Move over, Christopher Nolan—there’s a new adaptation of Homer’s epic poem headed our way. Nicolás Schuff’s The Adventures of Odysseus: A Graphic Novel of the Odyssey (Eerdmans, Oct. 27) follows the man of twists and turns as he outsmarts the terrifying but dimwitted cyclops Polyphemus, rescues his men from the sorceress Circe, and evades the sea monsters Scylla and Charybdis before returning home to oust the suitors vying for his wife Penelope’s hand. Translated from Spanish by Lawrence Schimel, Schuff’s prose is pared down and fast-moving but eloquent; Mariana Ruiz Johnson’s graceful illustrations evoke the figures on Greek vases while imbuing the characters—gods and mortals alike—with intensely human traits. The result is a retelling certain to beguile middle graders and leave them hungry for more stories inspired by Greek mythology.

Sadly, they’ll have to wait to see the Nolan film (this one’s rated R, kids). But children’s authors have outdone themselves this year. In Erin Bow’s Witchward Bound: A Butter and Owl Adventure (Disney-Hyperion, Sept. 1), illustrated by Kelly Murphy, a calico cat named Butter and a raven who calls herself Owl (“She liked the sound of it”) go sailing on the wine-dark sea in search of their missing owner, a kindly witch named Penelope. These two make unlikely heroes: Pompous Butter’s far more adept at delivering long speeches than outwitting monsters; childlike Owl is easily distracted by “shiny shiny SHINY!” things. But they persist—and even prove themselves daring and resourceful. Threading the narrative with clever asides and inventive mythological references (here the Sirens are a flock of bullying seabirds; the messenger god Hermes is a sleek, mischievous otter), Bow has crafted a deliciously playful tale best described as creative homage to the Odyssey, or perhaps even as Homeric fanfiction.

From the wine-dark sea to the rivers Styx, Lethe, and Acheron! Gary D. Schmidt and Ron Koertge’s Styx and Stones (Clarion/HarperCollins, May 5) centers on Simon, an Athenian killed by Spartans at age 13, who’s spent millennia in the Underworld serving Queen Persephone (and learning from the likes of Socrates, Shakespeare, and other great thinkers). Upon escaping, he somehow finds himself in a school in present-day Minnesota. Beautifully juxtaposing the horrors of the Underworld with Simon’s delight in the land of the living, the authors stay faithful to the original mythology while nevertheless making the characters their own (their Persephone, in particular, contains multitudes).

Mythology is woven more subtly through Matthew Fox’s The Lovely Dark (Union Square Kids, April 21). Following days of heavy rain, Eleanor and her best friend, Justin, are visiting a newly uncovered Roman mosaic of Orpheus and Eurydice in the London Bridge Tube station when a wall gives way and the station is flooded. After drowning, the children become separated in the afterlife but are determined to find each other. Justin is no Orpheus (indeed, he’s frustrated by what he sees as the man’s stupidity), but the book still contains parallels with the original myth. Fox trusts his readers to make those connections for themselves; his characters often debate their interpretations of myth and folklore, and those who pick up this quietly mesmerizing, thought-provoking novel will emerge eager to follow suit.

Mahnaz Dar is a young readers’ editor.