New York: Atheneum, (2004.) dj. SIGNED hardcover first edition - SIGNED on the title page. A novel for older children or young adults which draws upon Scandinavian mythology and medieval history. While the story is an exciting - and sometimes humorous one - it is enriched by allusions to Beowulf, the destruction of the Holy Isle of Lindisfarne, and the Norse legend of Jack and Jill. In explaining why she wrote a novel about the Norsemen, Farmer said that they "gave us a sense of individuality, a love of freedom, and a respect for courage and loyalty." While very different in tone and time from Farmer's multiple award winning novel 'The House of the Scorpion,' this is equally rewarding. In reviewing this book for the UK Times, Amanda Craig said "the classics of children's literature remain pretty much the same. Why bother to read new ones when the old are so good? Yet every so often something comes along which should instantly be added to the list of those books which leave an indelible mark on the imagination....Nancy Farmer's The Sea of Trolls is such a book.... I have no hesitation in recommending Sea of Trolls as the best children's novel of 2004." Cast of characters, maps, author's appendix, sources xv, 459 pp. ISBN: 0-689-867441.