The historical background of Washington D.C.
is what interests and excites me the most. With this in mind, I will be
spending the next few, okay several, posts telling you a bit about different
books, movies, events, etc. that I have enjoyed for their historical content.
“I spend an exorbitant amount of time reading.” is a quote from Loves Enduring Promise that certainly
describes me well. There is so much available to discover in a book.
The Viking Quest Series
I guess it isn’t quite fair to be
starting with a series but I couldn’t find a better place to start than the
beginning of recorded events that have transpired in North
America. A total of five books, this series of historical fiction
follows Brianna O’Toole, a young Irish girl who is captured by Viking raiders
as she struggles to sort out her new life as a Norwegian slave.
Something I
really love about these books is the realness of the characters. You know how
some characters in books are so hopelessly sweet and good that it’s hard to
relate to them. Not in the Viking Quest! You not only follow Bree’s outward
struggles, but also her inward struggles against hate, fear, and other real
human problems. It’s also neat to see how she leans on Jesus Christ throughout
all she experiences. It’s a true challenge to my faith as well as an
encouragement to witness that, with God, all things truly are possible (even if
it is only fiction).
For those
of you who are wondering what beginning I spoke of earlier, I’ll tell you. This
story takes place around the turn of the first millennia and follows the voyage
of Leif Erikson and the very first discovery of America. You get a great picture of
what life was like in those days for brave Nordic people as they prepared for
the harsh winters and waited out fierce Atlantic storms. These are truly some
of my favorite historical fiction.
Suggested
for ages ten and up, the Viking Quest books would be great for family read-alouds
or even devotionals. (There are some discussion questions included in the
back.)The first time I heard of this series was when my Mom read the first book
to us kids as part of our history curriculum. She didn’t realize until the end
that it was part of a series. A couple of years later, I pulled the book out
again and read it myself. As I came to the end I remembered the frustrating
ending and decided that I was going to find out what came next. After
discovering the books and ordering them, I read through all of them within
about a week. Needless to say, they were amazing!
So for
those of you heading into the summer wondering what to do, I would highly
suggest finding a good book whether it be the Viking Quest or something else.
God bless you!
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