Freya and the Magic Jewel

Gr 4–6—Freya, Norse goddess of love and beauty (here portrayed as a tween "girlgoddess"), has been summoned to Asgard Academy by Odin. Freya isn't nearly as excited as her twin brother, Frey; this was her year to be class president of Vanaheim Junior High and captain the ice-skating team. She loses her magic prophecy stone and now must contend with rude classmates and crushes. Despite the popularity of myth-based fiction, readers are likely to be disappointed to find a rather shallow main character who manages to solve every problem thrown her way with minimal effort. The plot moves swiftly, but the writing is bland (even with an abundance of exclamation points) and the dialogue stilted. While this may appeal to lovers of the "Goddess Girls" series, it lacks excitement and depth, perpetuating tired stereotypes about the way tween girls behave.