Review: The Aesir Kids by James Grant Goldin & Charlotte Goldin

Title: The Aesir Kids
Authors: James Grant Goldin & Charlotte Goldin
Format: Kindle Edition, 385 pages
Pub. Date: December 3rd 2013
Source: Mother Daughter Book Reviews


Book Description via Goodreads:

THE AESIR KIDS.

They're the children of the Norse gods, with incredible strength, magical weapons and monsters for pets. They've got problems with school, bullies, family issues and attacks by giants.

And when Asgard, the home of the gods, is threatened with utter destruction, it's up to the children of Thor, Sif, Loki, Freya, Balder...along with some very extraordinary friends...to save it.

THE AESIR KIDS tells the story of...

THRUD, the teenage daughter of Thor, who has to balance fighting trolls and giants with her after-school job waiting tables at Valhalla...
FIRE, young master of flame, the son of the three mysterious Norns and perhaps the key to saving the Nine Worlds...
MAGNI AND MODI, Thrud's younger brothers, whose strength is matched only by their knack for getting into trouble...
ULL, the greatest skier of the gods...except for, maybe,
SKADE, the four-year-old goddess of skiing...
TJALFI, the human boy who can run like the wind...
ROSKVA, Tjalfi's sister, who can hear something happening many miles away...
FORSETI, the level-headed son of Balder, who's as good with a bow as he is with a written test...
NOSS, the beloved daughter of the Goddess of Love...
HELA, the sensitive little girl who hates her destiny of growing up to be the Goddess of Death...

Along with other gods, godlings, light-elves, trolls, dwarfs and creatures, these young heroes must find a way to save the universe...and find the core of courage within themselves. THE AESIR KIDS is a fantasy novel based on many actual characters from Norse mythology. It's the first published collaboration between author James Grant Goldin and his ten-year-old daughter, Charlotte Goldin.

Review:

★★★★★

I'm a sucker for books that deal with mythology, especially Norse myths because I don't see them around too much. So when I came across The Aesir Kids, I couldn't resist. And I'm so glad I didn't. This book is absolutely fantastic.

The Aesir Kids is a flawless blend of action, adventure, storytelling, and education all in one book. This book smartly introduces a wonderful list of characters from Norse mythology, including Thor's children. Each character has their own unique story to tell- and what stories they are! From giants to lightning fast horses to the sons of Loki, these tales are full of life and adventure. It's very easy to lose yourself in the story because the worlds of Asgard and Midgard (among others!) are so beautifully described.

The writing itself is well done, very detailed and descriptive without being too much. I also admire how this book is written for a younger audience but still manages not only capture the imagination of adults as well, but still manages to teach without the dreaded "info dumping". I know it's going to sound weird but this book made learning fun. All of the pantheon and characters are broken down and explained so I was rarely confused, and yesterday I was telling my girlfriend about this book and she looked at me, impressed, because I was rattling off Norse gods and myths when that is not a skill that I usually offer.

I really enjoyed the way that this book is presented. That is, the way that it features several different characters and their stories, as opposed to one. These different stories or blended seamlessly into one rich story line, making it a bunch of little adventures wrapped in one epic story. These varied tales helped me get to know the characters better, and helped me to get a better understanding of the book as a whole.

If you or your child love the movies "Thor" or "The Avengers" or the Percy Jackson books- this is the book for you. It's a fast paced, well written adventure from start to finish and I absolutely loved it. I'll definitely be recommending it in the future, and I'll be rereading it too. I'd recommend it to kids from about 5th grade onward to adulthood, and would also suggest reading it aloud- I think it would lend itself well as a bedtime story!

Thanks to Mother Daughter Book Reviews & the authors for my copy in exchange for my honest review.