Thorfinn and the Gruesome Games

By David MacPhail

Prepare yourself for the wrath of the Norsemen! That is, if you don't mind and it's not too inconvenient... Everyone knows Vikings are ruthless barbarians whose idea of a good time involves pillaging, plundering and feasting. But Thorfinn is no ordinary Viking! He is always polite and happily offers to wash the dirty dishes. Too bad his dad is Harald the Skull-Splitter, Village Chief and the roughest and toughest Viking of them all. Harald, Thorfinn and the other Vikings are preparing to compete in the annual Gruesome Games, held on the Scottish island of Uraig. It falls to Thorfinn to save their village, but in a competition where belching, axe-throwing, pie-clobbering and goat-throwing are great point scorers, what help will a terribly nice Viking with a talent for baking be? Thorfinn the Nicest Viking is a funny, illustrated, action-packed new series for young readers who love Horrid Henry and Diary of a Wimpy Kid, set in a world where manners mean nothing and politeness is pointless!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kelpies
• Release date: Aug 21, 2015
• ISBN: 9781782501619

David MacPhail

David MacPhail left home at eighteen to travel the world and have adventures. After working as a chicken wrangler, a ghost-tour guide and a waiter on a tropical island, he now has the sensible job of writing about yetis, Vikings and ghostly detectives. At home in Perthshire, Scotland, he exists on a diet of cream buns and zombie movies. David is also the author of Yeti on the Loose and the Thorfinn the Nicest Viking series.

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

Indgar was like any normal Viking village, with sword fighting in the morning, wrestling in the afternoon, and at least three big punch-ups before dinner. And that was just for the old folk.

Around lunchtime the women of the village gathered round the well with their laundry. Not that they ever did any laundry. Usually they just catapulted it into the fjord. It would almost always wash up on shore the next day, slightly cleaner than it had been when it went in.

One of the women spotted the chief’s son – a boy called Thorfinn – stepping out from behind a large sheet covering the great hall.

What are you up to, Thorfinn? she asked.

Good day, dear ladies, said Thorfinn, removing his helmet. You’ll be the first to see my new surprise. Ta da! He pulled the sheet away.

The women’s screams could be heard on the other side of the village.

Thorfinn’s father, Harald the Skull-Splitter, Chief of Indgar, sat alone in his chamber, wrapped in furs. He was writing down a list of the village’s competitors for this year’s International Gruesome Games. It did not make good reading. The only contest they had a chance of winning was belching.

Harald scratched his head and looked around his private chamber. The walls were adorned with stags’ heads, trophies and souvenirs from his many adventures. Harald eyed the village’s ceremonial sword, Whirlwind. He had carried it into battle many times. It was a symbol of his power as village chief.

His eyes moved slowly to the empty space next to it, where his ceremonial shield, Sword-Blunter, used to sit. Whirlwind and Sword-Blunter belonged together, but the shield had been lost in battle many years ago. The chief of the neighbouring village, Magnus the Bone-Breaker, had it now.

Magnus would be at the games too, thought Harald. He would be gloating over the shield and showing it off to everyone. Harald would do anything to get it back.

Suddenly, half the men of the village stormed into his house, yelling over each other and trying to get through his chamber door.

Chief!

Boss!

Their faces pressed together as they all became stuck, their eyes bulging out of their heads, their arms sticking out all over the place.

Eek!

Huuyyyyy! Boss, listen!

Bleuuuugh! Chief, quick!

Harald did not like to be interrupted. He rose from his seat, glaring at the men with venom. Harald was famous for his incredibly twitchy eye. It could strike fear into the heart of anyone, even the fiercest of the fierce. And it was quite useful at times like this.

He deployed the twitch. The men froze in the doorway, terrified.

WHAT is the meaning of this? Harald roared. Barging into my house, my own private chamber. Well, what do you have to say for yourselves, you fish-faced idiots?

For a moment nobody spoke. Lots of eyes just looked round at one another. Then, it was as if a spring had been released, as the men

Reviews for Thorfinn and the Gruesome Games

[carlathelibrarian · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Thorfinn and the Gruesome Games' by David MacPhail is a fun book for young readers with a lesson about being yourself when everyone around you is trying to make you conform.

Young Thorfinn is the nicest Viking in his village, maybe in history. Harald the Skull-splitter, his father and leader of the village, has a problem with. He wants his son to be fierce, especially since the village is heading to the Gruesome Games, and he wants to win his shield back. Harald finds a tutor, his friend Velda, for Thorfinn to learn fierceness from, but it just doesn't work. Harald has other problems since his rival chieftain will be there and a couple of his best competitors are mysteriously out of the contest. Can Harald get his beloved shield back? Will Thorfinn learn to be a fierce Viking and be less nice? Harald the Skull-Splitter turns to his second team, which includes Thorfinn, Oswald, and Velda. They end up saving the day, and Thorfinn makes a new friend in Osric the Brick-Swallower who, as it turns out, never wanted to play the role of bad guy and has been mistreated by his father.

This book is a great one to read when talking about acceptance of others, sportmanship, cheating, bullying and even when studying The Vikings. I think this book should be in elementary school libraries as well as classroom libraries. Children will smile and get the lessons without being hit over the head with them.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.