Yikes, Vikings!

Ellie Contursi is a children’s librarian at the London Public Library.

The Canadian Flyer Adventure series is reminiscent of Mary Pope Osborne’s ever-popular Magic Tree House books.

In Beware, Pirates! Matt and Emily discover an old sled in Emily’s house. As soon as they sit on it, a magical message appears in gold writing: “Rub the leaf three times fast. Soon you fly to the past.” When the young adventurers rub the leaf they are transported back in time to the age of pirates where they meet explorer/pirate Captain Martin Frobisher.

Danger, Dinosaurs!, Emily and Matt’s next time-travel adventure, sends them back to the Cretaceous period where they encounter several “Canadian” dinosaurs.

In Crazy for Gold the young duo time-travel to the Klondike Gold Rush where they experience first-hand the harsh conditions gold-diggers endured.

Yikes, Vikings! takes Matt and Emily on a Viking expedition adventure where they meet Leif Eriksson himself.

Frieda Wishinsky always builds Canadian history into the storyline of each book, making her adventure series not only fun to read but also informative. Gordon Griffiths’s line illustrations visually enhance the stories. Included at the back of each book are Matt and Emily’s top 10 facts, which expand on the details of the story. These well-written chapter books will appeal to young Canadian readers. Highly recommended.