Zoltan Koczor, age 11, of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, for his question:

WHAT IS THE ODYSSEY?

An epic poem called the Odyssey is probably the most popular and influential work of ancient Greek literature. It was written about 700 B.C. by the Greek poet Homer.

The Odyssey is made up of 24 sections. Covering a 10¬year period of time about 1100 B.C., the story starts after much of the action has already taken place. This method of starting a story in the middle and then returning to the start has been used by many modern writers.

The poem describes Odysseus' adventures as he tries to return home after fighting for Greece against the city of Troy in the Trojan War. In an earlier epic poem called the Illiad, Homer wrote about this war.

The Odyssey is a well written adventure story that contains many skillful characterizations.