He left as an apprentice and returned a full-fledged bard, complete
with a fire-wizard's staff in hand and a crow perched on his
shoulder. Between being kidnapped by Norse berserkers and returning
home, Saxon Jack has met Norse Jill, saved sister Lucy from a
shape-shifting troll queen, faced a troll-bear, dragons, and giant
spiders, and drunk from a magic well. This tale of a Saxon Bilbo
Baggins, set in c.e. 793, at the advent of 200 years of Viking
raids on the British Isles, weaves a colorful tapestry of bards and
raiders, evil queens and plucky heroes, quests and home. Jack is a
friendly companion in this exciting story of sacrifices made,
lessons learned, and friends lost and found, all told with grace
and humor. Allusions to Beowulf, the destruction of the Holy Isle
of Lindisfarne, and the Norse legend of Jack and Jill offer a rich
backdrop for a hugely entertaining story sure to appeal to fans of
The Lord of the Rings. (appendix, sources) (Fiction. 10-13) (Kirkus
Reviews)
Jack was eleven when the berserkers loomed out of the fog and
nabbed him. It seems that things are stirring across the water, the
Bard had warned. Ships are being built, swords are being forged. Is
that bad? Jack had asked, for his Saxon village had never before
seen berserkers. Of course. People don't make ships and swords
unless they intend to use them. The year is A.D. 793. In the next
months, Jack and his little sister, Lucy, are enslaved by Olaf
One-Brow and his fierce young shipmate, Thorgil. With a crow named
Bold Heart for mysterious company, they are swept up into an
adventure-quest that follows in the spirit of The Lord of the
Rings. Other threats include a willful mother Dragon, a giant
spider, and a troll-boar with a surprising personality -- to say
nothing of Ivar the Boneless and his wife, Queen Frith, a
shape-shifting half-troll, and several eight foot tall,
orange-haired, full-time trolls. But in stories by award-winner
Nancy Farmer, appearances do deceive. She has never told a richer,
funnier tale, nor offered more timeless encouragement to young
seekers than Just say no to pillaging.
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