David MacPhail

This is the first in a series of silly, but really fun, comedy books about a young Viking named Thorfinn who doesn't do anything the way he's really supposed to. Instead of drinking beer and throwing axes, he tips his Viking hat to people in the village and makes lovely cups of tea. When he goes on his first raiding party, he wants to paint scenery instead of pillage and he brings back scones instead of treasure. But his nice ways may be just what the Vikings need to stay alive! These books show more aren't really trying to be historically accurate, but they are lots of fun and do give some insight into Vikings and the culture of their era. Plus, you get to use the Viking Name Generator at the back to come up with a new name for yourself and that's awesome. Will make early grade-schoolers laugh and laugh. show less

Thorfinn and the Gruesome Games' by David MacPhail is a fun book for young readers with a lesson about being yourself when everyone around you is trying to make you conform.

Young Thorfinn is the nicest Viking in his village, maybe in history. Harald the Skull-splitter, his father and leader of the village, has a problem with. He wants his son to be fierce, especially since the village is heading to the Gruesome Games, and he wants to win his shield back. Harald finds a tutor, his friend show more Velda, for Thorfinn to learn fierceness from, but it just doesn't work. Harald has other problems since his rival chieftain will be there and a couple of his best competitors are mysteriously out of the contest. Can Harald get his beloved shield back? Will Thorfinn learn to be a fierce Viking and be less nice? Harald the Skull-Splitter turns to his second team, which includes Thorfinn, Oswald, and Velda. They end up saving the day, and Thorfinn makes a new friend in Osric the Brick-Swallower who, as it turns out, never wanted to play the role of bad guy and has been mistreated by his father.

This book is a great one to read when talking about acceptance of others, sportmanship, cheating, bullying and even when studying The Vikings. I think this book should be in elementary school libraries as well as classroom libraries. Children will smile and get the lessons without being hit over the head with them.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. show less

Really Funny, a great book to put in the hands of a reluctant reader who likes funny books. A story of a gentle and polite viking boy saving the day is a win!

This is the second book in the Thorfinn series that I have read and I have enjoyed them both. Thorfinn is the Viking Chief, Harald's son, but instead of being barbaric and horrible he is unfailingly polite, nice and co-operative with everyone. In this book the village must prepare a feast for the visiting King and Queen and Thorfinn, who feels the Viking diet is too dependent on meat, decides to prepare a seafood feast. Magnus, the chief of another village, again makes an appearance in this show more book. He wants to burn Thorfinn's village to the ground so we know he is going to be trying to sabotage the special feast. We meet some new strange and weird characters in this book such as Gertrude the Grotty, a cook, Grut the Goat Gobbler, the greediest man in all of Norway, and Torsten the ship sinker among others.

Thorfinn and his crew head off the Orkney to meet his uncle and learn how to cook fish for the feast. They miraculously make it there as well as to Scotland where they are given many different types of fish before heading home. Of course there are a lot of misadventures that turn out just right due to Thorfinn's attitude.

Thorfinn may be polite and mild mannered, but he is no wimp. There is a smart and tough hero within, and that hero emerges in a natural and plausible fashion. Of course we can not forget Thorfinn's dad who is constantly perplexed about how he, a fearsome Viking chief, could have such a mild son, but he loves and supports him anyway. The other Vikings are never confident of Thorfinn's likelihood of being victorious, but in every book they root for him and rally round just the same. Velda, the angry girl who tries to teach Thorfinn anger skills and becomes his friend is by his side again helping him when and where she can. This book is shot through with "be true to yourself" messages that seems just right for the target readers.

The early chapter book reader (late primary, early junior) end up with a good story, interesting heroes, quality writing, some laughs, and a very engaging reading experience. This is a well written book that would be great for reluctant readers. This book would be a great addition to classroom, school and public libraries.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. show less