The Sleeping Army
Francesca Simon
Faber & Faber
July 2012
$13.99 AU
224p pb
ISBN: 978-1846682797
fp November 2011
Freya is an ordinary girl living in modern Britain, but with a twist: people still worship the Viking gods. She's caught in her parents' divorce, and shuttling between bickering adults is no fun. One evening, stuck with her dad on his night shift at the British Museum, she is drawn to the Lewis Chessmen and Heimdall's Horn. Unable to resist, she blows the horn, waking three chess pieces from their enchantment; the slaves Roskva and Alfi, and Snot the Berserk. They are all summoned to Asgard, land of the Viking gods, and told they must go on a perilous journey to restore the gods to youth. If Freya refuses she will be turned into an ivory chess piece but, if she accepts her destiny and fails, the same terrible fate awaits her.
Genres: fantasy, action, adventure
The Sleeping Army is about a 12 year old girl named Freya whose parents are divorced; in the book her dad makes some mistakes. Freya goes with her dad to his work at the museum one night and while there she blows a big horn. Doing this wakes up part of the sleeping army. And with this new group she is summoned to the land of the gods. She leaves the museum in a magical way and now with her new friends Snot, Roskva and Alifi she has to save the gods who are dying. If she does not do this right she will be trapped forever. With things that aren’t what they seem to be, and giants trying to kill her, Freya’s life changes forever.
I found this book was quite easy to read but still good to read. It is most suited to readers from Year 4 and up. There were only pictures at the start of each chapter. I recommend that you read the book but do not skip anything as it may become too hard to understand. I really enjoyed this book.
Marina, age 11, Canberra, Australia
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