Dirkle Smat and the Viking Shield [Paperback]

Lynn D. Garthwaite (Author), Craig Howarth (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 28, 2008

The Explorer's Club is back! Join the gang in another exciting adventure. This time they uncover a mysterious box hidden in the roots of an old tree where it's been hidden for over a hundred years. This chapter book for early readers, ages 6 to 10, returns with Dirkle, his little brother Quid Smat, along with Toonie Oobles, Fiddy Bublob, and the inventor of the roto-scooter and the Lumleyline, the creative genius, Bean Lumley. Travel with them in Bean's latest invention-a special submarine. Illustrated throughout with bonus pages for readers to form their own Explorer's Club. Lynn Garthwaite lives in Bloomington, Minnesota with her husband and two sons.

Product Details

• Paperback: 52 pages
• Publisher: Castle Keep Press (February 28, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596636505
• ISBN-13: 978-1596636507
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,924,701 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lynn Garthwaite was raised in the idyllic suburb of Bloomington, MN. An avid reader, Lynn began writing her own stories while still in elementary school and pictured herself as a professional writer from a very young age. After college she attended several screenwriting workshops and began writing screenplays in earnest. Several years and seven screenplays later, she put that ambition on the back burner to pursue other interests. When the urge to write hit again, she found that her passion had changed to children's literature, and the "Dirkle Smat Adventure Books" were born.

Lynn's other interests include family (a husband, two grown sons and a daughter-in-law), law enforcement (she's a retired police reserve officer in Bloomington) and gardening. She volunteers in the public schools, at church, and dabbles in local politics. She enjoys being the visiting author at elementary schools and structures her presentation to match the age group of the audience. The best part of author visits, she claims, is the question and answer session. "Kids ask the BEST questions!"

She has also been named the Writing Examiner on Minneapolis Examiner.com. Read her articles for advice to aspiring writers.

Visit her blog at: www.lynngarthwaiteblog.com and website at: www.dirklesmat.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A 44-page 'chap book' specifically written for young readers ages 6 to 10, April 17, 2009

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dirkle Smat and the Viking Shield (Paperback)

Enhanced with occasional black-and-white illustrations by Craig Howarth, "Dirkle Smat And The Viking Shield" by author Lynn D. Garthwaite is the story of a group of young friends who discover a mysterious box hidden in the roots of an old tree where it had been placed some 300 years ago. A 44-page 'chap book' specifically written for young readers ages 6 to 10, "Dirkle Smat And The Viking Shield" is enhanced with bonus pages for children to form their own Explorer's Club similar to that of the young protagonists Dirkle, his little brother Quid Smat, and friends Toonie Oobles, Fiddy Bublob, and Bean Lumley. Entertaining and engaging, "Dirkle Smat And The Viking Shield" is recommended for family, elementary school, and community library collections for early readers.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Joy for Children of all Ages, February 20, 2010

By 

Medic/911 (Washington state) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dirkle Smat and the Viking Shield (Paperback)

In this day of commputer Games and cable T.V., It is refreshing to find an exciting and engaging book that stirs a childs imagination. I gave this book to my two nephews ages six and eight, and was pleased to see them enjoying the adventures of Dirkle Smat and his friends.

I feel this book should be in every school and in the home of everyone who has children. We need to encourage our children to read and expand their imaginations. This book goes a long way in achieving this goal.

A true five star adventure for the entire family.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Adventure for early readers, appealing especially to boys. Yeah!, March 2, 2009

By 

Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dirkle Smat and the Viking Shield (Paperback)

Part of a series:

Dirkle Smat Inside Mount Flat Bottom
Dirkle Smat and the Flying Statue

Meet the Explorers Club, Dirkle Smat, leader of the group;, his brother Quid who always appears braver on the outside than he is truly feeling on the inside;, Fiddy Bublob, a.k.a. snack- bearer;, Bean Lumley, a true inventor; and Toonie Oobles who adds a touch of feminine sensibility to the troop. Each of these curious kids shows inventiveness and intelligence while solving some minor and some not-so-minor mysteries together.

In Inside of Mount Flatbottom the Club uses their creative inventions to spelunk a deep, dark cave and then stumbles on to the answer to a long- held myth. They also make some new friends in the process.

Dirkle Smat and the Flying Statue, the second book in the series, takes the reader along with the kids to a magical land where they find getting home might be a little more puzzling a predicament than they bargained for.

In the third book in the series, Dirkle Smat and the Viking Shield, Dirkle and his friends find a century's old map that leads them to a great historical treasure. The treasure inspires the kids to leave a bit of their own history to unearth.

Lynne Garthwaite's Dirkle Smat series is a fun trip to the worlds of wonder that are often right here in our own backyard. Each story shows the value of helping one another through team work, positive encouragement and planning. They display a great transitional reading level for those children just entering the chapter book stage while still giving them plenty of illustrations to keep it appealing and a length that won't overwhelm.

My son is now in the fourth grade, and a little past the age for Lynn's starter chapter books-but when he was at this stage, it was frustrating to be unable to find books that I thought were challenging enough without being discouraging for him. To add to the difficulty there were even less that were out there that had a theme that appealed to boys.

Armchair Interviews says: Each of the books in the series is an exciting story for children just starting to read.