Raiders from the Sea (Viking Quest Series)

Rating:
Summary: Excellent read for boys and girls
Review: The book operates well on an adventure level when Bree rescues Mikkel, who will later go on to raid beautiful Glndalough monastery and take her and her brother captive. The sections where she tries to rescue her brothers and sisters is excellent too. There is lots of excitement, especially when Dev has to try to make his way back home after Bree is able to free him. She of course has to go to Norway. Gripping stuff!!
On the Christian level it is sincere without being preachy.
On the historical level it is accurate and very interesting. The details of life in Ireland and on the Viking ship are superb. A wonderful read for kids adn adults alike.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful!
Review: Thirteen-year-old Bree O'Toole and her fourteen-year-old brother, Devin, live with their parents and younger siblings on a farm in Ireland in the late tenth century. Bree loves her beautiful home, and is grateful that even though she is a girl, she was given the opportunity to be educated at the monastery. But at the same time, she often longs to see faraway places. She gets her wish, but in a terrible way. One day, she rescues a young man from drowning, not realizing he is a Viking and by saving him she has put her family and village in danger. The Vikings capture Bree and Devin during their raid. Devin is later set free by the young Viking leader, Mikkel - the same young man Bree rescued from drowning. But as the Viking ship sails north across the sea, Bree has nothing to look forward to but a life of slavery, and she struggles to hold on to her courage.

Young readers who enjoyed other books by Lois Walfrid Johnson, or who have an interest in historical fiction about the Vikings or the Early Middle Ages, are sure to enjoy this book. It's an exciting historical adventure, and I liked that it covers a time period that I love, but don't see too much of in historical fiction. I look forward to reading the other books in this series to find out what happens next.