"Madcap mythology-rich Norse adventure about the hardships of heroism "
Selected for The Book Box by LoveReading4Kids
High-stakes hilarity abounds in this comic quest featuring Norse gods and a calamity-struck Valkyrie-in-training. The first in a fun and thrilling series from debut author Cat Weldon, How to Be a Hero will have huge appeal for younger readers who enjoyed Vulgar the Viking and fans of Who Let the Gods Out.
Despite only arriving in the village a few days ago, Whetstone has already wheedled his way into the Great Hall of Krud. OK, he might only have a job in the kitchens right now, but his sights are set on bigger things. Meanwhile, “far above Whetstone and the Vikings of Krud,” a girl called Lotta is struggling to get to grips with her Valkyrie training, and the pressure is well and truly on, for today is the day she’s due to collect fallen warriors from Midgard. When Lotta encounters an unconscious Viking thief (none other than Whetstone) and takes him for a fallen hero before taking him to Valhalla, a whole lot of trouble is unleashed. Trouble involving a talking cup with a penchant for poetry (“Well, don’t ask me,’ sighed the cup. ‘I’m only a magical talking cup. I can’t see anyone around here who might appreciate my poems”), a yellow-eyed dragon, and none other than Loki the trickster God himself. GADZOOKS!
Exhilaratingly evoked by Katie Kear’s illustrations, this is fast-paced, funny and spiced with ingenious insults, among them “toxic turnip breath” and “barnacle breath”. It also integrates tonnes of fascinating information about Norse mythology, with an excellent Author’s Note providing extra context.
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This book is full of myth, fantasy and adventure. I found it so gripping, as soon as I got home from school, I wanted to pick the story up again!
This book is really good. The suspense builds chapter by chapter, getting more and more exciting. It is so gripping as soon as I got home from school, I wanted to pick the story up again. There is a lot of myth, fantasy and adventure and if you like dragons like I do, you’ll like Nidhog, the keeper of Niflheim.
The adventure is set in Viking times and follows Whetstone, (an amateur thief) to Asgard, realm of the Gods. Whetstone befriends Lotta, a Grade 3 Valkyrie (angel-type character) who takes him to Valhalla, the hall of Odin the King of the Gods.
From here they go on a quest to retrieve a talking cup. Will Whetstone become the hero Lotta mistook him for?... Read Full Review
The story was full of adventure and funny!
‘How to be a hero take up the quest’ reminds me of Cressida Cowell’s How to train your dragon. Like Hiccup, a small boy named Whetstone, has been assigned to complete a mission to steal a golden cup. Afterwards he and Lotta, a girl Valkyrie, go on a wild goose chase through the nine worlds and meet a mischievous god named Loki.
The story was full of adventure and funny! I learnt about the Vikings as well.... Read Full Review
A rollicking, madcap, action-packed adventure!
An unlikely hero and an ungainly valkyrie face a vengeful dragon and a trickster god in a quarrelsome quest for a precious poetry-riddled cup, all wrapped up in the comically chaotic world of Norse mythology… kids are going to LOVE this book! It’s got all the adventure of How to Train Your Dragon, the humour of Who Let the Gods Out, and the storytelling spirit of Storm Hound. And this is just the first hilarious exploit of Whetstone and Brings-A-Lot-Of-Scrapes-And-Grazes aka Lotta in an already confirmed trilogy by debut author Cat Weldon!
Vicariously vivid and gloriously giddy with two extremely lovable heroes at its heart, How to Be a Hero is a rollicking, madcap, action-packed adventure that middle graders will whizz through. And not to mention that it’s brilliantly illustrated by Katie Kear throughout!... Read Full Review