Review by Booklist Review
Gr. 2^-4. The twelfth installment in Jon Scieszka's popular Time Warp Trio series catapults Fred, Joe, and Sam straight from Fred's room in Brooklyn into a Viking adventure. This time, the magic of Uncle Joe's mysterious time-travel book is triggered by Sam chanting the word "Thursday" over and over. Who knew the cosmos would interpret "Thursday" as the Norse god Thor's day and send the trio back to 1000 A.D.? As ever, the scrappy threesome finds big trouble in the form of a boatload of Vikings from Greenland, complete with Leif Ericksson; an annoying official poet (or skald) aptly named Bullshik; and a new diet of roast walrus and whale blubber. The snappy dialogue and classic boy humor in this series of chapter books guarantee chuckles from the most reluctant readers--and the generous type size and McCauley's comic illustrations don't hurt either. As a special bonus, readers will learn which other days of the week were named after Norse gods and get tips on creating a Viking name (or nickname) of their own. --Karin Snelson
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
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 (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
In their latest adventure, Joe, Sam, and Fred travel back to 1000 C.E., where they meet up with Leif Eriksson and a crew of bloodthirsty Vikings. Illustrated with comic art, the fast-paced story delivers the kind of nonstop action, mischievous humor (two of the Vikings are named Fulluvit and Bullshik), and wisecracking dialogue that will especially appeal to reluctant readers. From HORN BOOK Spring 2003, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
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)
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
