Terry Deary's Viking Tales: The Hand of the Viking Warrior

Review also includes:

The Sword of the Viking King, 978-1408122372

Based on historical events, Deary recounts two stories with his trademark humour and observation. Epilogues at the back of each book put the tales in context, so that the interested reader and/or teacher can check out or discover more information.

In The Hand of the Viking Warrior an initially peaceful meeting between the Vikings and Native American Indians turns sour when a bull is accidentally let loose. How the Vikings cope with this problem is helped by their knowledge of an old Viking myth, where one of the gods loses a hand. Irpa, a young Viking girl, sets out to risk just this to help her people. Does it work? You will have to read the book to find out! Deary’s language is pitched just right for readers to enjoy the book independently, if they are not already reading it in class.

In The Sword of the Viking King, the story of King Alfred burning the cakes is once again retold. And then we have the story of how King Alfred is able to penetrate the local Viking camp with help, eventually forging peace between the people of England and the Vikings. Deary tells these stories in such a way that children will want to read more and find out what really happened in this interesting and enjoyable way of accessing History. More, please!