Customer Reviews

Dirkle Smat and the Viking Shield

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Dirkle Smat belongs to a club of Explorers in One Oak Bay, but now after a huge storm, the lone Oak has blown over. While investigating the wreckage from the storm the explorers club discovers an old rusted box in the roots of the tree. They take the box back to their club house and in it they find a letter and a treasure map. That's when the big adventure begins.

This book is geared for early readers ages 5-10. I would say it is more suited for 4-8, but it is a fun story and well written and illustrated. It's part of a series so if you and your children enjoy it you could also read Dirkle Smat Inside Mount Flatbottom and Dirkle Smat and the Flying Statue.

REVIEWED BY: Wayne S. Walker, reviewer with Stories for Children Magazine

Have you ever gone searching for ancient artifacts? Yoips! Here's another adventure for Dirkle Smat and his Explorers Club buddies. At Lone Oak Bay on nearby Squabble Lake, a lone oak tree has fallen down during a storm. The ball of dirt surrounding the upended roots is taller than Dirkle. Along with his younger brother, Quid, Fiddy Bublob, Toonie Oobles, and Bean Lumley, Dirkle finds an old metal box while searching through those roots. It contains a letter from 1864 by Desmond Frank Wobnurt, along with a treasure map. However, there is a problem: The site where the treasure is supposed to be buried is now under Squabble Lake! What is the treasure? What new invention will Bean Lumley devise to help them access it? And will they actually find something, or is this all just a hoax?

When I was a child, I loved reading good adventure stories. In fact, I still do now! However, not many exciting adventure books have been written especially for younger readers. Author Lynn D. Garthwaite has come up with another winner. This early reader chapter book should capture the youngsters' attention and help get them hooked on reading. In addition to being a fun book to read, Dirkle Smat and the Viking Shield introduces children to the historical aspects of Norse visits to the North American continent before Columbus "discovered" America. Any book that emphasizes the importance and enjoyment of exploring our history to young people will get high praise from me. This is a truly enjoyable story.