Author Shirley Climo and illustrator Alexander Koshkin - who also collaborated on a picture-book retelling of the classical Greek myth of Atalanta's Race - here join forces to tell the story of the theft of Mjolnir, the mighty hammer belonging to Thor, the Norse god of thunder. Aided by the trickster god Loki - originally a suspect himself - Thor determines that his magical weapon has been stolen by Thrym, the king of the Frost Giants of Jotunheim. Thrym's demand, that he be given the hand of Freya - goddess of beauty and love - in marriage, in exchange for the return of Mjolnir, outrages the fiery Thor. But it is Loki, of course, who knows a way around this demand - a way that involves Thor dressing up as a bride...

This humorous tale, in which the most powerful fighter in the Norse pantheon becomes involved in a cross-dressing adventure, has always been one of my favorite myths from the Norse tradition. Climo's retelling is engaging, instantly involving the reader in the story - "Long ago, in the morning of time..." - while Koshkin's artwork, done in watercolor, tempera and gouache, manages to be both amusing and rather dark, all at once. I did feel, from time to time, that the style was slightly "off," when it comes to what I expect from an illustrated Norse myth, but then, there are so few picture-book retellings of the Norse myths, as compared to their Greek counterparts, that perhaps I'm just not used to diverse styles being used with the same tales. In any case, this is a minor point (and it's difficult to pin down a specific criticism) - overall, I enjoyed Stolen Thunder, and recommend it to young Norse mythology lovers. ( )

This was an interesting book but not my particular favorite type of story. It was about Thor, the god of thunder who lost his hammer (the weapon he used to cause the sound that the human world knew to be thunder). It was stolen by the giant Thrym who will return it only if the goddess of love, Freya, will be his bride. A mischievious god Loki convinces Thor to dress like Freya and trick Thrym in order to get his hammer back. It works and in the end Thor defeats Thrym and beats the other giants and gets his hammer back. Although the story does go out into the world of the gods in the end.

Thor has his precious hammer stolen from him and sets out to retrieve it. He has to make a sacrifice on his pride by being in a compromising situation in order to retrieve his lost valuable. This book is enjoyable because of the injected humor and humility that comes with such a task set for Thor.

The giants of Jotunheim are envious of the gods who live in Asgard. They want to take over the world of Asgard but to do that they must get Thor’s hammer. Thrym manages to steal the hammer and will only give it back if he takes Freya as his bride. Loki devises a plan where he will play the part of a handmaiden and Thor will dress up as the bride-to-be. When they arrive at Jotunheim, Thrym welcomes them and takes them into his great hall. When Thrym gives the hammer to Thor as a wedding gift, Thor throws off his disguise and wreaks havoc on the wedding party, killing Thrum in the process.
This was an enjoyable read. I did not have much experience with Norse gods and goddesses and this book was a good introduction to the subject. The illustrations are great and reflect the cultural uniqueness of the Norse people. ( )

Tells the story of the time Thor's hammer is stolen from him by a giant, who wishes to exchange it for the goddess Freya's hand in marriage. Loki, a friend to Thor and the ultimate trickster, helps Thor recover the hammer through a plot which involves disguising Thor as Freya the bride. Once Thor recovers the hammer, he strikes the giant down and returns to rein over Asgard.