At only $8.99 (US) or $12.50 (Canadian) this 462-page epic fantasy adventure is an unbelievable bargain. The Sea of Trolls has won at least thirty literary awards including A Parents Choice Gold Award and Publishers Weeklys Best Childrens Book. Author, Nancy Farmer has also been honored with the Newbery Honor three times!

The authors unusual use of sounds, sense of touch and texture for descriptive scenes is a skill that has helped her stand out among her peers. Nancy Farmer went to great lengths to ensure that the language, places and even some characters, poetry and so forth were as fitting and authentic as possible for her novel. Certain battles in The Sea of Trolls really did happen, some of the religions, tribes, warriors and even the Bards and Wise Women really did exist during the era that the book is set in.

The setting for this epic fantasy is around 793 A.D. and involves the areas that we know today as England, Iceland, Sweden and a few other regions on that side of the globe. The lead character is an eleven-year-old Anglo Saxon boy, Jack, who is destined for greater things than farming. Berserkers attack the village in a violent raid and steal this young Bard-apprentice and his small sister, Lucy. Soon, his ability as a Bard reveals itself and saves Jack from a servants fate. An action-packed high-sea adventure leads Jack to the kingdom of the Vikings where he is sent on a quest to the land of Trolls.

The appendix section for this book includes wonderful little history lessons that are certain to renew the readers interest time and time again. The Sea of Trolls will be a favorite on my familys bookshelf alongside Star Tide Rising, Hawkwoods Voyage, The Road of Silk and On Stranger Tides.

I give this book the highest rating possible and recommend it to anyone who enjoys learning while reading and being entertained with fantasy adventure stories that involve magic, battles and sea travel.

Author: Nancy Farmer
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 0-689-86746-8

Lillian Brummet

Lillian Brummet

Co-author of the book Trash Talk, a guide for anyone concerned about his or her impact on the environment rash Talk embarks on frugal and conscious living techniques for the individual. We focus on the reuse of 'waste' materials and reducing consumption of resources. Trash Talk is written to empower people to feel more positive about their worth as individuals in a hectic, expensive, environmentally stressed world. We show how to make a real and visible difference, while saving money at the same time. Publisher: Publish America Released: July 21, 2004

Author of Towards Understanding (ISBN#1-4137-9337-1) - This book of 120 poems is written in chronological order. It is a story of survival, of breaking the chains of inner demons, finding value and purpose in life and growing towards understanding - but not quite reaching it. The poems also embrace the environment and question society. Towards Understanding will reach today's female audience because it is a true chronological story of a young woman growing through childhood trauma, being independent at age 13, moving through healing, finding self-worth and questioning society. I truly believe, and hope, that the book can help other women. Publisher: Publish America. Earliest Estimated Release: Late December, 2005