Dirkle Smat and the Viking Shield

by: Lynn D. Garthwaite; Illustrated by Craig Howarth

Published by: James A. Rock Publishing

Part of a series:

Dirkle Smat Inside Mount Flat Bottom

Dirkle Smat and the Flying Statue

Reviewed by Natalie Wyant

Meet the Explorers Club, Dirkle Smat, leader of the group;, his brother Quid who always appears braver on the outside than he is truly feeling on the inside;, Fiddy Bublob, a.k.a. snack- bearer;, Bean Lumley, a true inventor; and Toonie Oobles who adds a touch of feminine sensibility to the troop. Each of these curious kids shows inventiveness and intelligence while solving some minor and some not-so-minor mysteries together.

In Inside of Mount Flatbottom the Club uses their creative inventions to spelunk a deep, dark cave and then stumbles on to the answer to a long- held myth. They also make some new friends in the process.

Dirkle Smat and the Flying Statue, the second book in the series, takes the reader along with the kids to a magical land where they find getting home might be a little more puzzling a predicament than they bargained for.

In the third book in the series, Dirkle Smat and the Viking Shield, Dirkle and his friends find a century’s old map that leads them to a great historical treasure. The treasure inspires the kids to leave a bit of their own history to unearth.

Lynne Garthwaite’s Dirkle Smat series is a fun trip to the worlds of wonder that are often right here in our own backyard. Each story shows the value of helping one another through team work, positive encouragement and planning. They display a great transitional reading level for those children just entering the chapter book stage while still giving them plenty of illustrations to keep it appealing and a length that won’t overwhelm.

My son is now in the fourth grade, and a little past the age for Lynn’s starter chapter books–but when he was at this stage, it was frustrating to be unable to find books that I thought were challenging enough without being discouraging for him. To add to the difficulty there were even less that were out there that had a theme that appealed to boys.

Armchair Interviews says: Each of the books in the series is an exciting story for children just starting to read.

Author’s Web site: http://www.DirkleSmat.com