Arrowhead

by Ruth Eastham, Ayşe Başcı (Translator)

When thirteen-year-old Jack moves to Norway, he's sure there's no truth in the local myths and legends. But then he comes face to face with one: the body of a Norse warrior boy, frozen in the ice, and carrying with him an ancient arrowhead - that contains a terrible curse. If Jack's going to survive, he has to overcome both an ancient wrong and a newly-risen enemy in this thrilling adventure from an award-winning author.

Genres: Fiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2014

Reviews

[Magical Myths: A Percy Jackson Podcast · Rating 3 out of 5]

This Review is taken for our episode The Curse is Alive!

H: I think that this book is interesting and creative, intertwining Viking legends with modern life is so fun, the characters lack a little, but the storyline definitely made up for it.

D: For me the characters lacked any real development and it was hard for me to get into from the very start.

H: I think the whole storyline is just how they had to go about rescuing Tor and then they had to slowly figure out how they were going to put the arrowhead back before the plagues destroyed Isdan. I found it really interesting the way she put it all together but the characters did seem to lack that need to do, what they had to do, which felt like the characters had to do, what they had to do because they just had to do it, it wasn't like they wanted to save everyone even though they knew that was the place they should have been.

D: I personally felt that some of the themes like hanging and the attempted suicide of others in the book was more suited towards young adult rather then middle grade which I wish had been improvised upon. There is a small hint of animal abuse because even the cat is going to be hung. I was not expecting Emma to join their team but I did expect the female character, as with a lot of books, you have the female character to act as a 'crush' for the main character. For me I would have liked to have seen some more middle grade themes but maybe this book would have been better suited to young adult because of these themes. So, if the book had perhaps been longer with a few more added themes then I definitely feel like this would have been better for young adults. Apart from that, I felt like the flashbacks were good but I felt that at times the mission wasn't really well explained but I got that they needed to send the arrowhead back before the ice caves melted, but the want to save their country wasn't clear. Something I didn't understand and got a bit confused by, was when Petter turned into Viakell (I think that was his name)

H: That really got me the first time I read it because it was obviously going to happen but how was he still alive it didn't make any sense to me.

D: So I'm like, ok, so this guy is Petter but he's turned Tor's Brother and I'm like how did this happen, how did he do his! Do you what to explain?

H: What I can kind of understood is, remember how much Tor looked excatly like Jack? I think that it is a bit like reincarnation, so Jack has been reincarnated as Tor and Petter has been reincarnated as Viakell and I think that while the plagues happened, I think that might have clicked something in Petter's mind, that's what I kinda think but if i'm right then I don't know.

D: But didn't Petter pyshically turn into Viakell?

H: Oh yeah 'cos he got that scar!

D: So that part was confusing to me and it doesn't make any sense, I got that Tor was supposed to be Jack and that Jack is Tor and that Tor is his long lost Uncle! Something I was hoping for was more gods among the humans, it mentioned Odin but where is Odin! I guess it would have been cool to have the venture into Valhalla as that would have created a element of darkness. I don't know why all the book had to be set in Isdan. It was quite nice to have the quotes on each page to give us a nice introduction to what is going on in each chapter. it's a quick and fast paced read but for me, it didn't work. What do you think?

H: I agree with everything you said the quotes were amazing! It would have been excellent had we had the gods enter and I think that at the end , if the three of them had somehow managed to get to Valhalla I think that would have made a really cool ending, so I think that was a missed opportunity diffinetly. I think the twist with the villain was really predictable since as soon as Petter walked in and he made that face, Jack thought, 'Oh he looks exactly like that man from my vision'

D: I didn't see it coming or predict it, but I did see that they would need the burning ship to get the arrowhead back, and in the last chapter I thought that Jack might be going with him to Valhalla and then it would have ended tragically which almost does happen to Jack. There is quite a lot of violence in this book

H: Yeah there is especially for a middle grade it's very dark, with the burning of the boat I thought that was a really really good thing to add as that was consider a typical Viking burial, you would put the person the in the boat (usually a cheiftan) and fired a flaming arrow to burn it. So I really liked that and it was really interesting.

D: I wasn't really expecting that they'd have to steal a boat as much as build a boat to get Tor back and that would have been an interesting challenge to the characters.

H: Yeah build a Viking boat in a time limit while there are plagues going on, that would have been even worse!

D: Yeah because the boat is already built it, would have been better had they built a boat! I didn't get any of the characters intentions, Jack, Skuli, Emma, any of their intentions. I got the overall plot point but what were their real deep intentions? I don't know what Jack's dog Sno had to do with the story or progression.

H: Yeah I thought that was a bit ... rubbish, I love dogs in stories but in a story where whole villages were being destroyed I don't think a tiny white dog running beside you is a good idea.

D: Unless Sno turned into Fennrir then there was no point of having him in the story. I think I was possibly hoping to like this book more then I did.

H: Definitely, as I was reading this when I was younger I thought it was so cool but now that I'm older and read a lot more I was disappointed with the result.

D: I could see how this book was meant for middle grade for I don't think it succeeded.



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Magical Myths Podcast

[Sharnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable read.
Follows the story of Jack who discovers a young boy call Tor in the ice. Jack, Skuli and Emma set out on a mission to avoid the curse of the plague and destroy the arrowhead.

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

When Jack is given a cursed gold arrowhead, he has only hours to save the world from ending. With the help of a few newly-made friends, Jack to save the day under the midnight sun – or never see the morning again.
This was a really fast-paced middle grade novel. It was actually surprisingly scary and gory for me considering it’s for children who are quite young, including themes of suicide and murder – including a scene where a cat is nearly lynched. If you offer this book to your child, be aware that they may have questions.
The actual plot was… okay. I had so many questions that I can’t even be bothered to go into right now, but considering the target audience, I don’t think these questions would often be thought of. It’s just frustrating for someone like me! I actually think that this book could’ve been a YA novel, and it could have been darker and longer, answering more questions and tackling hot topics rather than skirting over them and not addressing them. For example, lots of people die – but the characters just kind of light a candle for them and say, “okay, then, what’s next?”
As you can see… I think this book had a good idea, but it just got too dark for middle grade. Or maybe I’m wanting to protect the kids too much! But I also don’t think so.
So yes, overall – a good book. I just wish it had been longer, and also YA.

[Ethna Brave · Rating 3 out of 5]

The English Department at my current school has invited Ruth Eastham to come to talk to the students for World Book Day. Ahead of her visit I am reading the books we have allocated to Year 6, 7 and 9 in order to be able to prepare for our World Book Day activities that I need to plan and for Ruth’s visit.

I have to say I found the book engaging, intriguing, well written and well I read it in one day. I’m a big fan of mythology and in particular Norse mythology so I enjoyed the links, the ballad that was woven throughout and all the references to Odin, Valhalla and Beowulf to name but a few. The book is quite dark, but I guess that is a recurring trend in many recent YA books.

I’m looking forward to meeting Ruth and to seeing how the students enjoy her creative writing workshops.

[Judy Wollin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jack is the new kid, Lukas the school bully and Skuli, the victim. Jack is conflicted. If he helps Skuli, Lukas might turn on him but if he leaves the boy he could get badly hurt. Emma stands apart from the chanting mass of children. I
Jack decides to help Skuli, and their lives are turned upside down. First, Skuli shows Jack a gold arrowhead and then, deep in an ice cave, there’s a boy, a dead boy, who looks remarkably like Jack.
As Jack touches the dead boy’s hand, an instant connection leaves Jack shattered. He knows what the runes say. He’s seen evil. He knows the arrowhead must be returned. Jack, Skuli and Emma set out to end the curse.
I enjoyed the Nordic theme, the ballad and the tension in the story.
Recommended for middle-grade readers.

[PPSLibrary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arrowhead was an interesting read, it's set in another country, Norway, and involves mythology becoming real. There is horror and adventure in this book; it is something different. I would like if there was a sequel and it became a series. I would recommend it to readers in Year's 6 and 7.

Gordon, Year 7

[Sophia Oldham 🩷 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved how the book keeps you on the edge of your seat and keeps you guessing what is going to happen next. There is a lot of mystery in the book and even after you’ve read it, you’re still thinking about it.

[Sharon S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arrowhead is a fast-paced, thrilling adventure that brilliantly blends Norse mythology with friendship and high bstakes tension. Ruth Eastham delivers a gripping story full of mystery, emotion, and race-against time excitement that keeps young readers hooked.

[Queen Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A horror story but greatly shocking family tree.

[Roally · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked how gory and cursed it was, the end :)

[Gianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

omg this was incredible!!! So much happened in only 200 pages and I couldve easily read 200 more 😍

[Rhondda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Viking mythology, runes and life in the Arctic Circle are all elements in this fast-paced, great action story by Ruth Eastham. There is also an ancient curse and creatures of myth and legend coming back into the contemporary world to continue the battle between the forces of good and evil.
The setting for the novel is a Norwegian town. 13 year old Jack has been brought there to stay with his grandparents by his Norwegian mother, after the accidental death of his English father. Grief has tipped Jack's mother into a depression and Jack isn't doing all that well either. Along with the grief that he too is experiencing, he also worries about his mother and has to deal with being the new boy at school. When he chooses not to join his classmates bullying but stands up for their victim, a boy called Skuli, there are some momentous consequences.
The story mixes the present-day situation faced by Jack with the story of young Norwegian (Viking) boy Tor, born 1000 years previously. Jack is connected to this boy’s thoughts and deeds of long ago. The task/quest that Tor began must be completed by Jack before the world suffers catastrophic disaster. Jack and his two friends are the only ones who can resist the dark forces and they only have a small window of opportunity in which to complete their task.

Using the device of the ballad was an interesting way to give direction to the story. There is plenty of suspense and cliff hangers at the end of many chapters to keep the reader
Ruth Eastham has the ability to describe things in her stories that help her readers picture what her characters see and feel what they are feeling.

[Sue Mitchison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book really refreshing. It was a gripping read with lots of suspense and cliff-hanger endings to chapters. It will make a great class read-aloud for year 7 as it will appeal to both boys and girls and will get them thinking about Viking mythology, runes and the Arctic. I started reading it to them today!

[Elizabeth Beverley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this intriguing adventure story. I liked how the ballad was used to move & give direction to the story. Another great book by Ruth Eastham.

[Pauline · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great story for middle school - fast paced, great action and an excellent mix between Jack's story and Tor's story. I also liked the references to the Ballad used to progress the story.

[Hayley Kirby · Rating 3 out of 5]

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