Dominick's review
This book is about a boy called Oslaf who is 13 summers old. He has no mum, dad or siblings. At the start Oslaf is burying his mother. It took him most of the afternoon. Oslaf then starts a 2 day journey to Alfgar's village. Elfrith knew Olaf's mum (Elfritha is Alfgar's wife). When he arrives at Alfgar's village he is very hungry. A few days later Oslaf fights Wermund but sadly loses. They then start thinking about going to Britannia. Wermund started saying things that made Oslaf upset,  thing slike "Alfgar isn't going to take you to Britannia". THey stay in Wuffa's village in Britannia. Sadly Widsith died. I would recommend this book  for 8-16 year olds and rate it 4 and a half stars.

Robert's review

The book is set at the dawn of the Anglo-Saxon era. The main character is Oslaf, an Angle, who has no family as his parents have both died. Oslaf travels to his mum’s friend’s village to live but in order to earn his keep he has to work hard every day. One day the chieftain of the tribe decides to leave for Britannia. Oslaf goes with him and the book tells of his adventures.

Which of the characters did you find most interesting and why?
The Chieftain’s son, Wermund, as he is quite mean to Oslaf until they move to Britannia. Initially he did not want Oslaf to join the tribe.

Which of the characters did you not like and why?
Gunnhild, the sister of Wermund. She doesn’t appear in the story as much as I expected her to and she doesn’t talk as much.

Did you learn anything new about the past from the book?
I learned about how people lived and how difficult and violent it was. I also learned about the Anglo-Saxon raids on Britannia.

What made the history or the time it was set in interesting to you?
It made me realise how different it was when young people were left alone to fend for themselves without anyone to accompany them.

Was the plot exciting, thought provoking, serious or light hearted?
The plot was exciting because it was about invaders and exciting battles.

Would you recommend it to other pupils?
I would highly recommend this book if you wish to know more about the way people lived, and how hard life was in early Anglo-Saxon times.

If you read this, you may also like 'Anglo-Saxon Boy' also by Tony Bradman. This book is set at the end of the Anglo-Saxon period, 1065.