<i>Odd and the Frost Giants</i> (review)
2010; Johns Hopkins University Press; Volume: 63; Issue: 6 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1353/bcc.0.1504
ISSN1558-6766
Autores Tópico(s)Folklore, Mythology, and Literature Studies
ResumoReviewed by: Odd and the Frost Giants April Spisak Gaiman, Neil. Odd and the Frost Giants; illus. by Brett Helquist. Harper/HarperCollins, 2009 117p. ISBN 978-0-06-167173-9 $14.99 R Gr. 4–6 Life has not been kind to twelve-year-old Odd, who has always felt somewhat apart from the rest of his small Scandinavian village; he’s felt even more distance since his father’s death, his own crippling injury around the same time, and his mother’s remarriage to a man who can’t hold his drink (and who brought along seven additional children). Odd’s decision to venture out on his own, even at such a young age, therefore isn’t much of a surprise. His run-in with a fox, eagle, and bear who are discussing the unnaturally long winter is a bit less expected, but Odd takes it in stride. The three turn out to be Norse gods Loki, Thor, and Odin in disguise, and they are trying to outwit the troll giants who have taken over Asgard and caused this permanent winter. The overly confident gods are fortunate to have stumbled into calm, clever, creative Odd, and Odd’s own luck seems to be changing for the better in this compact myth-based adventure. Elegant full-page captioned illustrations, one per chapter, highlight key events and add hints of setting to the trim text. Indeed, this short novel, written originally for World Book Day in the UK, tops out at a little over 100 pages. That’s a remarkable feat given the deep characterization of both Odd and the trio of gods, the dramatic quest to save their worlds, and a nice smattering of information about Norse culture and religion that will certainly send many readers searching for more. Copyright © 2010 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
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