Loki: A Bad God's Guide to Being Good

Loki: A Bad God’s Guide #1

by Louie Stowell

Wry, witty and very funny diary-style story packed with doodles and comic strips about the frustration trickster god Loki feels at having to live trapped in the body of a weedy eleven-year-old boy.

After one trick too many, Loki is banished to live on Earth as a "normal" school boy. Forbidden from using his AWESOME godly powers, Loki must show moral improvement . As he records his lies THE TRUTH in his magical (judgemental) diary, it becomes clear Loki hasn’t a clue how to tell good from evil, trust from tricks, or friends from enemies.

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Mythology, Fiction, Childrens, Humor, Audiobook

240 pages, Paperback

First published February 3, 2022

About the author

Louie Stowell started her career writing carefully researched books about space, ancient Egypt, politics, and science, but eventually she lapsed into just making stuff up. She likes writing about dragons, wizards, vampires, fairies, monsters, and parallel worlds. Louie Stowell currently works as the publisher of Ladybird Books and lives in London with her wife, Karen; her dog, Buffy; and a creepy puppet that is probably cursed.

Reviews

[Katharine Orton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm giving this 5 stars on my kid's behalf, who has absolutely fallen in love with this book. He has *very* begrudgingly read for and at school ("I already know how to read, so why do I have to keep doing it?!") but Loki has captured his imagination in a truly transformative way. The same kid who's told me how much he dislikes reading is now giggling to himself from behind the pages, then reading me every other sentence (his "favourite bits") so I can enjoy it too. It's been amazing to see his love for books blossom. Thanks Louie Stowell. If you have a reluctant reader, you might also want to give Loki a try.

[Mirella Hetekivi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awh, this was whithout a doubt the most heart warming and cute Loki story I've come across in a long time.

[jenny ☆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

children’s fiction is just on another level for me honestly!! this is why i get sad when people turn their nose up at kid lit, because it’s breaking boundaries and doing so much more than most adult fiction. this book manages to balance being both funny and clever whilst appealing to kids and talking about real world stuff!! it doesn’t talk down to kids but talks to them candidly whilst making them laugh. it talked about colonialism AND it made fart jokes!! excited 4 more loki adventures !!!

[Stace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loki has pushed Odin’s buttons one too many times and has now been given his worse punishment ever. He has been sent to Earth to live as an eleven-year-old boy. He is living with two gods pretending to be his parents, and of course, Thor is there too, pretending to be his twin brother.

Loki is to behave. He is also to write in a magical diary every day. He is given a target to hit before he can return home or he will be given an even worse fate if he fails or declines to improve himself.

It was really quite amusing to see the all-powerful and naughty Loki trapped in the body of a child and having to do things children do, such as go to school. He hated his task and tried numerous ways to get out of it but he had no option but to go through with it, not if he wanted to return home and become his full adult self again.

The book is written in diary form with plenty of black and white hilarious illustrations on each page and an even funnier diary who answers Loki back at all times as Loki can not lie to the diary and as such the diary is rather sarcastic.

Loki: A Bad God’s Guide to Being Good is a brilliant book. One middle-graders won’t want to put down. It is fun, engaging, and I can hear the giggles now from the readers. It is that good

[Jodie Cotgreave · Rating 3 out of 5]

My star rating as an adult 3.
My star rating as a child 5.
This is the story of the god of mischief Loki, told in the form of a diary that he has to keep after being sent to earth in the body of an eleven year old boy. Loki must improve himself while on earth in order to prevent eternal torture by snake venom, but he finds it increasingly difficult due to his chaotic and mischievous nature, one girl may turn things around for him though...but not before he messes things up royally.
There's doodles galore and lots of kids humour (farts, poop and general nonsense)
It's an amusing read and one I think children would absolutely love.

[Lobo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loki, a bajkeverő isten rengeteg műben kapott már szerepet jómagam is sokat olvastam róla, hiszen az egyik legjobb asgardi lakos, aki mindig bajba sodródik. Most éppen arra lett ítélve sokadik csínye után, hogy próbáljon meg jól viselkedni. Ezért aztán Odin a Földre küldi egy hónapra, ennyi időt kap, hogy bemutassa: a javulás útjára lép. De csavar is van a feladatban: Lokiból 12 éves hétköznapi srác lesz, aki nem fedheti fel isteni mivoltát senki halandó előtt és haladásáról naplót kell vezetnie. Méghozzá varázsnaplót, amely ügyel arra, hogy a csintalan isten csak az igazat írja meg. Ráadásul Loki (akit most Liam-nek fognak hívni a suliba) kap pár istent felügyelőnek is: Heymdall az apját, Hyrrokin az anyját fogja alakítani, a testvére pedig nem más mint Thor (alias Thomas) lesz, aki szintén gyerektestben iskolába fog járni vele (és persze felügyelni, meg állandóan készenlétben lenni, hátha a jégóriások megjelennek). Eleinte úgy tűnik, hogy a földi élet roppant unalmas, Loki nem tud beilleszkedni (bezzeg Thor!), nem sikerül jó pontokat szereznie, sőt egyre több negatív pontot kap (a napló számolja bizony). Szóval elképzelhető, hogy a sikertelenség esetére belengetett örökkévalóságig tartó büntetést fogja kapni Odintól (amiben savról, meg kígyóról is szó van …) De aztán mintha pislákolna fény az alagút végén… csak nehogy ezt is elbaltázza Loki, mert úgy dönt, hogy nem hallgat a lelkiismeretére (egyáltalán, honnan van neki lelkiismerete) meg a tudálékos naplóra (a napló Odint képviseli).

Ebből a leírásból is kitűnik, hogy zseniális az alapötlet és még jól is van megcsinálva. Loki naplója a népszerű szöveg és rajz kombós könyvek közé tartozik (mint Ropi naplója, Tom Gates sorozat), a kötet elején pedig Adrian Mole-nak szól a dedikálás, ami nagyon illik is, hisz egészen brit istenünk humora. Ami nekem természetesen külön bejött. Az alaphelyzet eleve magában hordoz rengeteg humoros és tanulságos jelenetet, a mitológiából is rengeteget mutat, de őszinte bepillantás is ad modern világunkba. Jópofa, ahogy az istenek megpróbálnak emberek lenni, Heymdall főz és gyereket igyekszik nevelni (állandóan szülőket segítő könyveket olvas), úgyhogy ebből okulva például nem hat rá Loki duzzogása, pedig az isten megfigyelte, hogy „A duzzogás olyan erő, amivel a halandó gyerekek meggyőzik a szüleiket valamiről”
Loki természetesen utálja az iskolát, viszont érdekes megfigyelései vannak az oktatással kapcsolatban, például hogy a történelem milyen érdekes, mert arról szól, hogy a halandók szeretnek háborúzni, meg ellopni dolgokat másoktól és ezeket a lopott holmikat még ki is állítják múzeumokban! S ez azért még az ő szemében is durva.
Ugyanakkor főhősünk nem hazudtolja meg magát, hiszen nehéz levetkőzni azt az évezredes szokását, hogy valahogy minden nehéz helyzetből kitrükközi magát, hazugsággal vagy csínyekkel. Ezért nem halad túl jól a javulás projekt de legalább tényleg lesz lelkiismerete, s a kalandok felettéb szórakoztatók.
A szöveg és a rajzok mind el vannak találva, vicces, okos a napló, úgyhogy várom a folytatást.
Részletesen: http://olvasonaplo.net/olvasonaplo/20...

[Lauren Stoolfire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loki: A Bad God's Guide to Being Good (Loki: A Bad God’s Guide #1) by Louie Stowell was absolutely delightful and so much fun. I highly recommend this on audiobook which totally makes use of its format. Ben Willbond has a great voice for this. I can't wait to continue this series. If you're looking for an awesome MG mythology inspired fantasy, you'll have to try this!

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loki, trickster god of Asgard, is punished for his latest trick by being forced to spend a month on Earth as a puny human boy on a mission to become a better person...a mission that NO ONE believes he'll be able to manage, especially not the other gods & giants unhappily co-opted to pose as his "loving" human family. Unrepentant Loki is always sure he can find a way to trick his way out of any amount of trouble, though - and the adventure is recorded in his (reluctantly honest, under magical duress) diary, which is full of fabulous snark (and cheeky doodles).

This is the blurb I sent for the book after I finished reading my ARC: "Wickedly hilarious and subversively fun, Loki: A Bad God's Guide to Being Good is a laugh-out-loud delight with all the fabulously addictive weirdness of the original Norse mythology. My kids and I can't wait to see what happens next!"

I read it out loud to my 8-year-old as a bedtime story, and he LOVED it (and shouted with laughter at so many parts). Highly recommended!

[Boo · Rating 2 out of 5]

i flip flopped between 1 star and 2, and still feel bad about this rating because i understand this is not a book made for me.
however, i still feel many other books accomplish it better.
i liked the concept of this book, and believe it had a lot of potential- there were quite a few moments where a joke made me genuinely laugh, but it was ruined by being immediately followed by another lazy joke, or a questionable decision made by an mc who doesn't get any semblance of a redemption arc until the final 20 pages.

1.5

[Mariann]

4,5 csillag

Jó kis kötet ez kérem szépen, jól illeszkedik az Egy ropi naplója és Adrian Mole kínszenvedései közé. Stílusában pont ezt a két klasszikust ötvözi, van benne fingó vicc, á la Ropi, de meglehetősen magvas megfigyelések is az emberi kultúráról, szarkasztikus modorban, mintha Adriant idéznék. Nyilván nem véletlen az ajánlás sem a kötet elején.

Az a csepp dolog, amit én hiányosságnak rónék fel, az egy apróság: nem árt legalább minimális szinten képben lenni az északi mitológiával, mert mind a szereplők tekintetében, mind Loki kalandjai emlegetésekor ezek az utalások nincsenek kifejtve. Aki nulla tudással indul Asgardot illetően, az biztosan nem ebből a könyvből fog ismereteket szerezni.

Jópofa kis kötet volt, én is beállok a második rész fordítását várva, remélem, hogy ott is kellőképpen jól fog egyensúlyozni a szerző Loki szertelen, pofátlan szemétkedései és terveinek állandó mellékvágányra csúszása között :D

[Zygintas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pirmas sakinys: Aš Lokis, ir aš esu dievas.

Tikėjausi daugiau skandinavų mitologijos – apžaidimo ar bent pristatymo, bet šioje knygoje iš esmės yra tik vardai: Lokis, Toras, Heimdalas, Hirokina, Odinas ir Šerkšno milžinai. Tačiau 8-12 m. skaitytojams to turbūt ir užtenka.

Visa kita – standartiška (gerai ar blogai, priklausys, kaip užkabins): pasišaipymas – siūlymas pamąstyti, ką ir kodėl darome (automobiliai, internetas, išmanusis telefonas ir kt.), iššūkis, kurio nesiseka vykdyti, tačiau teisingas poelgis pabaigoje ir apdovanojimas, daug iliustracijų (komikso elementai), galimybė viena ar kita tema pakalbėti su vaikais.

Istorija rašyta iš karto kelioms knygoms, todėl nors konkreti ir baigiasi, tačiau nuotykiai – ne.

[Kobietaczytajaca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ta książka przyszła do mnie wczoraj i nie mogłam się jej oprzeć, więc zaczęłam czytać. Dziś z samego rana dokończyłam i choć nie jestem już dzieckiem to bawiłam się przy niej przednio. Głównym bohaterem jest Loki, bóg Asgardu. Został on za karę wysłany na ziemię i w ciągu miesiąca musi zrobić wiele dobrych uczynków. Ta książka to jego pamiętnik, który jest magiczny i wykryje każde kłamstwo, jakie zostanie tu napisane. Lokiego ocenia właśnie on, rozpoczyna od liczby -3000 a jego docelowy wynik to 3000. My jesteśmy obserwatorami i dopingujemy Lokiemu aby uniknął srogiej kary. Na ziemi towarzyszą mu Thor oraz olbrzymy, czyli brat i rodzice. Nad wszystkim czuwa Odyn, to on go tu wygnał. Książka jest przepięknie ilustrowana, mamy tu komiks, sporo rysunków i dymków, które są takimi fajnymi dodatkami tej historii. Kolejnym plusem jest wielkość i ilość liter na stronie, są duże a tekstu mało więc myślę że każdy młody czytelnik będzie z tego zadowolony, przecież nie każdy lubi długie teksty😉. Przy tej książce nie ma nudy Loki umila nam czas i bawi do łez. Dodatkowo na końcu mamy wzmiankę, że to pierwsza część a kolejne już wkrótce się pojawią. Jeżeli chcecie, aby Wasze dzieci przeczytały coś śmiesznego i ciekawego zarazem to podsuńcie im tę oto książkę.

[Oscar Pimlett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book for children with good links to the Gods that I think would link to their likes. However not sure with some of the content matter, always reluctant to like books that rely heavily on bashing school and teachers for humour just because I don't think it helps the already negative attitudes towards teaching, also nonchalant mentions of feminism and climate change although brazen and likely not intended to be they seemed to come off more harmful to those causes than good. Overall a decent book but not one I would use within school or have within a school library.

[Anca · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sorry but this isn't redeemable at all. I know it's targeted for children, but it doesn't have anything special, it was boring and the artwork didn't feel like anything special.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was very good 👍👍😁😎

[Camille]

Je ne met pas de note car je ne suis clairement pas le public cible, je l'ai lu pour pouvoir le conseiller.
Roman très illustré dans le genre du journal d'un dégonflé, les blagues pipi caca feront rire les plus jeunes, ça va plaire je pense mais en tant qu'adulte ça m'a vite ennuyée

[Lorraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our 8 year old LOVED 😍 Loki. Gobbled it up within a couple of hours.

Yesterday he had a cricket match and was reading this book as his team walked across the field to the stands to prepare for their game. After the game, he was glued to it during the ride home, and promptly declared, "I am finished. Now we can talk about my game!"

"Mom, I loved this story. It was super awesome and hilarious. Loki was a chaotic God of Chaos and Trickery which is just a fancy word of saying that HE WAS A JERK."

The cover looks great, so creative, and the doodles and graphics made Loki such a great read.

"The moral of the story is to not blame people for laughs, and to work together like a team like we do in cricket."

Enough said. My son has spoken

Highly, highly recommended.

[Julie J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

ENGLISH VERSION BELOW
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Loki war ein sehr, sehr, sehr lustiges Buch. Die Geschichte war unterhaltsam, hatte die richtige Portion an Humor aber auch einen Hauch von Moral. Loki wird von Odin in den Körper eines Schülers verbannt und muss so Art Tugendpunkte sammeln, um nach Asgard zurückkehren zu dürfen. Als Beleg muss Loki ein Tagebuch führen, welches einerseits seinen Tugendscore festhält und andererseits auch Lokis Taten und Gedanken kommentiert, vor allem wenn er lügt. Auch wenn Loki natürlich der schlauste, witzigste und trickreichste Gott ist, ist das Leben – dazu ohne magische Fähigkeiten – unter Sterblichen herausfordernd. Gerade an einer High School. Und vor allem dann, wenn man Gut und Böse nicht unterscheiden kann.
Ich freu mich schon auf den zweiten Teil, da der erste ein großes Lesevergnügen war.

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Loki was a very, very, very funny book. The story was entertaining, had the right amount of humour but also a touch of morality. Loki is banished by Odin into the body of a elven year old boy and has to collect virtue points in order to be allowed to return to Asgard. As proof, Loki has to keep a diary, which on the one hand records his virtue score and on the other also comments on Loki's deeds and thoughts, especially when he lies. Even though Loki is of course the smartest, wittiest and trickiest god, life - on top of that without magical abilities - among mortals is challenging. Especially at a high school. And especially when you can't tell good from evil.
I'm already looking forward to the second part, as the first one was a great reading pleasure.

[Clarissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an adorably fun adventure focusing on primarily Loki and his brother Thor. The story starts with Loki and Thor being sent to Earth for Loki to atone for his many misdeeds while in Asgard. In the space of 30 days, Loki is to earn 3000 virtue points and prove to himself and everyone in Asgard he is worthy of his place there.

The book is full of funny drawings that will definitely appeal to younger children and young adults! Each day is narrated by Loki who writes in his journal to record his days on Earth. It’s adorable, funny, heartwarming, and shows that even a trickster god has the chance at redeeming himself.

[Lola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better at the end than at the start. But I did like it.

[Norah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loki na Zemi v tele 11 ročného dieťaťa? Yes please :D

[Freya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great audiobook! Such a fun book, never a boring moment and it had me laughing out loud a lot!

[Anna Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel so conflicted because as much as I enjoyed this book, I’m furious I didn’t write it 😂 It’s a brilliant concept, especially for fans of Wimpy Kid, How to Train Your Dragon, and Tom Gates and, as an ex-kid’s-bookseller, I can tell you it’s commercial gold. I’m also surprised just how much I liked the reimagining of adult Loki - I can totally see him with actual horns, a fabulous coat and a wicked hairdo. I think kids will love it and I’m excited to find out more about the sequel 👀

[Seve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Den här boken var rolig och intressant. Loke, en gud, blir skickad till jorden (för att han klippte av gudinnan Sivs hår) och måste skriva i en dagbok vad han gör bra och dåligt för att komma tillbaka till Asgård.

[Mehsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A laugh-out-loud book about Gods, being brothers, finding out your inner goodness, and more~


What happens when Loki goes too far with his pranks? Well… he gets sent to earth. As a kid. Without any powers. And with a makeshift family made up out of Thor (now named Thomas), Hyrrokkin as mom, and Heimdall as dad (a very dedicated one at that). Enjoy life on Earth~

I absolutely loved Loki. Then again, I always do because he is such an interesting person. A god that can shift into any animal or form, I love how genderfluid he is, is that the right word, I will just take it. I love that he likes pranks, though he should maybe see that sometimes pranks aren’t right and that he makes his pranks fun for everyone involved. And in this book he becomes so much more human. From the start that he is all meh about everything, but we also see that he is worried and making a fuss because he is trying, but he is just not understanding what he is doing. Later on we definitely see that he is starting to get a conscience but that he doesn’t know what it is. Or how to use it. When he reads books on how to help out with stuff, he takes them way too literally… Oh, I need to do x, does x but so literal that his efforts go all wrong. And he loses points. Of course, he also makes some stupid mistakes as he is still Loki, but I do love that as the story goes on he discovers more on what is right and what isn’t right. He really grows. Becomes a better person. OK, he has a long road to go, but I was already happy with the smaller changes.

I loved that this one was set as a diary! That we see Loki write about his day, argue with the great being in the diary (yes, it is a magical diary), see the points go up/down (mostly down though). It really made for a fun read! I think I wouldn’t have enjoyed it as much if the story had been told normally. A diary just works so much better. On many levels.

It was great to read about Loki (and Thor’s) adventures on Earth. From going to school, to drinking and eating all sorts of Earth stuff, to discovering Earth things that are fun (and not so fun given he is not into sports). I loved seeing them discuss humans and what they do.

I loved the story and while I wasn’t a fan of Valerie in the beginning… I grew to like her as the story went on. In the end I find her a good character.

Liked that we learn a bit about the gods/where they live and what they do.

There are tons of hilarious and funny moments and I often laughed by butt off while reading!

The illustrations are just fantastic and the style is just perfect.

I definitely need the second book because I need to know what is next for Loki. Plus, I want to see more Gods make an appearance, and maybe some Frost Giants as well. I would recommend this book to all!

Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/

[Maddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wasn’t bad at all, but it wasn’t amazing either. Then again, I’m not the target demographic for the book. I think it would be great for younger readers, the illustrations were good, and the characters were likeable. Altogether I found it a very pleasant reading experience, and I’m sure younger readers would absolutely love it!

[A.M. Dassu · Rating 5 out of 5]

There’s a new Wimpy Kid to love and he is SO good at being bad (although this one will never admit he is a bit wimpy). A corker of a series to howl over, I laughed on every page of this book, it’s so BRILLIANTLY written.

Told from the point of view of Loki who is now a child and forced to live on earth as a punishment, his view on mundane mortal things such as school, fronted adverbials in lessons, dog walks, playground games and even breakfast cereal is just so fresh and HILARIOUS.

And the genius of this story is that not only is it gripping and told in a diary format which is a complete page turner, it also cleverly tells us about norse mythology in the most INTERESTING way and also includes casual takes about cars, capitalism, wars and the internet from Loki’s 11-year-old lens.
It’s smart, witty and absolute genius!

The fun illustrations and the interactive judgemental book commenting on Loki’s lies and lack of scores add endless humour to each page. I was laughing so much, I annoyed my whole family watching TV!

It should be in EVERY bookshelf—perfect as a hilarious school class read which would lend itself so well to historical themes and also a brilliant gift for any child who just wants to or needs to laugh … a lot! Also we need a TV show please!

I love Loki the trickster — I never thought I could love someone who is so good at being bad, and I think he might just have the seedlings to be good … possibly?
Cannot wait for Book Two! Bravo Louie Stowell, you utter genius!

[Rachel Lefever · Rating 5 out of 5]

Odin isn’t happy and an eternity of snake venom awaits Loki if he doesn’t pull his socks up. Lucky for Loki, he’s about to discover what socks are (which gives him a head start) as he is sent to look for humility (his own) in the human realm. The Norse Gods, Thor, Hyrrokkin and Heimdall, are sent along to form a rather forced and uncomfortable ‘human family’ for better camouflage during Loki’s stay. But as Hyrrokkin and Heimdall struggle with parenting, and Thor steals all the glamour and valour with his gorgeousness, for Loki it’s about to be a miserable month of mishaps. But will there be redemption?

Written by Loki in diary format, dripping in sarcasm and lies (which are frequently corrected by the beleaguered, all-knowing diary itself), this is very funny. The sardonic, tricky Loki is an unlikely hero but it’s hard not to adore his deadpan deviousness and vicious but astute observations about the more ridiculous aspects of human life. The diary is illustrated with doodles and comic-strip side-stories which are so funny, I properly snorted, and frequently. Full of wit, a smattering of wisdom and fascinating introductions to Norse mythology, I just know that this is going to be a huge hit. And I think there’s more. Thank goodness … because I’m very much looking forward to more badness, Loki style.

[Marisa Noelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book! So much fun for middle grade and my 9 year old gobbled it up. So funny and so much heart. Marvel founds are going to love it. If you're child is into the 13 storey treehouse or Diary of a Wimpy Kid, this is a must read!

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly thought this would be better than it was. But I still enjoyed it and will read the sequel when it comes out.