The Sea of Trolls, Paperback

Jack was eleven when the berserkers loomed out of the fog and nabbed him. ``It seems that things are stirring across the water,`` the Bard had warned. ``Ships are being built, swords are being forged.``

``Is that bad?`` Jack had asked, for his Saxon village had never before seen berserkers.

``Of course. People don't make ships and swords unless they intend to use them.``

The year is A.D. 793. In the next months, Jack and his little sister, Lucy, are enslaved by Olaf One-Brow and his fierce young shipmate, Thorgil. With a crow named Bold Heart for mysterious company, they are swept up into an adventure-quest in the spirit of The Lord of the Rings.

Award-winner Nancy Farmer has never told a richer, funnier tale, nor offered more timeless encouragement to young seekers than ``Just say no to pillaging.