Customer Reviews

History News: The Viking News

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

 

 

Children in the fifth through eighth grades who are studying Vikings would find this book very entertaining. The readings are short, illustrations are plenty and colorful, and the "voice" is usually first person.

The author took great pains to present Viking history, social customs, and every day life in a manner with which children could readily identify. For instance, there are "newspaper ads" for common household needs that are written in "today's" format. News snippets are linked together by general topics.

As a historian and former Norwegian achaeologist, I was delighted to see that historical accuracy was upheld when writing this book.

This book does not intended to make anyone a scholar, but for children first encountering the Vikings, the book cleverly spoons much history into young brains. Furthermore, the newpaper format makes parental reading enjoyable.

This book belongs on any social studies shelf.

Mildly amusing and educational, but falls short of the much funnier (and much more informative) "Viking Invader" by Paul Dowswell, a book with the same newspaper concept.

The Viking News is a good book to give to people who don't know anything, or know very little about the vikings, since each story is short, and with out much detail and besides that, it is fun to read.