Odd & the Frost Giants
by Neil Gaiman
Fantasy, Fiction, Mythology, Young-Adult, Middle-Grade
The winter isn’t ending. Nobody knows why. And Odd has run away from home, even though he can barely walk and has to use a crutch. Out in the forest he encounters a bear, a fox, and an eagle – three creatures with a strange story to tell. Now Odd is faced with a stranger journey than he had ever imagined. A journey to save Asgard, City of the Norse Gods, from the Frost Giants who have invaded it. It’s going to take a very special kind of boy to defeat the most dangerous of all the Frost Giants and rescue the mighty Gods. Someone cheerful and infuriating and clever. Someone just like Odd…
Recommendations from Common Sense Media
Age Recommendation: 9+
What Parents Need to Know:
Parents need to know this mythological tale features some ugly behavior by both gods and men, but the under-appreciated, underestimated hero poignantly reveals that heart, not brawn, can win some battles. There is some drinking, trickery, greed, and brawling, most of it perpetrated by the gods. Odd’s mother was captured in a Viking raid but was treated lovingly by his father.
Educational Value: 2/5
An introduction to morally complicated mythological stories, Norse mythology in particular, and Viking raiders.
Positive Messages: 4/5
Might does not make right in this story. Cleverness, stoic bravery, and a willingness to look beyond the surface of things make Odd a very admirable hero.
Positive Role Models: 3/5
Odd’s family came together in an unusual way, but there is a strong current of love tying the three together. The gods exhibit some of the less admirable human qualities, such as deceitfulness, lust and greed, bellicosity, pettiness.
Violence & Scariness: 1/5
The backdrop is one of brutality: Viking raids and crippling accidents, allusions to physical and verbal abuse, tales of violent confrontations between gods and giants.
Sex, Romance & Nudity: 1/5
Fleeting references, common in mythology, such as Loki’s scheming to “have my fun” with a beautiful woman.
Language: 1/5
Very brief, occasional curses, including a giant talking about Thor’s “damnable hammer.”
Products & Purchases: n/a
n/a
Drinking, Drugs & Smoking: 1/5
Both villagers and gods overindulge in mead.
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