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Leif the Unlucky Viking: Saga of the Shooting Star
An hilarious new illustrated chapter book series featuring the hapless adventures of Leif the Unlucky Viking wolf pup, from the creator of the hugely popular Julius Zebra books!
Leif is not unlucky. Yes, he does split his trousers at least once a week. And yes, he's always tripping up and falling down a hole. But he’s determined to become a true Viking hero, just like his dad. Can he unravel the riddles of a witch to find a magical shard of rock that has fallen from a shooting star and wield its mystical powers? He will have to journey deep into the heart of polar bear country, outwitting all kinds of mythological creatures along the way. Thankfully, he has Olaf, the annoying duck, Toki, the nincompoop Puffin, and Flora, the incredibly smelly Muskox, for company. He's going to need all the luck he can get!
Leif is not unlucky. Yes, he does split his trousers at least once a week. And yes, he's always tripping up and falling down a hole. But he’s determined to become a true Viking hero, just like his dad. Can he unravel the riddles of a witch to find a magical shard of rock that has fallen from a shooting star and wield its mystical powers? He will have to journey deep into the heart of polar bear country, outwitting all kinds of mythological creatures along the way. Thankfully, he has Olaf, the annoying duck, Toki, the nincompoop Puffin, and Flora, the incredibly smelly Muskox, for company. He's going to need all the luck he can get!
285 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 3, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 13, 2023
De nieuwste van Gary Northfield en ditmaal met een jonge wolf genaamd Leif, een queeste, maffe dieren die meekomen op de reis, een slechte zus, heel veel blunders, en Noorse mythologie, oh, en boze ijsberen! Ik heb wederom heerlijk genoten, ik keek echt uit naar dit boek toen ik het op Twitter (in het Engels) voorbij zag komen. Gelukkig is er vrij snel een NL vertaling, al had ik natuurlijk liever Engels gelezen maar ja die zijn moeilijk in biebs te vinden, haha.
Ik vond Leif echt een tof hoofdpersoon, al heeft ie echt wel heel veel pech. Maar hij heeft ook veel dapperheid en moed. De queeste was heerlijk, en ik was echt aan het rooten voor Leif en zijn groepje. Het einde was spannend en de illustraties waren leuk! Ik wil meer!
Ik vond Leif echt een tof hoofdpersoon, al heeft ie echt wel heel veel pech. Maar hij heeft ook veel dapperheid en moed. De queeste was heerlijk, en ik was echt aan het rooten voor Leif en zijn groepje. Het einde was spannend en de illustraties waren leuk! Ik wil meer!
April 30, 2024
Witziges Abenteuer unter Wolf-Wikingern
Gary Northfield hat meine Kinder schon mit seinen Geschichten um "Julius Zebra" im alten Rom begeistert. Mit "Leif Wolffson - Total verpeilt im Eisbärenland" hat er uns nun ein witziges Abenteuer bei den Wikingern geschenkt.
Leif Wolffson ist ein echter Pechwolf und ihm passieren immer wieder Missgeschicke. Trotzdem lässt er sich nicht unterkriegen und als er von der Hexe Thorbjorg den Auftrag erhält, einen verlorenen Teil von Thors Hammer einzusammeln, ist er bereit für sein erstes großes Abenteuer. Begleitet wird er von der Ente Olaf, auf die Leif nach einem seiner Unglücke aufpassen muss. Auf dem Weg treffen die beiden noch auf zwei weitere Tiere, die ihnen auf der Reise und bei der Suche helfen und natürlich auf eine Widersacherin, die es ihnen vor allem zum Ende hin nicht leicht macht.
Auf dem Weg ins Eisbärenland wird es sehr lustig, etwas verrückt und Leifs Missgeschicke sorgen immer wieder für viele Lacher. Auch die Ente Olaf, der Papageientaucher Toki und das Moschuskalb Flora sind witzige Kameraden, die für viel Spaß sorgen.
Das Buch ist mit über 300 Seiten zwar recht dick, aber durch viele Bilder und witzige Comic-Elemente fliegt die Geschichte nur so dahin. Der Textanteil ist dann tatsächlich gar nicht mehr so groß. Meinen Jungs gefällt der Zeichenstil der schwarz-weiß Bilder sehr gut und vor allem das "Große Kartenlesespiel", das man direkt im Buch spielen kann, hat bei uns für viel Spaß gesorgt.
Besonders gut gefallen hat uns auch das Glossar am Ende der Geschichte, das zeigt, dass einige der Figuren auf echten Wikingern bzw. Figuren aus der nordischen Mythologie basieren. So lernt man mit "Leif Wolffson" auch noch einiges über die Zeit der Wikinger.
Wir empfehlen das Buch auf allen Kindern ab ca. 8 Jahren, die Lust auf eine witzige Geschichte mit vielen Bildern haben oder sich für Wikinger interessieren.
Gary Northfield hat meine Kinder schon mit seinen Geschichten um "Julius Zebra" im alten Rom begeistert. Mit "Leif Wolffson - Total verpeilt im Eisbärenland" hat er uns nun ein witziges Abenteuer bei den Wikingern geschenkt.
Leif Wolffson ist ein echter Pechwolf und ihm passieren immer wieder Missgeschicke. Trotzdem lässt er sich nicht unterkriegen und als er von der Hexe Thorbjorg den Auftrag erhält, einen verlorenen Teil von Thors Hammer einzusammeln, ist er bereit für sein erstes großes Abenteuer. Begleitet wird er von der Ente Olaf, auf die Leif nach einem seiner Unglücke aufpassen muss. Auf dem Weg treffen die beiden noch auf zwei weitere Tiere, die ihnen auf der Reise und bei der Suche helfen und natürlich auf eine Widersacherin, die es ihnen vor allem zum Ende hin nicht leicht macht.
Auf dem Weg ins Eisbärenland wird es sehr lustig, etwas verrückt und Leifs Missgeschicke sorgen immer wieder für viele Lacher. Auch die Ente Olaf, der Papageientaucher Toki und das Moschuskalb Flora sind witzige Kameraden, die für viel Spaß sorgen.
Das Buch ist mit über 300 Seiten zwar recht dick, aber durch viele Bilder und witzige Comic-Elemente fliegt die Geschichte nur so dahin. Der Textanteil ist dann tatsächlich gar nicht mehr so groß. Meinen Jungs gefällt der Zeichenstil der schwarz-weiß Bilder sehr gut und vor allem das "Große Kartenlesespiel", das man direkt im Buch spielen kann, hat bei uns für viel Spaß gesorgt.
Besonders gut gefallen hat uns auch das Glossar am Ende der Geschichte, das zeigt, dass einige der Figuren auf echten Wikingern bzw. Figuren aus der nordischen Mythologie basieren. So lernt man mit "Leif Wolffson" auch noch einiges über die Zeit der Wikinger.
Wir empfehlen das Buch auf allen Kindern ab ca. 8 Jahren, die Lust auf eine witzige Geschichte mit vielen Bildern haben oder sich für Wikinger interessieren.
September 10, 2023
A book with so much exuberance in the telling – but then it needed that quality to help gloss over the fact it does so little, so often. Leif is a young wolf cub Viking, or else a young Viking wolf cub, who knows, and is the most accident-prone, unlucky critter around. So when the mission to rescue a fallen star – a shard from Mjolnir, no less – is demanded, nobody would want him to be the leader of the group going after it. Needing to prove himself, he still takes himself off into the snowy wastes, along with a duck (don't ask), a stinky muskox (don't ask) and a puffin (I said…).
The problem is the troupe all insufferably find each and every one of the others insufferable, and have to let us know that on every page. We have to be reminded of Leif's misfortunes at all turns, too, because, you know, that's what we have instead of character. So what might have been a jolly, slightly slapstick comedy turns into just too much bickering, certainly for my tastes. All this is delivered in part-illustrated fashion, but here you have to 'read' the visuals too as they include the speech bubbles the text doesn't work without.
Oh, and there's a chapter designed as a board game, which is certainly different.
And let's face it, even if this is very much inferior to the Loki books of Louie Stowell, they don't have all the scat humour, and the more books like this for the reluctant reader the greater chance of one of them landing. This is certainly for those too young to think "hold on, if these really are such thick characters, how can they be intelligent enough to know the others are thick?!", but just because this is adult-proof it's not to be dismissed outright. It's not brilliant at all, and it's a three-and-a-half starrer, but it's going to work much better for some.
The problem is the troupe all insufferably find each and every one of the others insufferable, and have to let us know that on every page. We have to be reminded of Leif's misfortunes at all turns, too, because, you know, that's what we have instead of character. So what might have been a jolly, slightly slapstick comedy turns into just too much bickering, certainly for my tastes. All this is delivered in part-illustrated fashion, but here you have to 'read' the visuals too as they include the speech bubbles the text doesn't work without.
Oh, and there's a chapter designed as a board game, which is certainly different.
And let's face it, even if this is very much inferior to the Loki books of Louie Stowell, they don't have all the scat humour, and the more books like this for the reluctant reader the greater chance of one of them landing. This is certainly for those too young to think "hold on, if these really are such thick characters, how can they be intelligent enough to know the others are thick?!", but just because this is adult-proof it's not to be dismissed outright. It's not brilliant at all, and it's a three-and-a-half starrer, but it's going to work much better for some.
August 29, 2023
Viking wolf pup Leif wants to be big, brave, and fearsome like his dad. The trouble is that Leif is rather unlucky and very clumsy and most people just laugh at him rather than fear him.
After a shard from a shooting star crashes on Earth during a battle between Thor and Loki, a witch comes asking for Leif’s dad’s help to find it but he is too busy. The witch then turns her attention to Leif and convinces him to go look for the shard. But can Leif be a fearsome and clever Viking?
I’ve read author Gary Northfield’s Julius Zebra novels and couldn’t stop laughing throughout them, so I was really looking forward to reading this book. Leif, the wolf pup, is an amusing, fun character who just can’t get anything right. He is certainly a Calamity Jane and as such no one trusts him, including his father and sister.
Going on the adventure with Leif are some great characters including Olaf the duck who states exactly what they think and makes for some light-hearted comical moments.
With fabulous cartoon-like illustrations throughout, this middle-grade story will have children giggling along and invested as they follow the adventures of Leif and his friends as they travel harsh and brutal lands. This is another amazing story from an author who knows how to write laugh-out-loud scenes.
After a shard from a shooting star crashes on Earth during a battle between Thor and Loki, a witch comes asking for Leif’s dad’s help to find it but he is too busy. The witch then turns her attention to Leif and convinces him to go look for the shard. But can Leif be a fearsome and clever Viking?
I’ve read author Gary Northfield’s Julius Zebra novels and couldn’t stop laughing throughout them, so I was really looking forward to reading this book. Leif, the wolf pup, is an amusing, fun character who just can’t get anything right. He is certainly a Calamity Jane and as such no one trusts him, including his father and sister.
Going on the adventure with Leif are some great characters including Olaf the duck who states exactly what they think and makes for some light-hearted comical moments.
With fabulous cartoon-like illustrations throughout, this middle-grade story will have children giggling along and invested as they follow the adventures of Leif and his friends as they travel harsh and brutal lands. This is another amazing story from an author who knows how to write laugh-out-loud scenes.
July 16, 2023
It is a hilarious book with a lot of equally hilarious illustrations. I am sure my students would enjoy this. Personally I have always struggled a bit with anthropomorphism.
August 20, 2024
Avontuurlijk verhaal over Leif, de pechviking. Grappig en goed voorgelezen door Kevin Hassing.
Geschikt voor groep 4 t/m 6.
Geschikt voor groep 4 t/m 6.
July 28, 2023
Everyone loves stories about the Vikings, real and fictional so when Gary Northfields Leif the Unlucky Viking: Saga of the Shooting Star came out of the post bag I knew it was going to the top of the reading pile (I love Viking stories too). I can even report back on it further in due course too as I have been invited to celebrate its launch. Now, back to those Vikings. How has Gary Northfield woven his story? He has taken a Viking Saga (they liked those), some mythical objects (always a great idea) added them into the mix with Leif and hey presto… An anarchic and farcical adventure awaits.
Leif has big dreams. He wants to be just like his dad. He wants to be a Viking explorer. But there are a few things that might get in his way. Firstly, he has a habit of tripping up, which means he splits his trousers and sometimes he even falls down holes. Not a very auspicious start for someone who wants to be an explorer! But he is determined, so he sets himself a task. Leif is going to unravel the riddles of a witch; he is going to find a magical rock and then he is going to wield its powers. The journey is not going to be a smooth one though, it never is for the very best explorers after all. Leif is going to have to go into polar bear country, outwit giants and trolls, creatures more ancient than the gods which means he will need all the luck he can get. He does have Olaf the duck, Toni the puffin and Flora the musk ox to help…maybe…
Leif has big dreams. He wants to be just like his dad. He wants to be a Viking explorer. But there are a few things that might get in his way. Firstly, he has a habit of tripping up, which means he splits his trousers and sometimes he even falls down holes. Not a very auspicious start for someone who wants to be an explorer! But he is determined, so he sets himself a task. Leif is going to unravel the riddles of a witch; he is going to find a magical rock and then he is going to wield its powers. The journey is not going to be a smooth one though, it never is for the very best explorers after all. Leif is going to have to go into polar bear country, outwit giants and trolls, creatures more ancient than the gods which means he will need all the luck he can get. He does have Olaf the duck, Toni the puffin and Flora the musk ox to help…maybe…
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews