Get Ready for Rick Riordan’s The Sword of Summer with 6 Books Featuring Norse Mythology

The Sword of Summer, the first book in Rick Riordan’s new series, Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, is the hottest middle grade fantasy release of fall (it comes out October 6). My boys and I can’t wait to see what Riordan does with Viking mythology! Here are some great reads, both fiction and nonfiction, to help you get in the Norse mythology spirit while you wait for October.

D’Aulaires’ Book of Norse Mythology, by Ingri D’Aulaire and Parin d’Aulaire
My own favorite straight up non-fiction introduction to the gods and goddesses of the Vikings is D’Aulaires’ Book of Norse Mythology. It’s a beautifully illustrated anthology of the Norse tales, moving from the creation of the worlds to the story of each of the gods and goddesses, and their never ending struggle against the ice giants. I’m biased in its favor, because I grew up with it, reading it over and over again, and so these retellings feel to me like the most authentic ones. Because it is basically a collection of short, 2-3 page stories, it’s a nice one to read out loud in bits, and the illustrations are fun to share with a child. The pictures of each of the individual gods help keep their stories clear for the reader, as well as adding to the enchantment. My favorite picture (both as a child and still today) is the fabulous diagram of all the different worlds that play a part in these myths.

Thor Speaks! A Guide to the Realms by the Norse God of Thunder, by Vicky Alvear Shecter
For the middle grade reader who wants to read independently, I’d suggest Thor Speaks! A Guide to the Realms. Thor, being a somewhat rough and tumble god, is an informal, to-the-point guide to the stories of Norse mythology; his voice is very middle grade reader friendly. The amusing illustrations add to the fun, and character descriptions, source notes, and glossary help readers keep all the details clear!
If reading non-fiction seems too much like doing homework, here are some good middle grade fantasies that draw on Norse mythology.

Odd and the Frost Giants, by Neil Gaiman
This is a book I love to pieces. In Norway, long ago, a boy named Odd leaves home, tired of spending a never ending winter in the same cramped house as his stepfather, who makes him feel worthless because of his damaged leg (which was badly broken and never properly healed). Up in the snowy woods, Odd meets three talking animals: a fox, a bear, and an eagle, who are three of the Norse gods, Loki, Thor, and Odin, transformed by the magic of a frost giant. The giant has claimed Asgard, the realm of the gods, as his own, and, unless he is driven out, winter will last forever. Odd, with nothing to lose, encourages the gods to take action, and they cross the rainbow bridge that leads away from Midgard, the human world, to Asgard. Odd can’t outfight the giant, he can’t think of a way to trick him, and he doesn’t have any special magical powers or talismans. All he has is a carving his father had begun before he died, his wits, and an infuriating smile that drove his stepfather crazy…Gaiman isn’t trying to cram a whole “introduction to Norse mythology” into this rather short book; his focus is on this one particular story, and on Odd’s role in it. After reading it, though, kids will great Loki, Thor and Odin as old friends! And they’ll want more about Odd (happily Gaiman is writing a sequel even as I type….).

The Entirely True Story of the Unbelievable FIB, by Adam Shaughnessy
Here is another adventure in which Odin, Loki, and Thor are visiting our world. Prue, a sixth grader with detective aspirations, finds a mystery that’s a lot more than she bargained for (it involves blood-thirsty giants) when she has to outwit Loki’s plan to seize the Eye of Odin. With the help of a new boy in town, who provides intellectual grounding for Prue’s impetuous nature, and who helps decipher the puzzles and twists of the mystery, and the machinations of Baba Yaga’s heir, a mysterious man named Mr. Fox, Loki is foiled. As well as dealing with Norse god shenanigans, Prue is struggling to come to terms with her father’s recent death, and melancholy, quiet moments of loss balance the magical hijinks and dangers; as a result, this is fantasy to offer readers who usually stick with more realistic middle grade books—while those who are true fantasy fans will enjoy the magic, and want more FIB adventures!

Loki’s Wolves (The Blackwell Page series), by K.L. Armstrong and M.A. Marr
For the past few years, I have been enthusiastically recommending the Blackwell Pages series, by K.L. Armstrong and M.A. Marr, as “Percy Jackson with Norse Mythology.” Now that Rick Riordan has done it for himself, I’ll have to change that tag line, but I’ll still be recommending the books. There are three in the series–Loki’s Wolves, Odin’s Ravens, and Thor’s Serpents, with each book more exciting than the last.
The small town of Blackwell, South Dakota, is full of descendants of Thor and Loki. 13 year old Matt Thorson is stunned when he is chosen to be Thor’s champion, destined to represent him in the approaching battle of Ragnarok.  Laurie, and Fen are descendants of Loki, but throw their lot in with Matt as he sets out to gather the other champions, and find Thor’s hammer and shield.  It’s a journey that take them to Hel and back, pitting them against fearsome mythological monsters en route. But the hardest part is becoming a true team with the champions of the other gods–other teenagers coming to terms with their own powers, all trying to make sense of, and survive, the path that’s taking them to the end of the world.

Eight Days of Luke, by Dianna Wynne Jones
My final middle grade recommendation is an oldy but still very goody. Eight Days of Luke tells the story of what happens when a neglected English boy, David, accidentally summons Luke (aka Loki) from out of imprisonment and into his nasty guardians’ back garden. Luke is in many ways a great companion, but there are drawbacks to being his friend. For starters, he has no particular moral scruples, and on top of that, there were reasons why the other gods had imprisoned him. They want to get their hands on him again, and David, to save his friend, takes on a virtually impossible quest. The Norse gods here can pass (to a point) as ordinary people, and the fun of the book (and there is lots of fun!) comes from recognizing them, and other mythological elements, when they arrive on the scene.  It stays pretty rooted in the real world, but the tension between the two realities makes the story hum just beautifully. The friendship between David and Luke is thoughtfully developed, and those initially depressed (along with David) by his utterly miserable collection of guardians will find the ending pleasing and cheerful. This isn’t one I’d recommend as a first Norse mythology book, because playing “guess the god” is entertaining, but I do recommend it enthusiastically as a second or third!
And finally, here’s my very own best Norse mythology pun:
Why is the Viking god of thunder so good at hitchhiking?
Because nothing sticks out like a Thor thumb.