Title: Wulfgar and the Vikings
Author: Christina Eastwood
Series: Wulfgar the Saxon
Major Themes: Alfred the Great, England 800s, Vikings, Anglo-Saxons
Synopsis: Wulfgar’s village lived in fear of the Vikings—but a surprising visitor brought hope.
A few years ago, I was visiting some friends and picked up a book that was lying on their coffee table. It was a story about a boy who lived in Britain over a thousand years ago. It looked quite interesting, so I filed the title away in my mind for the future. Then, not too long ago, my mom told me about reading the same series to some of my nephews, so I decided we ought to get the series, too. They happened to be on sale soon after that, so I bought the Wulfgar the Saxon series. I just finished reading the first one, Wulfgar and the Vikings, to the children. We ended up with a bit of a mixed reaction to it.
Publisher’s description:
Were the old Saxon gods real? If not, where did everything come from? What really happens after death? Wulfgar the Saxon is perplexed and sudden death for him and his village seems only too likely as fierce Viking raiders are over-running his native Wessex. Even the king is being defeated at every turn. When he least expects it, Wulfgar meets a stranger who gives him surprising answers but how will he and his friends escape when their turn comes?
Painstakingly researched, the Wulfgar the Saxon books give an accurate picture of Anglo-Saxon life and how real Christian faith can flourish even in turbulent and dangerous times.
My thoughts:
I really liked the way Wulfgar and the Vikings brought the times of Alfred the Great to life. Other than Rosemary Sutcliff’s series about Roman Britain and the years after, I haven’t come across anything about this time and place. I liked that this book told the story from a Christian perspective. At the same time, the children found it a bit boring, as there are a lot of pages of monologues, when someone tells the story of what happened to them, or when Morcant teaches Wulfgar or the other villagers about Jesus. I was also disappointed that, though the people came to love God’s Word and wanted to obey Him, they didn’t figure out that Jesus taught us to love our enemies. That did give us a starting point to talk about Jesus’ teachings, though.
WARNING: Chapter 9: Viking attack; many people burned to death.
Age levels:
Listening Level—Ages 8 – 12, 10 – 12
Reading Independently—Ages 8 – 12, 10 – 12, 12 – 15
Links to buy this book:
Amazon: Paperback
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
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