thor – Mom Read It

Animal Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Middle Grade, mythology, Tween Reads

Middle Grade Quick Takes: Thundercluck! and The Tiny Hero of Ferny Creek Library

Posted on April 19, 2019 by Rosemary Kiladitis

I did some more TBR-diving over the last few weeks, and have some more middle grade quick takes!

Thundercluck!, by Paul Tillery IV & Meg Wittwer, (Oct. 2018, Roaring Brook Press), $14.99, ISBN: 978-1-250-15228-3

Ages 8-12

How do you not check out a book that has the tagline, “Half moral. Half god. All natural chicken”? Thundercluck is about the valiant chicken of Thor. The story begins when Thor and the evil Under-Cook Gorman Bones fight as Thor defends his hen, Hennda, from the cooking pan. Thor hits Bones with lightning, but Hennda gets a jolt, causing her to lay a giant egg, which hatches and reveals a tiny chick with a horned helmet and little vest, and who shoots lightning from his beak. Behold, the birth of Thundercluck! Raised by Brunhilda, a young Valkyrie in Odin’s court, Thundercluck and Hennda are sent to Midgard (that’s Earth), to be kept safely hidden from vengeful Gorman Bones, but like every epic tale, the heroes return to do battle; it’s the Under-Cook versus the Valkyrie and her faithful chicken for the win!

Thundercluck! is the first in a new series – the next book is due out in September – and is a win for your middle grade readers. There’s a lot of hilarious moments, some good Norse mythology, epic battles, and, at the heart of the book, is the story of an enduring friendship. Black and white illustrations throughout are adorable and will keep readers turning pages. There’s a Thundercluck! website that includes an award-winning short on Thundercluck!, which was author Paul Tillery IV’s MFA thesis. Give this one to your younger mythology fans – if they like Joan Holub & Suzanne Williams’s Thunder Girls series, they’ll love this one!

The Tiny Hero of Ferny Creek Library, by Linda Bailey/Illustrated by Victoria Jamieson, (June 2017, Greenwillow Books), $16.99, ISBN: 978-0-06-244093-8

Ages 8-12

Ferny Creek School Library has a beloved librarian who goes on maternity leave, and her awful replacement wants to get rid of the library and make way for a testing space! Meanwhile, Eddie, a tiny green bug with a passion for books, finds himself in the library as he searches for his Aunt Min, who was injured and can’t get out of the library. Together, the two bookworms – bookbugs? – cook up a Charlotte’s Web-type strategy to plead for the library to stay as is.

The Tiny Hero of Ferny Creek Library is just adorable. The story, loaded with great book references, includes Eddie & Min’s “Bugliography” at the end; a nice listing of all the books mentioned, in one spot, and serves as a good readers’ advisory guide (and display guide). This is a love letter to libraries, particularly school libraries, which have had a really rough time of it these last few years. The heart of the story is the love for a school library, and its librarian, who makes the library a home for the kids at school, versus the mean Mrs. Visch, sister of the school’s superintendent, and testing enthusiast who sees books and reading as frivolous at best. Roller Girl’s Victoria Jamieson created adorable black and white illustrations, featured throughout the book, and really makes readers fall in love with Eddie, Min, and their quest to save the library. It’s a feel good story that book lovers will come to again and again, and reminded me of all the great memories I have from my first library and Mrs. Reale, my first school librarian, who always seemed to know what book to hand me when I needed it.

Fantasy, Tween Reads, Young Adult/New Adult

Enjoy more Tales from Asgard with a new trilogy!

Posted on May 31, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Thor: Dueling with Giants (Tales from Asgard #1), by Keith R.A. DeCandido (Mar. 2016, Joe Books Inc.), $9.99, ISBN: 9781772751970

Recommended for ages 12+

A new series of prose novels gives Asgardian fans more tales of Thor, the Warriors Three… and Loki, the eternal troublemaker. Dueling with Giants pits Thor against the Frost Giants when they seek revenge for a perceived slight against them by Odin. Little do the giants realize that a certain trickster’s been pulling all the strings the entire time… can Thor save the day?

Dueling with Giants is fun reading for any fan of the Marvel adventures of Thor and Co.: there are no other Avengers in this story, but they do get a brief mention. Loki’s here, providing just enough malicious trickery to keep the story moving along, and I was happy to see some hilarious banter between the Warriors Three, especially Fandral’s jabs at the self-titled Lion of Asgard, Volstagg. I was even more excited to see that the next chapter in the trilogy will center on Lady Sif, who really, really needs some more character study, especially since Marvel went and canceled Thor’s origin book, Journey Into Mystery, just as it was developing into a brilliant Lady Sif book.

The language and one or two standalone situations in the book suggest a slightly older audience than middle grade: I think it’s great for middle schoolers and above. Add it to collections where you’ve got comic fans, Marvel fans, and fans of fantasy that may have moved on from Rick Riordan but prefer more myth-based fantasy than current YA hot picks.

If you’re a fantasy fan – especially if you’re in a dedicated fandom – you know Keith R.A. DeCandido’s name. He’s written novels in the Supernatural, Star Trek, Sleepy Hollow, and Heroes universes; to name a few, as well as his original and prolific body of work. His author website provides links and more information about his work.

Fantasy, Fiction, mythology, Tween Reads

Neil Gaiman’s Odd and the Frost Giants: In which Thor, Loki and Odin get into trouble AGAIN.

Posted on March 16, 2014March 16, 2014 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Odd and the Frost Giants, by Neil Gaiman/illustrated by Brett Helquist. HarperCollins (2008), $14.99, ISBN: 978-0061671739

Recommended for ages 8-12

Neil Gaiman takes on Norse mythology with his tale of a lame young Norse boy named Odd, who encounters a bear, a fox, and an eagle in the frozen woods one day, only to discover that they are Thor, Loki, and Odin, on the run after Asgard is overrun by Frost Giants. They need Odd’s help to regain the kingdom and end the forever winter that the Frost Giants have spread throughout Midgard (and possibly, all of the realms). Is Odd smart enough to outwit the Frost Giants?

Gaiman adapts his storytelling voice for this story (as opposed to his dark fantasy voice that you can read in works like Coraline and Graveyard Book). The book is filled with his wry humor, especially in the interactions between Thor, Loki, and Odin – he gives Loki a particularly amusing voice, being the God of Mischief in the guise of a wily fox. Gaiman also excels at writing quiet, mild characters that achieve greatness through intelligence – Odd is yet another quiet Gaiman hero. Quiet kids will love how Odd uses his wits to save the day, rather than charging around Asgard swinging a war hammer and screaming for blood.

Brett Helquist’s art enhances Gaiman’s story with beautiful black and white sketches. The artwork lends a real authenticity to the Norse tale; the work could hail from a hoary, old tome, found in an old castle, it has such a wise old sense of timeliness about it.

I love Gaiman’s storytelling, and Odd is right there with his other work. This could enhance a unit on storytelling as easily as it could a unit on Norse mythology, and there are many activities to get kids writing that this book could inspire, including a Write Your Own Myth workshop, or asking the kids to put themselves in Odd’s place – how would they save Asgard? What would they do if they discovered three gods in the woods? Do you identify with Odd? What makes a hero heroic? There are many discussion topics that work for this book.

Fantasy, Humor, mythology, Tween Reads

Book Review: Thor’s Wedding Day, by Bruce Coville (Harcourt, 2005)

Posted on December 5, 2011 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Recommended for ages 8-12

Based on the humorous Norse tale about the theft of Thor’s hammer, Bruce Coville fleshes the story out with other pieces of Norse mythology to give readers this amusing story of cross-dressing gods, talking goats, and dopey giants.

Told by Thor’s goat boy Thialfi, Thor’s Wedding Daybegins with Thor discovering his mighty hammer, Mjolnir, missing. His trickster brother Loki discovers that their enemies, the giants, have somehow gotten hold of the hammer and refuse to give it back unless their sister, Freya, marries Thrym, king of the giants and Thor’s enemy. Freya refuses, and Loki concocts a scheme to dress Thor up as Freya and get his hammer back. Loki agrees to accompany Thor as a bridesmaid and Thialfi must dress up to be Thor’s goat girl. While in the company of the giants, Thialfi discovers that their plan goes far deeper than just handing Mjolnir back to “Freya” after the wedding, and he finds himself in the position of saving Asgard.

Bruce Coville can tell a funny story, and Thor’s Wedding Day is no exception. He stays true to the tale that inspired him and to make it accessible to new, younger audiences. It’s downright silly in some parts with a touch of adventure and intrigue – a good combination to keep more reluctant readers interested.

Bruce Coville’s website offers information about this and other Coville titles. For readers interested in learning more about Norse mythology, there are a variety of resources available on the Web.