Children's ✦ Penny’s Take
Voyages
Doris Buchanan Smith · 1989
72/100
👍 Worth It
Weaving a hospitalized child's trauma with journeys into Norse mythology is an unusual and delicate move, and an ALA Notable distinction says Doris Buchanan Smith pulled it off with lyrical prose. The Norse mythology content — Odin, Loki, a Ring of Protection — is integral, not incidental, so faith-conscious families should know that going in. For the right reader, though, this is a quietly powerful book about finding courage through imagination.
✦ Penny’s Take — this is The Review Group’s own editorial assessment. Penny’s analytical review line researched this book from real sources and scored it across the lenses shown below. It’s an honest first-party read — not a page-by-page personal one. The gold ✓ Penny Tested mark is reserved for books Penny reads cover to cover herself.
⚠ Parent note — our reviewers flagged: Norse mythological/pagan figures (Odin, Loki) are central to the plot — some faith-based families may wish to preview. We still scored it 72; these are context for your family, not an automatic skip.
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Show the math
Verdict receipt0–100
safety70
substance76
craft80
originality78
accuracy75
hype72
age-fit70
human-eye76
Penny’s verdict72
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