Constantina and her spiders, Alki Zei (Athens: Kedros, 2002)

Thirteen year-old Constantina has come to live for a while in Athens with her grandmother. Her parents, who are teachers, are posted in Aachen, Germany, where she has finished primary school. But when her parents suddenly (at least for the girl) divorce, her world collapses and unimaginable difficulties appear. The fact that the parents remain good friends and have a tender relationship with their child doesn’t help her explain the reasons of their disharmony. Except from traumatized feelings she also has a terrible bronchitis to cope with. Aachen climate is inappropriate, so doctors and psychologists advise that she moves for some time to Greece. She is therefore sent to her grandmother, her father’s mother, who lives in Athens. The relationship with the strict grandmother, who has lived in the hard years of World War II and has fought in the resistance, is difficult. There is no contact between them, as the grandma doesn’t understand the teenager and vice versa. The school in Athens, where she has enrolled for the current school year, seems very hostile, the classmates very unfriendly. The only sympathetic person is a boy a little older than her, who is in a similar family state. She lives constantly recalling the happy days of her life in Aachen when everything was in order and begins to entrench herself behind an «antisocial» behaviour. Drugs are an easy alibi to her misery. The book has a bright ending when, after a series of serious happenings the grandmother becomes aware of what is going on with her granddaughter and the girl consents to get in a process of de-toxication.

An audacious, human, tender, humorous and emotional book that develops along the difficult and shocking subject of drug use. Next to the principal one, many other subjects are touched on: adolescence, relationships, divorce, multicultural society, the educational system, lost dreams, the charm of the past… However the value of the book doesn’t just rest on its subject. Alki Zei has a unique ability to observe and describe everything around her with high emotional intelligence and mastery of language.  A book that will absolutely fascinate young and adult readers.

Anthony is an ordinary ten year old boy living in Athens.  Single child, his parents both working long hours, his mother often away from home on her professional duties as an archeologist.  Anthony is very fond of his granddad, his dad's father, who looks after him when his parents are busy with their jobs.  He is an unusual granddad.  A retired actor, he stimulates Anthony’s imagination by telling him unbelievable stories from his life that make Anthony believe that his granddad is a liar.  However granddad, an artist of strong humanist beliefs, is being bluntly honest.  For Anthony, it is just hard to believe when granddad tells how he had to escape from Greece to Paris at the time of the dictatorship because he was an activist or how he came to be on the streets of Paris with the rebelling students in May ’68 or even how he was sent to Africa by mistake during World War II.  Nevertheless, Anthony adores and admires his grandfather.  The only thing he cannot understand is why the old man never talks about granny.  It's really mysterious.  Granny is consistently absent from granddad’s stories, as if she had never existed.  What's all that about? What makes granddad constantly avoid talking about Anthony's father’s mother?  And how can he make his granddad lift the shadow that veils her existence?

 The adventures of two neighbouring rival high schools, a public one and a private one, that decide to cooperate in order to participate in an international web-based competition, will reveal that all things, including new technologies, have a bright and a dark side.  The pupils’ assignment in Roman History through Internet turns into a dangerous game when a mysterious and extremely experienced in video games person gets involved setting traps to most of the participants.  The nine Caesars, Vassilis Papatheodorou (Athens: 2004, Kastaniotis) is an engrossing teenager novel which sheds light on the negative aspects of electronic strategy and role playing games, so popular among young people.

House-Dad, Lena Merika (Athens: Kedros, 2003)

What is there for a husband and father of three to do when he suddenly loses his job?

Well… he can become a house-dad!

Is a man really capable of handling all of the household tasks as well as teaching manners to a three year old tyrant?

How does it make him feel that his wife brings home the bacon instead of him?

How will he and we, his two older children, cope with the snide comments of people that don’t respect his decision?

This book is an enjoyable read for people of all ages.  The author approaches serious and contemporary social issues with a light and entertaining touch: a father’s unemployment and the resulting economic stress on the entire family, the social roles of men and women and child parent relationships to name a few.

The story is told by his industrious twelve year old daughter under whose relentless observations every known social stereotype is smashed to smithereens!  Within the story’s playful twists and unexpected turns our young narrator shares her own revolutionary solutions providing us with heartfelt laughs and optimism.

Full English translation available

Within two crazy halftimes, Angheliki Varella (Athens: Minoas, 2002)

A is about the Away match,

B suggests Beating the opponent,

C means Cheering when your team is winning,

and D unfortunately suggests Defeat.

E is about Easily winning,

F is dedicated to the Fans,

G is definitely associated with Goal and

H unfortunately reminds us of Hooligans.

I is about admiring your football Idol,

and J suggests not acting like a Jerk,

With the K you Kick-off the ball,

And with L you sing about your Legendary team.

M talks definitely about the Match,

N comes to mind when the end is Near,

O you use when you talk about your Opponent team,

And you feel so sad with P because Penalties are charged.

With Q you absolutely Quiver when your team has won,

And the R as in Referee whistles the end of the game.

With the S the Stand goes Singing,

And T describes the Thrill you feel to the bottom of your heart.

U is only for the rain when you open your Umbrellas

And please don’t let V confuse Victory and Violence for you

When your W – Wins the game.

When your team plays with a South African team X and Xenophobia is out of the game. 

Please don’t let Y Yield you to the violence’s temptation

And last but not least Z is dedicated to the Zeal of sports!

Ecate's smile, Litsa Psarafti (Athens: Patakis, 1995) 

A jewel connects ancient Greece of the 6th century B.C. with the Byzantine period, the 19th century and present time and describes the feelings, the adventures in love and the fate of four heroines: Theano, daughter of king Polycratis, Theoniki, a nun in a Byzantine convent, Areti, a rich girl of the 19th century and Teti, a girl of today.

Published in Spanish: La sonrisa de Hecate, Ediciones SM, 2002