Neil Gaiman's latest, Odd and the Frost Giants is an adventure about a little boy, three Norse Gods and, um, a Frost Giant. It was written initially for World Book Day in the UK and I had it on my radar since then, waiting for a U.S. release. I was very surprised to receive a finished copy from Harper Collins however - I didn't request this one and never in a million years would have thought that HC would send out Gaiman for review. I mean really - does Gaiman need to solicit a ton of reviews for any one of his books? People are going to buy them and read them and love them whether someone tells them they should or not. But far be it for me to question the whims of a publisher (especially Harper Collins who yet again has sent a book I did not request while ignoring the requests I have made - sigh). So Odd showed up and I happily read it to my seven-year old son and he loved and so did I, so here's a bit on why I think this is truly a worthy book.

First, it's designed really well. Just like the two add-ons to the His Dark Materials series, Odd is a smaller sized book, cloth bound, with no dust jacket but a color-plate on the cover. It's an object, not just a book and it stands out as such on the shelf. It's also the perfect size for 8-12 year old hands, who are the target reading audience.

As to the story itself, you have here the classic hero's journey. Young Odd has recently lost his father to the sea and his mother to another man - a practical choice she made for survival in their small Norse village. His new stepfather is not impressed by Odd, who suffered a crippling injury to his foot and struggles to get around with a crutch (ala Tiny Tim). To make things that much worse, a seemingly endless winter has set in and Odd sees no chance for happiness if he stays home so he sets out for his family's old cabin in the hills with no idea in his head other than to get away. A brave act of compassion brings him face to face with three Norse gods who have been transformed into animals and cast out of Asgard by the trickery of the Frost Giant. Odd is determined to get them home, cast out the giant and end the his wintry reign - which is freezing Midgard (where we live). Now here is the really interesting part though - Odd helps them mostly because he has nothing else to do. He has no plans for his own survival, no intention to return home where life is unbearable and pretty much no hope for a personal happy ending. Why not help the gods get their kingdom back - it certainly can't get any worse then life already is.

That's what I like about Odd, he manages to be spunky and cynical at the same time, without being obviously either.

As the adventure unfolds, Odd proves to be resourceful and smart but, thankfully, not annoying or preternaturally intelligent. In other words - I didn't hate this kid. In fact I found Odd to be rather refreshing and the gods were their classic ticked off, strong and frustrated selves (as only Odin, Thor and Loki can be). Of course the big test was my son, who loved it and insisted we keep it on the shelf next to his bed when we finished reading. The fine black and white illustrations by Brett Helquist were also a hit for him and a perfect complement to the text.

You don't really find many books with the Norse gods anymore - I've been pining for a collection of myths ever since I read Eric Kimmel's outstanding Greek gods collection but the publishers don't seem that interested. (Perhaps if Odd sells really well they will reconsider that.) This is a book that doesn't go out of its way to explain Norse mythology - there is Asgard and these are important gods and there was a conflict with a giant and there you go. Now everybody is in a heap of trouble. The assumption is that the reader will be intrigued by all of this and if they don't know anything about Odin or Freya or the rest then they are free to go find out more. And that is always cool from a parent perspective, although I would be perfectly happy to see more adventures of Odd in the future as well.

You don't have to be a fan of Neil Gaiman to like Odd and the Frost Giants - in fact it fits well into a new category of books I've been considering: "titles that can be bought by grandparents that will be much appreciated". If you have an 8-12 year old in the family (boy or girl) then this one is a great choice. If you have a fan of Norse myths of any age, ditto. And if you have a Gaiman fan then really - you should have already bought it. My copy now goes back to my son's shelf; his first title on what I'm sure will be a lifetime of Neil Gaiman worship. As a longtime fan myself, I'm just happy to be here with him in the beginning!