Odd and the Frost Giants: 03/31/10

One of my goals at the start of the year (as always) is to read through the books I bought for myself last year. Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman is one of those books. I read the chapter book on my BART ride into San Francisco. At home my son is tearing through the Percy Jackson books and has gotten interested in mythology. I expect when he's done with the Olympians he'll be ready for some Norse gods.

Odd is as his name describes him: odd. He lives with his Scottish mother in Norse territory. As a younger child, he had his leg crushed so he walks with a painful limp with the help of a crutch. Odd though doesn't complain about his situation. He has more important things to worry about: winter has set in for longer than expected and shows no signs of ending.

Odd ends up befriending three Norse gods trapped in the bodies of fox, a bear and an eagle. They need his help to reclaim Asgard from the Frost Giants. Odd has what it takes to get the gods home and get their city back even though he physically isn't built like a hero.

If Coraline was like Alice and Nobody was like Mowgli, then Odd to me is like Christopher Robin. He has the same practical approach to magic and the same off kilter view on the world that makes him capable of solving the problem set before him.

The book was the perfect read for a BART ride. Once my son is done with the Percy Jackson books, I'm sure he'll love Odd and the Frost Giants too.

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