The Last Viking

Written by Norman Jorgensen,
illustrated by James Foley.
Published by Fremantle Press.
Hardback June 2011,
ISBN: 9781921888106.
Paperback July 2015,
ISBN: 9781925163155.

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Young Josh is afraid of everything – he isn’t brave like the mighty Vikings his Pop tells him of. One day Josh decides to become a fearless Viking too. He calls himself Prince Knut, builds his own armour and sails a dragon-headed longship through stormy seas. When bullies threaten Knut, he must find the courage to defend himself – and lucky for him the Viking Gods, Odin and Thor, have been watching. They won’t let one of their own stand alone…

Other books in the series

Awards

• Winner, 2012 Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators’ Crystal Kite Award (Book of the Year as voted by peers in Australia & New Zealand)
• Shortlist, 2012 Children’s Book Council of Australia Awards, Early Childhood Book of the Year
• Winner, 2012 Children’s Book Council of Australia Junior Judges Awards, Early Childhood Book of the Year
• Notable Book, 2012 Children’s Book Council of Australia Awards, Picture Book of the Year
• Winner, Hoffman Award (highest ranked book by a WA creator), 2012 West Australian Young Readers’ Book Awards
• Shortlist, 2012 West Australian Young Readers’ Book Awards
• Shortlist, 2012 Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature
• Shortlist, 2011 Aurealis Awards

Videos

Reviews

“… an intricately crafted picture book of the highest quality … I pretty much loved everything about this book.” – Anouska Jones, Kids’ Book Review

“Norman Jorgensen’s writing and James Foley’s illustrations complement each other perfectly in this charming story about courage and imagination. As in all the best picture books, the words allow room for the cartoonish, expressive art to expand and deepen the story.” – Junior Bookseller+Publisher

“This is a beautifully illustrated book, with easy transitions from the present to Viking days of glory. The inclusion of a page from Pop’s Viking book is fascinating and adds to the many layers of this wonderfully inventive book of heroes and legends.” – ABC Canberra Drive

“The illustrations are fun and cartoon-like and if you’re a super sleuth, you’ll notice that on some of the pages there are messages written in code—rune carvings. At the back of the book (on the endpapers) you’ll find the key to crack the code. The Last Viking is an exciting adventure about courage, imagination and dealing with bullies. Time to go a-viking!” – Alphabet Soup

“I have a new favourite picture book!” – The Book Chook

Resources

Media resources
– Last Viking media page (Fremantle Press website)

Classroom resources
– Download The Last Viking teachers’ notes (pdf)
– Go to the classroom resources page on the Last Viking blog for handouts, videos and website links.
– Listen to James read an excerpt from the book (Fremantle Press website)

Official Facebook page
Like The Last Viking on facebook to see sketches and get the latest news.

Blog

Visit the blog to go behind-the-scenes on The Last Viking and The Last Viking Returns.
There’s also a classroom resources page for teachers.

Gallery