Odd and the Frost Giants

Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman

A Long Winter!

Odd's father died when he was still young, it was also about this time that Odd had the accident that left his right leg crushed. Odd never really did fit in. So when one Winter refused to end and threatened the coming of Spring, Odd left the confines of the village for the woods, for peace. And it is there he makes some extraordinary friends.

Odd and the Frost Giants is a journey into the past where the Gods of Norse mythology come to life, only to be saved by a twelve year old boy. When a fox, an eagle and a bear seek help to defeat the frost giants whose very presence threatens an eternal winter it is an unlikely hero who comes to their aid. A timeless narrative style conveys a story that is a little Odd but has a Giant heart.

Neil Gaiman Webpage

Neil Gaiman @ Allen & Unwin
MouseCircus

On sale: 01 November 2010
Price (AU): $22.99
ISBN: 9780747598114
Recommended age: 8+
In a word: Odd
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: five out of five
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Instructions

Instructions by Neil Gaiman
illustrated by Charles Vess

Follow Me!

A Puss in Boots has one day decided to take a walk following a path he has never used before. It is a path well hidden and only just discovered. But this will be no ordinary walk; it is a guided tour through a world of enchantment and danger. If you do not follow the Instructions you may never find your way home, but if you pay attention you may just learn the mysteries of a fairytale land.

Instructions will guide you through a light and magical story full of friendship, mysteries and oddities. If you have ever wondered how to survive the perils of coming up against princesses, giants or wolves, if you have contemplated how to endure in a fairytale land then these clear and decisive instructions will set you straight. But listen carefully for there is wisdom too in these words that will be of benefit in our own strange and wondrous world. Instructions is a book to live by.

Neil Gaiman Webpage

Neil Gaiman @ Allen & Unwin
MouseCircus

On sale: 01 June 2010
Price (AU): $24.99
ISBN: 9781408808641
Recommended age: 6-10
In a word: Instructions
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: four out of five
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Coraline

Coraline (Film tie-in edition) by Neil Gaiman
illustrated by Dave McKean

Enter If You Dare!

Coraline is a girl, small for her age, alone with no siblings, and surrounded by adults too busy to play with her. But there is one person desperate for Coraline to play to with them forever, and ever, and ever...

When Coraline and her parents move into a new home, Coraline decides to explore. Coraline loves to explore and what she finds is a door, in a wall, that leads to nowhere. That's because it's bricked up. Disappointed, Coraline decides to explore the garden. But as the rain settles in she is forced once again indoors.

Strange noises and shadows in the night cause Coraline to become curious. Obscure and ominous warnings are given to Coraline, but still her curiosity gets the better of her. Once again she is drawn to the door, in the wall. Only this time the bricks are gone. Eager to explore Coraline enters.

What Coarline finds is a world not unlike her own, with a few differences. The home is almost identical to her own and there are parents here too who are almost exactly the same as her real parents, only with one small difference. Their eyes. The 'other' mother and 'other' father have no eyes, only shiny black buttons where theirs should be.

Scared, Coraline tries to return home, but home is not the same anymore. The 'other' mother of this strange world has decided she wants to keep Coaline, and never let her go. She's decided Coraline should have shiny black buttons where her eyes should be. Is Coraline brave enough to find a way to save herself and find a way back home, or will she be trapped, with black buttoned eyes, with her 'other' mother forever?

What a great story. Neil Gaiman is an excellent writer and has delivered yet another fascinating and eerie tale, with dark humour and an intriguing plot. Coraline is such a likable character and she is surrounded with such a quirky and strange cast of characters that you can't help but enjoy this book.

I know it's a children's book but I enjoy a good book no matter the target age. Once I started reading it I couldn't put it down.

 

Neil Gaiman Webpage

Neil Gaiman - Mouse Circus

Dave McKean Webpage
Neil Gaiman @ Allen & Unwin

 

On sale: 01 July 2009
Price (AU): $15.95
ISBN: 9780747597308
Recommended age: 10-18
In a word: Button
Re-read it: yes
Recommend: yes
Star rating: three out of five
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