Odd and the Frost Giants

Odd and the Frost Giants

I seem to be on a bit of a Neil Gaiman kick lately. I recently read his M is for Magic, and then ran across this book at the library and decided to check it out. I also have a book of his (adult) short stories that I haven't started yet.

Odd and the Frost Giants is a short children's book that Gaiman wrote as his contribution to World Book Day. The book was originally published for no profit to either Gaiman or the publisher, and offered for sale at £1 to children in the UK.

It's a pleasant enough book -- not one of his best, but certainly worth the short time you'll spend reading it. The title character, Odd, is a young Viking boy who, in typical fairy-tale fashion, goes out into the world and has adventures. He befriends a trio of animals -- who, of course, are not exactly what they appear to be -- faces the Frost Giants, and brings things to a satisfactory conclusion for both the Norse gods and his beloved village.