I ended my review of the last Loki book by saying that I was finding it increasingly difficult to think of Loki as a god and that there had been moments where he was just a lost little boy in need of a hug. The opening to Book 4 did nothing to dispel that image. Whilst trying to do something genuinely nice, everything goes disastrously wrong and Loki ends up in trouble again. I'd like to think that in real life, he would have been given the opportunity to explain himself, but unfortunately, it is often the case that once a child has been labelled as a troublemaker, assumptions can be made and judgements formed too hastily.
Perhaps it is because I'm reading these books as an adult and perhaps my thoughts are still lingering on Elle McNicols' brilliant books, 'A Kind Of Spark' and 'Keedie', both of which I've read recently, but the fact is that Loki struggles to view the world in the same way mortals do, because he isn't mortal - he thinks differently to them. And, whilst these books are hilarious and brilliant when read as an entertaining tale for children, I can't help wondering if perhaps there are lessons in them for us as adults too. Loki has grown from being a bad god forced to do better, to a boy who is genuinely trying to learn and grow.
Throughout this book we see Loki gradually beginning to develop empathy and understanding and by the end I felt a bizarre kind of pride in seeing how far he'd come over the course of the book. This is not an emotion i ever thought I'd feel about Loki and he has become increasingly real to me as the series has progressed.
I started out reading the book to my 8yo, but reading aloud we weren't making quick enough progress for my liking and I ended up finishing the book on my own, leaving him to read it in his own time. I thoroughly enjoyed it even without my willing audience and I think it's a point worth reiterating - just because a book is in the children's section of the library/bookshop, doesn't mean it can't still be enjoyed by adults. As I've noted above, they may (and probably will) read it in a different way, but this in no way detracts from the sheer joy of reading a cracking good story.
Bring on the audiobook and Book 5!
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