Book Review – How to be a Hero

Title: How to be a Hero
Author: Cat Weldon
Published: 21st January 2021
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Genre: Middle grade, adventure, Norse mythology

Rating: 3/5 stars

A viking thief desperate to be a hero. A trainee valkyrie on a mission to prove herself. An ungodly case of mistaken identity.

When trainee valkyrie Lotta mistakes an unconscious viking thief, Whetstone, for a fallen hero and takes him triumphantly to Valhalla, things are definitely not turning out to be epic or glorious. Having lost a precious talking cup, Whetstone is also desperate to cover up his mistake and the two embark on a quarrelsome journey to find it and regain their heroic status. But Loki the trickster God is desperate to get his hands on the cup with a plan to unleash chaos across the nine worlds. Can Whetstone prove himself a hero after all when it matters most?

The first in a hilarious and fast-paced trilogy about how to be brave, what it means to be a hero and just how confusing the Norse Gods really are. Fully illustrated throughout, Cat Weldon’s How to Be a Hero: Tales from a Terrible Viking is perfect for fans of How to Train Your Dragon and Who Let the Gods Out. -Goodreads

Thank you to Pan Macmillan for a proof copy of How to be a Hero in return for an honest review.

This book is based on Norse mythology, and I was immediately interested in reading it! I am fascinated by Vikings and mythology, and I do think we need more books on vikings in children’s books! This one is a very fun adventure where a viking and a valkyrie must band together to get past trickster Loki, a dragon and a band of angry vikings too!!

It’s an amusing book, full of humour and adventures, and with some good illustrations throughout! I think this book would be suitable for readers from 7+, who doesn’t love a book with poo jokes in it?!?

The novel does a good job of clearly explaining Norse mythology, and the varying lands of Valhalla etc in a clever way which is easy to understand, but doesn’t ever verge into lecturing. I always appreciate a chance to remind myself of these elements, and it was nicely accompanied by jokes and illustrations!

This is a fun lighthearted kids book, if you love humorous kids books like The Beast and the Bethany or mythology books like Who Let the Gods Out? pick up How to Be A Hero!

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