Birk is a young Viking but he is not interested in the usual Viking pursuits of pillage, fighting and violence. He has a dangerous name but he is afraid of combat. His mother, though, is determined to turn Birk into a fighter so she sends him off with a group of other young Vikings. You can tell a lot about this group by their names.
"Harold the Thump, Griswold Forkbeard, Boyle and Biddulph the Horrible Twins, Athol Hammerfist, Ulric Bloodaxe and Knut the Bully."
The group raid a pretty village but Birk hides in the fields and when the others leave he stays behind. The people in the village lock him in a cage and prepare to burn him but Birk gently befriends the village children. One pretty village girl called Gwenda offers Birk food and kindness. As the day for the burning approaches, the other Vikings return. Can Birk save the day?
Birk the Berserker was first published in 1987 and it was shortlisted by the CBCA in 1988. In 2007 it was reprinted by Scholastic (Omnibus Books). Of course it is now out of print but you might find a copy in a school library. The later edition had a different format and cover.
If you are looking for a book to read aloud to a group of Year One or Two children this book would be a perfect choice. It is a long time since I first read Birk the Berserker but it absolutely did not disappoint. Robin Klein was such a master storyteller.
You may remember I recently talked about a new book about Robin Klein - Letter's from Robin by Jon Appleton. You are sure to know her famous book Thing (and the sequel Thingnapped). One of Robin Klein's other easy chapter books from the 1980s was this one - Birk the Berserker. At that time publishers (Oxford University Press) were producing wonderful easy chapter books for readers aged 7+ larger format with an almost square shape. There were so many I loved to share with library groups including a couple by Robin Klein:
She Wolf is an action packed thrilling story that keeps you reading right to the end. Ylva finds her mother has been murdered by a three fingered-man. Ylva is honour bound to avenge the death of her mother by finding and killing her murderer.
"When the door opened, a bald and bearded giant of a man emerged and stepped down into the deep snow that lay on the track. As tall and wide as two ordinary men, he had blue-tattooed runes arched over each ear, and a history of past battles etched in scars on his face. Rings of black Kohl were painted around the palest blue eyes, making them fade into his skull like the eyes of the dead. ... dressed in grey wolf furs, he moved like a beast, walking with his head down, a sword hanging loose in his left hand. The blade was wet with blood. The two smallest fingers on the man's right hand were missing. "
Ylva is a Dane who has arrived in a part of England controlled by Saxons. The year is 866. Ylva had been waiting away from the hut while her mother went to trade. She is alone now in that same hut with the body of her dead mother and the body of the trader who her mother was visiting. During the night a woman and boy arrive. Ylva is immediately on her guard. Her mother has told her so many wise things including not to trust anyone on the road and that survival comes first. Ylva's dog is also full of wise words telling Ylva who to trust and who to fear but she often ignores this advice and so it takes her long time to trust Cathryn and Bron who, despite her best efforts to get away, join her on her journey to find the three fingered-man. Cathryn disagrees with revenge but she seems determined to keep young Ylva safe even though Ylva keeps assuring Cathryn she is perfectly capable of taking care of herself.
"... revenge is a sly beast. Holding something as dark as that in your heart is like grabbing Jormungandr the world serpent by the tail - it's likely to turn around and swallow you whole ... or spit poison in your face and let you suffer. Nothing will bring (your mother back) Young Wolf. Not even revenge."
I loved the pace of this story, the way the writing made you feel the bitter cold and the sounds of the wolves howling in the distance. The battle scenes are violent and powerful. Ylva is a girl with true courage. And I especially loved the voice of her dog Geri. Dan Smith also adds some clever plot devices that added to my curiosity. Ylva wears a neck scarf and she is anxious that it is never removed. She also will not allow anyone to touch her. Bron cannot or will not speak. Instead he uses hand signs. He is not the son of Cathryn - who is this boy?
The other strength of this story comes from the way Dan Smith skillfully weaves in so much Viking history and legend so that is just feels like a natural part of the story. Kate Forsyth made some very wise comments about this process in a recent interview with Richard Glover. You can hear them discussing what writers mean by 'show don't tell'; 'fill you story with conflict'; 'leave out the boring parts'; and most importantly 'don't let the research overshadow the story.' Kate says "the historical research should be so delicately woven in, it is utterly invisible and the reader is learning without knowing they are learning." How do you stop the research from overwhelming your novel? Kate edits her work down so that the "prose as swift and supple and light as possible, as transparent as possible" "learning by subtle osmosis. ... This is not a history textbook it's a novel - a story about people's lives."
Chicken House have this terrific device where they explain a book in three words and offer a way into the book by suggesting you read a specific page (page 8). On the Chicken House web site you can read the first eight pages of this book. The three words for She Wolf are:
vikings vengeance wolves
How did I find this book?
Recently I was browsing through a Scholastic Book Club brochure when I spied this book by Dan Smith. I liked the look of the cover. I checked in our Book Bunker at the hospital where I work as volunteer and we had several titles by Dan Smithincluding this one. I was made even more curious when I saw the Bunker had located this book in our Young Adult Collection but the Scholastic brochure said for ages 9+. Now that I have read She Wolf I have to disagree with this suggested age and I would put this book into the hands of mature readers aged 11+.
This book reminded me of The Young Vikings by James Moloney and The Legend of Podkin One-Ear by Kieran Larwood. I also recommend you try to find the Viking Magic series by Anna Ciddor and older books by Rosemary Sutcliff.
I am now keen to read another book by Dan Smith which features the same cover designer (Jill Calder) but which is set during WWII - My friend the Enemy.
I am reading my way through the twenty CBCA Notable titles (Younger Readers) and I keep being surprised. Here is a book I would probably not have picked up. I'm not really interested in Vikings and the cover doesn't appeal to me. It is good to know I was wrong. This is a terrific action packed story filled with fierce battles, friendship and, the part I liked best, a hero who uses his intelligence.
"I was desperate to avenge my father's murder. I heard him cry for blood every night in my dreams. I wanted blood on my sword more than anyone. There in front of the young Vikings, I asked Torsten the only question that really mattered. 'Could we take on Bloodtooth's men in Belvor?"
I will use this quote to explain the plot of The Young Vikings.
Agnor Bloodtooth and his men have attacked the village of Moberg. Hauk and his young friends arrive home after a hunting trip and find all the adult males of the village are dead. The boys decided to avenge their fathers. To do this they begin to train with axes and swords but tempers and rivalries hinder their progress. Hauk can see their plan will not work. He enlists the help of Torsten, a former warrior whose injuries mean he only has one leg. The boys do grow stronger and more skilled and eventually Hauk, himself becomes their leader, but really it will still be a battle of boys against men. Hauk has a better idea. The group should try to reclaim the village longboat - Sea Wolf. This plan will take courage, problem solving, teamwork and trust.
The final battle scenes are not for the faint hearted but this is a Viking story so I did expect quite a lot of blood to be spilled before the Young Vikings could proclaim their victory.
You can read an interview with James Moloney here. From what I can discover this book may be the first in a series but this installment does have a satisfying ending. James Moloney has other books that I have enjoyed such as Swashbuckler, Buzzard Breath and Brains, and several Aussie Bite and Nibble titles. I especially enjoyed Disappearing Act and his After Dark title - The Pipe. I also recently read one of his YA titles - A Bridge to Wiseman's Cove.
If the topic of Vikings interests you or your readers look for these titles in your library:
For the youngest children I would begin with The Last Viking and The Last Viking Returns by Norman Jorgensen.
Then I would look for this very old book which is great fun:
For older primary students:
You might also look for the Viking Magic series by Anna Ciddor.
The spooky music of this trailer by Jen Storer for The Fourteenth Summer of Angus Jack matches perfectly with the tone of this complex fantasy. As the blurb says : this book is funny, exhilarating and a little bit scary.
One of the most intriguing aspects of this book comes from trying to work out who are the good characters and who are the evil ones. This does get sorted out but not until quite close to the final battle scene. If you need to select an extract from this book this scene would be a good one to read aloud - Chapter 48 and 49.
There is a veil between our human world and the Old Realm - the world of goblins, witches and magick. Some humans have worked out how to move between the worlds. Two little goblin girls have come to our human world in search of a narrare. The hope to retrieve this precious globe shaped object and thus gain the status of the elite Guardian Class back in their own world. Two human children are caught up in this drama when their grieving father moves them, once again, this time to live beside the beach and beside a very odd old lady, Reafen, who has an intriguing shop. It is in this shop where the children see and learn about the narrare.
"It holds memories of the goblins .. each tiny snowflake stores memories of their customs, their music, their stories, their comings and goings. Their knowledge of the earth - its mountains, its land, its subterranean treasures. To own the narrare is to own the power. In the Old Realm they are guarded with great reverence."
One of my favourite scenes in this book comes when the carnival man Barney (a minor character), who is love with The Donut Lady, tries to take the boat which belongs to the goblin girls.
Graini explains "It is an awe-inspiring vessel and that Barney person tried to steal it. When our boat would not allow him on board, he became angry. He tried to take a slice of our boat's timber ... so our boat bit him ... And hurled him aside. ... You do not want to get bitten by one of our boats. They have an exceptional grip. .. Our boat blasted him with flames from its mouth . Whoosh!"
Here is a terrific description of Reafen : "The new neighbour was not much taller than Martha, and slightly hunched. But the way she was dressed! ...an evening gown. It was lurid red like squashed pomegranates ... the top bit was layered with heavy black lace and studded with large red beads that twinkled in the sun. A lolly-pink feather boa trailed from her throat. Her hair was blue-black, piled in glossy loops like curled licorice straps."
Character list
Angus Jack - age fourteen trying to make sense of his father, cope with the grief of losing his mother and take care of his sister
Martha Jack - Sister to Angus, in a rage against the world and especially against her father
The Professor - father of Angus and Martha
The Donut Lady - a traveller between Realms, her motivations are slowly revealed
Reafen - the eccentric old lady who has a cluttered junk shop called Frozen in Time which is next door to Angus and Martha. She wears outrageous clothes and has very large feet. Her main diet consists of very sugary treats.
Graini and Ava - the goblin girls. They are loyal and brave become very good friends to Angus and Martha whom they recognise as "kind and truth-speaking ... gentle and peace-loving humans."
Varla - the witch from the Old Realm who is desperate to get her hands on the narrare that Reafen has on display in her shop. She uses mirrors to spy on our world.
Lynch - he is also after the narrare and will stop at nothing to get it.
I read The fourteenth summer of Angus Jack because it is another title from our CBCA 2016 Notables list. There are some excellent titles in this category - Younger Readers - but I think this book is certain to reach the final short list of six.
