THOR'S WEDDING DAY by Bruce Coville, 2005

What could possibly make Thor--the massive and mighty god of thunder and protector of all his people--put on a bridal gown? It all begins when the source of Thor's power, his beloved hammer, is stolen. The plan to get it back requires that he dress in fancy finery and be packed off to marry the king of the giants. Luckily, Thialfi, the goat boy, comes along. Working behind the scenes, Thialfi just might save the day . . . which is only fair, because it's his fault the hammer was stolen in the first place. (Amazon)

Reviewed by L. Danielle

THOR'S WEDDING DAY is told from the perspective of Thialfi- a boy being punished for his sins by becoming the keeper of Thor’s goats. Thialfi’s main goal in life is to shovel goat dung and not get into any further trouble with the god of thunder until there’s no more dung to shovel (kind of a hard task seeing as the goats keep getting resurrected after they die).

Through no fault of his own (or at least, no fault he’s willing to admit to) Thor’s hammer has gone missing- stolen by a giant- and Asgard is in a right tizzy over the whole affair. The giant, Thrym, is more than willing to return Thor’s hammer if only he can convince the lovely (though admittedly hot headed) goddess Freya to become his bride.

Freya is less than enthused by the prospect and makes sure everyone knows. Realizing there’s no talking (or forcing) her into it, Thor holds a meeting with the other gods to decide what to do. Loki, Thor’s ever helpful brother, has a solution: Send Thor in Freya’s place. The solution is met with much approval (Freya is more than willing to lend the thunder god a corset) and the rest of the story follows Thor, Loki, and Thialfi’s attempts at regaining the hammer from the den of the giants (without revealing the true identity of Thrym’s bride-to-be.)

Overall, it’s a cute story that introduces young readers to a smidge of Norse mythology (sure to be at least a little intriguing due to the rise of certain superheroes). Coville keeps it classy with good natured humor and a fun premise sure to give younger audience’s fits of giggles. I recommend it for ages 8-12 (though I myself am a college student…)

Market: Elementary- Middle School

Language: None

Sensuality: None

Violence: Freya throws some things and Thor does mention eating his goats (he politely brings them back to life the next morning)

Mature Themes: None