Odd+and+the+Frost+Giants

[[image:Odd.jpg width="147" height="217" align="left"]]**Summary/Review**
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 forever. 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 Nordic gods, trapped in animal form by the evil Frost Giants who have conquered Asgard, the city of the gods (1). Odd is an endearing character who smiles in the face of adversity, perhaps to irritate those around him. When he decides to help Odin, Loki, and Thor to win back Asgard in order to save his little village from eternal winter he learns more about himself, his past, and his mother, than he might have expected on such a journey. Best of all he challenges what it means to be a hero and a villain in a surprising twist. A good, short novel about right, wrong, courage, and family.

[[image:gaimen.jpg width="93" height="134"]]
Bestselling author Neil Gaiman has long been one of the top writers in modern comics, as well as writing books for readers of all ages. He is listed in the //Dictionary of Literary Biography // as one of the top ten living post-modern writers, and is a prolific creator of works of prose, poetry, film, journalism, comics, song lyrics, and drama. Gaiman's first book for children, //The Day I Swapped My Dad For Two Goldfish //, illustrated by Dave McKean, came out in May 1997, was listed by //Newsweek // as one of the best children's books of the year, and was reissued to acclaim by HarperCollins in 2003. His children's novel //Coraline //, published in 2002, was also a //New York Times // and international bestseller and an enormous critical success; it won the Elizabeth Burr/ Worzalla, the BSFA, the Hugo, the Nebula, and the Bram Stoker awards. Director Henry Selick made the film "Coraline”, with music provided by the band They Might Be Giants. In 2003 //The Wolves in the Walls //, illustrated by his longtime collaborator Dave McKean, was published, and it was named by the //New York Times //as one of the best illustrated books of the year. It is currently being made into an opera by the Scottish National Theatre. Gaiman's official website, __[|www.neilgaiman.com] __, now has more than one million unique visitors each month, and his online journal is syndicated to thousands of blog readers every day. Born and raised in England, Neil Gaiman now lives near Minneapolis, Minnesota (2).

**Historical Context**
Written in 2008 for __[|World Book Day] __. It draws on __[|Norse mythology] __ and also the historical __[|Vikings] __ (3).

**Other Children's Literature**
//The Graveyard Book, Coraline, Coraline Graphic Novel, Coraline: Movie Tie-In, Coraline: The Movie Collector's Edition, Coraline Movie Tie-In Unabridged Cd, Coraline: A Visual Compantion, Instructions, Blueberry Girl, Crazy Hair, The Dangerous Alphabet, Star Dust Movie Tie-In, Interworld, Mirrormask, M is for Magic, The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish, The Wolves in the Walls, The Neil Gaimen Audio Collection Unabridged CD, The Graveyard Book.//
 * http://www.mousecircus.com/****

**Themes**
Major themes include Norse mythology, dealing with adversity, family relationships, growing up.

1. www.neilgaiman.com/works/Books/Odd+and+the+Frost+Giants/ 2. www.neilgaiman.com/p/About_Neil/Biography 3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odd_and_the_Frost_Giants
 * Citations**