- Illustrated Chapter Books
- Ages 8–11
- Comedy
Loki: A Bad God's Guide to Causing Chaos
Book 5 of 5 in Loki: A Bad God's GuideView the full series
When Freyja, goddess of Love and War, moves to Earth with a magical necklace and a herd of giant cats, everyone around Loki starts behaving very strangely. For once the trickster god has to end the chaos, not cause it. The fifth doodle-packed diary in the series.
- Best for8–11
- FormatIllustrated
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Comedic
- Conversational
- Epistolary
Tone
- Funny
- Irreverent
- Exciting
- Silly
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
The elf Vinir is now staying in Midgard disguised as a schoolboy, and Odin sends the goddess Freyja to pose as his guardian. But when Freyja, goddess of Love and War, comes to stay she brings a magical necklace, a herd of giant cats and a great deal of trouble. Soon everyone around Loki, his friends, his family and even his enemies, starts behaving very strangely indeed: Thor is suddenly getting mysterious fan mail, Valerie and Georgina won't stop bickering, and Hyrrokkin has taken against Loki. For once, the god who is supposed to cause the chaos finds himself having to end it before someone gets hurt, all while tolerating a lovesick enemy, stopping his friends from waging war and dealing with pesky frost giants yet again. Told through Loki's exasperated, funny diary entries and comic-strip doodles, this fifth instalment keeps the Norse mythology, the boasts and the poop jokes coming while quietly showing a bad god learning to look after the people around him.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
Aimed at 8-11s reading independently, with the illustration-heavy diary format welcoming confident readers from about 7. The humour reads aloud well, and the ensemble of squabbling gods and friends gives the whole band plenty to enjoy.
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- Best fit · 8–11
- Read aloud · 7–10
- Independent · 8–11
Prose load
Light
Visual support
High
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Strong
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Reading together
- Gift-buying
- Reluctant readers
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
2 / 5 · Better outside bedtime
Sensitive-child
4 / 5 · Good fit
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Funny diary
- Norse mythology
- Reluctant readers
- Laugh out loud comedy
Avoid if
- Wants gentle bedtime
- Prefers prose only
Particularly good for children who are…
- Reluctant reader
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
It's brilliantly funny to watch the god of chaos forced to calm everyone down for once, with giant cats, a magical love-and-war necklace and a lovesick enemy turning Loki's whole world upside down. The doodles, snark and mythical mayhem never let up.
- Trickery and cleverness
- Magic powers
- Friendship and belonging
- Proving yourself
- Having a nemesis
Why parents love it
Flipping the premise so the chaos-maker has to restore order is a smart move that keeps the fifth book fresh, and the friendship squabbles give it heart. Heavily illustrated and full of jokes, it's an easy sell to reluctant readers and fun to read aloud.
- Shared humour
- Quick to read
In the series
Loki: A Bad God's Guide.
5 books · open the series →
About the author & illustrator
Louie Stowell.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
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Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
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