Blog Tour! Odin's Promise

9/20/2016

Reviewed by Olivia

Rating: High Five!

Who I'd Recommend to: Fans of Snow Treasure, Once, Number the Stars, and Each Little Bird That Sings.

Synopsis (from Amazon):
Eleven-year-old Mari grew up tucked under the wings of her parents, grandma, and older siblings. After Hitler's troops invade Norway in Spring 1940, she is forced to grow beyond her "little girl" nickname to deal with harsh new realities. At her side for support and protection is Odin, her faithful elkhound. As the year progresses, Mari, her family, and her neighbors are drawn into the activities of the Norwegian underground resistance.

Thoughts: Being Jewish, I have a special interest in World War II. My parents have always encouraged Oscar and I to read books about this difficult time, so we can understand it and learn from it. That being said, the World War II books I've read have been pretty much limited to ones detailing the struggles Jews went through - not for any particular reason, it just so happens that many of the World War II books geared towards my age range have to do with that. So I think you'll understand how profoundly pleased (and excited!) I was when I discovered Odin's Promise.

The interesting thing about Odin's Promise is that it's not just a book describing the events that occured in Norway while it was occupied by Hitler's forces. It is also a beautiful, heartbreaking tale of a girl and her dog, one that has a unique twist (that being the Nazis) that's bound to keep both girls AND boys gripped from start to finish. I also loved the main character, Mari - a girl that is "forced to grow beyond her 'little girl' nickname." This transition was fantastic to watch, as a reader, one that many kids will be able to relate to. In addition, the writing was beautiful. Sandy Brehl really knows how to spin a fascinating, informative, touching, yet still gripping tale. The ending had me sobbing into my bedsheets, too (okay, okay, I know, I cry at the end of almost every book, but this one was powerful).

Overall, I just loved this book. The excitement, the heartbreak... everything was just perfect. Not only a good book for those who want to delve a little deeper into World War II, this book is also a must-read for every young girl (and boy), whether it's for the relationship between girl and dog, the transition from "little girl" to learning to be strong and more independent, or the spectacular ending in which the reader will both triumph and weep (if you're me, at least). A wonderful book that I will revisit time and time again - if you hadn't already guessed.

Yes, I know it seems like we're doing a ton for the Odin's Promise trilogy lately, but we couldn't resist. Along with an upcoming review of Bjorn's Gift, the sequel to Odin's Promise, here's what's been happening around Kid Book Reviewer:

A giveaway (squee!)

An interview with Sandy Brehl

And here's the full schedule for this awesome blog tour:

Blog tour schedule:
September 1– Interview with Todd Burleson at GROG blog:
Groggorg.com
September 7- Review: Stephanie Lowden at golowd, a blog about teaching and books:
Golowd.com
September 11- Guest post Unleashing Readers
Unleashingreaders.com
September 14- (TODAY!!!)- Review by Erik at This Kid Reviews Books,
Thiskidreviewsbooks.com
September 19- Review, Suzanne Warr, at Tales from the Raven, for MMGM:
Suzannewarr.com
September 20- Olivia and Oscar- review of ODIN’S PROMISE at Kid Book Reviewer:
Kidbookreviewer.com
September 27- Olivia and Oscar- review of BJORN’S GIFT at Kid Book Reviewer:
Kidbookreviewer.com
September 29- Alex Baugh review at The Children’s War
Thechildrenswar.blogspot.com
October 3- Jenni Enzor MMGM with review and interview:
Jennienzor.com
October 5- MomReadIt- Review by Rosemary
Momreadit.com
October 7- Trisha P at Mindjacked
Trishap00.com
October 11- Guest post Rochelle Melander
Writenowcoach.com

Hope you enjoy!

1 Comment

Sandy Brehl link

9/20/2016 05:42:25 pm

Olivia, thank you so much for your enthusiastic support for this book. I'm especially excited that you feel boys and girls (and many personality types) will all be able to find something in it that connects to their personal stories and styles. I worried that it might be viewed as a "girl book", so I've been thrilled to hear from as many boys as girls who enjoyed it and were eager to read the continuing story of Mari and Norway. I apologize for causing you tears, but maybe it will comfort you to know that I cried during the writing of some of the passages myself. Then I tried to write it differently, but Mari insisted this was her story and I had to trust her to handle the hard parts along with the warm and funny parts. Thank you again for taking this book to your heart. Sandy

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