LitPick Review
Odinsall: The Stolen Children is a book about a young teenage boy named Val. During a field trip to the once Viking inhabited town of York, he is mysteriously teleported to a castle. There, he learns from Odin, the main god in Norse Mythology, that his parents, his friends, and almost everyone he knows is dead because of ragnarok, or doomsday. Now, only Val and a group of other teenagers are the last humans left. They learn they were saved because they are closely related to the gods. Now, as the group attends the godly school, some of their number start to go missing. What will Val do when his crush, Kassandra, is taken? Will he save the stolen children? Or will he fail everyone around him?
Opinion:
Odinsall: The Stolen Children is a great book about Norse Mythology. There are some things I liked about this book. I felt the pace was just perfect. It was not too fast, not too slow. This, combined with an excellent, exciting, page-turning plot, made me want to read the story all at once. This book has some educational value as it teaches you about Norse Mythology concepts, but it is mostly a for-fun read.
There is one major thing that I did not like about this book. The book closely follows the story outline of the first Harry Potter book (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone). The children live in a castle learning about magic, there are four clans competing for glory by getting points for good behavior and excellence, and there is even a lake and a forbidden forest. I would have liked it if the book was a bit more original.
Odinsall: The Stolen Children is an ok book about Norse Mythology and Magic. I give this book 4 out of 5 stars for the reasons mentioned above. I give an age rating of 11-15 years old. Enjoy reading the book!
