The newest tale from Neil Gaiman, Odd and the Frost Giants is an exciting tale drawing on Gaiman's love of Norse mythology--which is very popular in Children's lit, so if it becomes a series (which it promises to) then Odd will draw its fair share of readers. At a little over 100 pages, Odd is shorter than Riordan's Olympians series, another popular tale involving Norse Gods, so may have some appeal to younger readers or ones who look for a shorter tale. That the young hero of the book has to solve a problem that originated from Loki's lechery & drunkenness may present some problems for the youngest of readers, but mythology presents a host of issues like those (fathers eating their children, bulls mating with women, etc.). All in all, this isn't Gaiman at the top of his form, but the story may very well mature over the series. ( )

It’s a sweet fable set in Norway of a crippled boy named Odd, who helps out a few Norse gods in distress. It’s a short tale, told briskly. Odd is a good foil for the strong-willed gods, and an easy hero to cheer for.

While $14.99 seems a steep pricetag for this slim volume, it is beautifully bound in blue cloth, and contains lovely pencil illustrations by Brett Helquist. Overall, this runs a big lighter than much of Gaiman’s work, and would be a great readaloud for children who can manage to listen when there aren’t pictures on every page, and for young readers to read on their own. Gaiman wrote it for World Book Day in the UK, an event that seeks to inspire children to read. ( )

Odd, a lame orphan boy, saves the world and rescues Odin, Thor, and Loki who have been changed into an eagle, a bear, and a fox by a frost giant, who has brought perpetual winter to Midgard, the plane that the earth is on.
His solution involves figuring out what is in the block of wood that his father had started and sculpted it and, more importantly, sitting down and listening and talking with the frost giant. We, the readers, understand that the real solution have no part in the story told by the gods. The book also asks, what do you do after you have conquered the world? Can you retire gracefully back to your old life? Can you admit that you've made a mistake? And on the other hand, how do you convince the conquerer to give up his conquest. ( )

While this book does have some of the cleverness and spot-on characterization typical of Gaiman, it seemed a bit hollow, interesting characters for whom the action just doesn't seem significant. It was nice to see the Norse Gods after many years that they haven't crossed my path, and certainly it is a light and pleasant read, but it will go straight to my classroom library, not likely to be thought of again, much less reread. ( )

Gaiman strikes again. A short read at 114 pages, I blew through it in a day. The narrative is tight, the story demonstrates detailed knowledge of the Norse pantheon, and maintains Gaiman's unique style. This was a solid five out of five for me. Then again, I'm biased.