LitPick Review
An orphaned boy and the twin giants that are his uncles are not a good match. Especially when the only reason the uncles want him is so that they can sell him to the trolls for gold. Peer loves his home even though his father is now dead. Unfortunately, his uncles don't care whether he wants to stay there or not, because they want him at their mill at Troll Fell. At least he gets to take his dog Loki, but that turns into a problem too when they meet Grendel, the twin's dog. Can anything possibly go right for Peer and his dog? Can he possibly make friends in this place where he is treated like a slave and fed only the few remains of the Grimmsson twin's meals? In a place where evil reigns and friends are hard to come by, can Peer survive, or worse yet, does he want to?
Opinion:
Katherine Langrish does a wonderful job blending fantasy and reality. She shows the importance of friendship, and the gifts and challenges it brings. This story of a boy who is torn from his home and everything he knows except his dog is full of sorrow, joy, and hard decisions; decisions that could save lives. The suspense and the imagery of the novel make it fun to read, and yet at times you want to cry. Readers want to know what could possibly go right in the world that Peer is taken too, so they keep reading. It's as if they know that something has to go right eventually and they want to know what it is. Langrish makes it feel terrible, and yet you know that there has to be a silver lining on the storm cloud, you just don't know what it could possibly be. The book makes you feel thankful for what you have, especially good friends.
