Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman

Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Genre: Fantasy, Myth, JF, MG

(From Amazon)
Odd's luck has been bad so far. He lost his father on a Viking expedition, his foot was crushed beneath a tree, and the winter seems to be going on for ever. But when Odd flees to the woods and releases a trapped bear, his luck begins to change. The eagle, bear and fox he encounters reveal they're actually Norse gods, trapped in animal form by the evil frost giants who have conquered Asgard, the city of the gods...Can a twelve-year-old boy reclaim Thor's hammer, outwit the frost giants and release the gods? With Neil Gaiman's wit and style, this story transcends the everyday and becomes a humorous, rich and layered tale of a life lived courageously.


I picked this book up for the twin boys I've been tutoring, but then summer came and they didn't have chance to read. Happily, I added it to my own stack to read instead. 

This little book tickles me just in the right spot with it's mythical foundations and light-hearted treatment. And it doesn't hurt that I got a mental picture of Thor and Loki from the Avengers being turned into animals. In fact the bickering between the two was quite similar, and then Odin had one eye and that made me think of Nick Fury... o.0 


Anyway, Odd is definitely one of my new heroes, mostly for his smarts and infuriating smile. Odd it turns out actually means "the tip of a blade" and so it's not actually and odd name for a not quite viking boy to have. 


It's a very quick read at only 117 pages, but it contains a lot of warmth and humor so what times it takes is definitely not a waste. 


But that's just my humble opinion.




To Neil Gaiman (How is your last name pronounced?),
Yes, people do read the little biographies at the back of the book, maybe not many but a few of us strange ones do. I would love to read more stories about Odd, and I'd also like that award you mentioned for correctly spelling the word Mythopoeic. M-Y-T-H-O-P-O-E-I-C, there now, that wasn't too hard. But really, the best award would be more of your work out in the world because the world needs more of your common (or uncommon) sense, and humor, desperately.
Sincerely, 
HumbleIndigo