling him Cinderella because he has to clean his house after school to help his widowed mother. One day, while cleaning up, Tim knocks over an ancient vase- releasing Hercules into the living room. Yes, that Hercules!

Hercules is friendly, and wants to help Tim with his chores. This sounds great, right? A strong hero should be just what Tim need! Unfortunately, Hercules thinks the solutions to his famous Labors will also work for simple household chores. This makes a huge mess every time, and since Tim is the only one who can see Hercules, guess who gets blamed for the messes? Hercules is kindhearted, and he encourages Tim to stand up to a schoolyard bully.

The book is sprinkled with hilarious illustrations. Tim looks like a regular kid, but Hercules looks like a black-figure design from a vase. We all thought the illustrations were very funny, and they were a nice complement to the story.

I read this book with my three girls who are in the fourth and second grades at school. They absolutely loved this book. My oldest girl enjoys reading mythology stories, and she often knew what Hercules was going to do in advance. My twins are not as familiar with mythology, but they cackled with laughter just as loudly as their big sister.

I would absolutely recommend Gormless Gods and Hapless Heroes: Tim Baker and the Ancient Curse. The story ends on quite a cliffhanger; this appears to be the first book in a series, and we are all excited to find out what is going to happen to Tim and Hercules next! Well done, Stella Tarakson!

My 6 yr old son loved this book and wouldn't stop talking about it. I then had to read the book to see what all the fuss was about and agree with him. It's well written, funny and full of heart. A wonderful read.

This is a great way for young children to get an introduction intok Greek mythology! A fantastic story that zips along, this follows Tim Baker in a realistic, modern setting that appears anything but magical; but a cleaning mishap changes all that. Perfect bedtime reading for little ones and some bigger ones will no doubt enjoy it too... Adults included!

How do you think you'd react if a Greek God appeared after you'd broken a vase? Well, Tim Baker immediately assumes the huge person is a genie and not a hero but whichever he is, he certainly isn't very bright! This is an engaging middle grade reader packed with appealing, humorous incidents with which children will easily relate together with a fantasy historical element that makes it out of the ordinary. Following the untimely death of his father, Tim lives with his Mum who has to work two jobs to try to make ends meet. As she’s often out working, Tim is responsible for doing the housework and because of this some of his less kind peers have nicknamed him Cinderella. One day whilst cleaning, Tim accidentally breaks the Greek amphora which was the last gift his Dad had given to his Mum. Tim is upset but more shocks are in store as breaking it has released Hercules from being trapped in it. As Hercules, who only Tim can see, proves to be a strong but not very bright life is going to get very interesting!

The story has short chapters with different incidents in. There are incidents of bullying, accidents and some really humorous exchanges all of which help encourage even reluctant readers to keep on reading. There’s also a smattering of Greek mythological references throughout the story so could easily be used by parents or teachers to help encourage children to find out more about that era. I found it to be a relatively quick read with great black and white illustrations too. Ending on something of a cliffhanger, it is obviously the start of a new series and I hope to be able to read more in future - I think children would also look forward to continue reading the series, too.

Many thanks to the publishers for gifting me a copy of this novel, via NetGalley, with no obligation. This is my honest review.

Funny book that would be appreciated by lovers of Wimpy Kid, with some basic information on Greek mythology mixed in. Poor Tim thinks he's been lucky enough to find a genie when he accidentally breaks his mum's vase but sadly not - a rather dumb Greek god appears instead, Hercules. He tries to get Hercules to help with his household jobs with disastrous consequences.

A good start to a new series , Middle Grade age kids would really enjoy this, the illustrations are amusing and I like the way that most of them are cartoon like with Hercules still keeping the black silhouette that he had on the vase. Great fun for younger readers.

An excellent introduction to the Ancient Greek Gods
I thoroughly enjoyed this children's story in which young Tim Baker inadvertently releases Hercules from his entrapment in an Ancient Greek vase.
The author uses the story to teach children about the Ancient Greek Gods and in my opinion it worked. Hercules "helps" Tim with a few of his problems before finding his way back to Ancient Greece.
The Title of the Book is a really good one showing the use of alliteration at its best and will no doubt increase its appeal to youngsters. The title is so memorable.
Firmly at the centre of the book is the family. Tim and his Mum are a happy family unit despite the death of Tim's Dad (we are not told how or when he died) and Hercules too wants to return to his family.
The author also builds certain values into the storyline which will find favour with parents: the work ethic (Tim's Mum has two jobs to keep the family's head above water); housework is not just for adults; if you're being bullied use your brain rather than brawn against it (by reporting it to an adult); creative writing can be a career choice; children deserve to be listened to, even when they seem to fantasising and should never fear telling the truth.
But will the targeted age group (10 year olds or thereabouts) enjoy and learn from this book? That's the crucial question. Complete with some excellent supportive artwork by Nick Roberts and an appealing storyline, I think that they will. It's just the right length: relatively short. I assume that the author plans other books in a series about the Gods of Ancient Greece no doubt introducing new characters which children can learn about. I should add that Tim's Dad did his wife and son no favours by not having taken Life Insurance. Maybe this is a message for parents.

Quirky, funny and unique. The book was entertaining and captivating with strong characters, and intriguing plot. I loved it and would recommend it to everyone

The first book in the "Gormless Gods and Hapless Heroes" series by Stella Tarakson features an intriguing mix-up of Greek mythology and modern life. Tim Baker, a caring and hard-working boy, meets Hercules, the mighty but slow-witted God. Their different perspectives upon the world reveal a lot of contradictory discussions, which make the whole story amusing and definitely page-turning. It’s up to the readers to find out whether Hercules shatters Tim’s life into pieces or sticks it back together.

I thought this one was just too silly. I liked the idea of a kid meeting up with Greek gods and the idea of if being a bit funny instead of non-stop action is a good one, but this one started with a string of such unbelievable things that it was hard to keep going. A mom who is a famous archeologist but now works cleaning houses to make money? A house full of priceless artifacts (why wouldn't you just sell a few to make some extra money?) and then one accidentally gets broken (wouldn't you have priceless artifacts a bit more secured and not just laying around where they could get broken?) and then it just happens a Greek god comes out of the one that got broken and he's completely clueless? Not my favorite.

Bright Kid, Dim Demi-God

The setup is pretty standard. Tim and his widowed Mom are making do, with Tim soldiering on at school and chipping in at home. While helping with the housework he breaks a valuable ancient urn and, surprise, that releases an imprisoned Hercules, who immediately resolves to help Tim out, (with housework, school, bullies, and minotaur fighting), whether Tim wants help or not. Lots of possibility here, much of it predictable.

But here's the thing. Tim is a great character, as is his Mom. And Hercules is a muscle-bound, sort of dense, but decent, hoot. Only Tim can actually see Hercules, so again, all of the usual complications ensue.

While this is a fairly shopworn premise, it isn't if you are a new chapter book reader, and have never read it before. Anyway, as long as the author handles the setup well I don't see that as a problem or as detracting from the pleasure and fun of the read. And our author does a fine job. The writing is direct and clear. The story is well paced and moves along crisply and clearly. There are some little jokes, and the big set scenes, (Hercules trying to clean the kitchen the same way he cleaned the Augean Stables), work as sly inside jokes and as just funny bits.

But here's something that gets overlooked, and that I thought really added to this book's charm and appeal. Tim always levels with his Mom on what's going on, and she always gives him the benefit of the doubt. Tim doesn't hide that he broke the urn. Mom doesn't treat Tim as a liar or dope when Tim explains the deal with Hercules. There is a lot of trust, love, understanding, and mutual support in this family, without ever being preachy or coy or weird. How's that for a bonus in a book that's still mostly silly in an amible sort of way?

So, we get a great kid, a dim but still heroic Hercules, some suspense, some drama, a lot of silly business and a happy ending in a well written and well crafted packge. Not bad at all. A happy find. (This appears to be the first book in an intended series. Fine by me.)

(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

I loved this book, and am really looking forward to more in this series. Tim, is having a pretty rough time of it. His father is dead, his mother (a frustrated writer) is working all hours to keep them afloat, relying on Tim to do all the housework, and he is being bullied at school. Then, as if things couldn’t get any worse, he manages to break the one valuable item in his house, whose sale could get him and his mother out of their financial despair. There may be a bright side to the breakage though, when suddenly the Greek demi-god Hercules appears and offers to help Tim. Hercules may be a strong, well-muscled hero of ancient times, but he is not particularly bright. His “help” creates much more havoc than the original problems, mainly because he keeps applying the solutions that enabled him to complete his 12 Labours, to modern day housekeeping. Diverting rivers might have cleaned out the Augean Stables, but small residential houses in suburbia are not improved (or cleaned) by flooding. Hercules is always well-meaning, and with him around, Tim’s life lurches from one hilarious disaster to the next. No one believes Tim’s explanations – not even his mother or best friend – since nobody but Tim can see Hercules.
Apart from being a great story in itself, this book is a very good introduction to Greek myths and legends, albeit with a Herculean bias. The illustrations are excellent. While the pictures of Tim and anything from the real modern day world are normal line drawings, Hercules is always drawn in ancient Greek vase style – complete with heroic poses, regardless of what he is doing (even making pancakes!).
The book ends all too soon – but with a promise of more to come.