Sunday, June 16, 2019

Freya and the Magic Jewel by Joan Holub & Suzanne Williams - OPTIONAL

Freya and the Magic Jewel (Thunder Girls #1) by Joan Holub & Suzanne Williams, 257 pages. Aladdin (Simon & Schuster), 2018. $17.

Content: G

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS -- OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Freya, the young Norse goddess of beauty and fashion, is off to a boarding academy in Asgard. And she's not happy about it, since she's leaving behind her popularity in order to attend school with her sworn enemies. Freya vows not to be away for long, though. She just has to rescue her grandmother, who has disappeared, and then she's out of there. Well, that's the plan, at least. If only it were as easy as that...

I was excited to read this one, since I've heard a lot about the Goddess Girls series, and Norse myths have long been of interest to me, but there was SO MUCH telling instead of showing in this book that it was hard to feel truly invested. In addition, Freya's goals kept shifting; it felt as if the authors hadn't really nailed down her character and what she truly wanted. Although there was plenty of action (highlighted with over-generous use of exclamation marks), by the end of the book, it felt as if very little of value had happened.

Sydney G., K-6 Library Media Specialist

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