Viking It and Liking It (The Time Warp Trio Series #12)

by Jon Scieszka, Adam McCauley (Illustrator)

Overview

The Time Warp Trio discover that when they say the word "Thursday" (derived from the Viking god Thor, as in "Thor's Day") over and over again too close to a certain magic book, they are transported back to 1000 A.D. Now repackaged. Illustrations.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780756925895
Publisher:	Perfection Learning Corporation
Publication date:	01/01/2004
Series:	Time Warp Trio Series , #12
Pages:	96
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.50(h) x 0.25(d)
Age Range:	8 - 10 Years

About the Author

Multiple award-winning author Jon Scieszka grew up in Flint, Michigan, the second oldest and the nicest of six boys. Jon went to school at Culver Military Academy in Indiana where he was a Lieutenant; Albion College in Michigan where he studied to be a doctor; and Columbia University in New York, where he got a M.F.A. in fi ction. He taught elementary school in New York for ten years in a variety of positions. In addition to his work as an author, Jon also runs a web-based literacy program called “Guys Read” that is designed to encourage boys, particularly reluctant readers, to get involved with books. Currently, he lives in Brooklyn, NY with his wife and two kids.

Recently, Jon was named the country’s first National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, a joint effort of the Library of Congress and the Children’s Book Council. During his two-year role as Ambassador, he will act as a spokesperson for children’s literature, speaking to groups of parents, teachers, and children to encourage the importance of reading.

Editorial Reviews

The Barnes & Noble Review
The Time Warp Trio are off for more adventure, and this time, Joe, Sam, and Fred are rocking the boat with those legendary Scandinavian warriors. When the lads zoom back in time to Vinland (that's North America to us non-Vikings) and come face to face with Leif Eriksson, they offer to help him find America. But when Native Americans attack, chasing the entire group into the Vikings' boat and out to the wide-open sea, the three boys must prove themselves or get thrown overboard as a watery sacrifice. To save their own hides, the TWT conjure up clever tricks to make the Vikings believe they've mastered Rune magic, and their quick thinking also comes in handy when Grim Snake-in-the-Grass (Leif's jealous, no-name cousin) tries to usurp Leif's claim as discoverer of the New Land. With hilarious extra characters who add to the fun, like Bullshik and Fulluvit -- two Viking singer-poets -- and Gunnar the swordsman, Viking It and Liking It is a rip-roaring installment that will have young history buffs learning Nordic lore while bellowing "Roooaaahh!" Matt Warner

Gr 3-5-The Time Warp Trio takes a surprise time hike back to A.D. 1000. There, Joe, Fred, and Sam get to know some Vikings up close and personal. Outfitted only with a zebra-striped bedspread and their brains, the boys find themselves in the midst of a family rumble between Leif Eriksson and Grim Snake-in-the-Grass. As ever, their wits serve them well, and the friends recognize the Viking version of the Book when they need it most. Scieszka works his usual quirky magic with bits of actual information inserted among the wisecracks, and McCauley's cartoons parallel the unlikely plot. This wacky combination of story and art is just right for newly independent readers who enjoy a good joke.-Pat Leach, Lincoln City Libraries, NE

School Library Journal

Another adventure in history by the boys in the Time Warp Trio. This time they are back to the days of the Vikings, around the year 1000. Scieszka's boys are wrenched from a video game called NFL Smash where players can make up their teams, smash the opponent, and do victory dances in the end zone. Joe, Sam, and Fred enjoy trash talking that comes with the territory. "Your team is so ugly, they have to sneak up on their mirror" and "Your team is so dumb, they went to the library for a book of matches." Ridiculous and predictable adventures, ample lame jokes, and silliness punctuate the tale. A skald (or poet, if you are a little rusty on your Viking myths) narrates each battle or challenge with a short poetic recitation. The trash talk of the modern football game is picked up as Leif Eriksson and his enemy, Grim Snake-in-the-Grass, fight with words and real weapons. Their two skalds, Bullshik and Fulluvit (say it aloud), only act as a humorous diversion from the weak plot. When the boys get into the poem-telling act, their creations are exactly what will cause adult eyes to roll and little boys' chuckles to begin: "Abracadabra / clink think / Nose picker / butt kicker / Zim zam / drink!" Scieszka fits in some interesting reference to the Valkyries, Valhalla, and the fortune-telling properties of runes among all the silliness, and manages to sneak in a lesson about word origins tied to the Norse gods. Light fare at best, Bullshik at worst. (Fiction. 7-10)

Kirkus Reviews