I often have trouble jumping into a series even though they claim that can stand alone. It can be quite frustrating Caroline’s excitement at the prospect of the ongoing story has been palpable ever since; Michelle Paver’s writing really does have this effect. Viper’s Daughter by Michelle Paver Viper’s Daughter is the seventh book in the award-winning series that began with Wolf Brother, selling over 3 million copies in 36 territories. Like them it can be read as a standalone story. As Caroline says, the ending of Viper’s Daughter is ‘very satisfying’. The story is complete for those who prefer a standalone tale yet leaves plenty of room for continuation in the next book. It’s a historical adventure series about clans and bone-kin. In some of Torak’s first adventures he finds himself alone, his parents are dead and he has always lived apart from the clans. He happens upon a lone wolf cub and together they begin their journey to destroy demons and break the Soul Eaters, with the help of their Mage friend Renn.

The story begins with a mystery: we are plunged immediately into an adventure and trying to piece together why a main character has disappeared. Why did you decide to start the adventure like this? Without giving too much away, can you tell us about VIPER’S DAUGHTER, the seventh book in your award-winning series? Parents, you’re going to need to buy this book and, unfortunately for your wallets, probably the previous six in the series if your offspring haven’t already read them!” In COAD we watched Torak grow from a Stone-Age boy of 12 summers to the teen that he is when Viper’s Daughter is set, two years after the the end of the last book, Ghost Hunter.Join me at Kids of the Wild to discover how to get your kids outside more, spark a lifelong love of nature together & enjoy everything the great outdoors has to offer. How did you feel about returning to the world of Torak, Renn and Wolf? Were you excited? Did you have any reservations?

So before you hear what I thought of the book, here is Caroline’s review, penned within hours of receiving Viper’s Daughter by post (and submitted to school via Google classroom, during the time of Coronavirus Covid-19!) Viper’s Daughter is set in the Stone Age, in the forests of the northern hemisphere, about Torak, a boy, Renn, a girl, and Wolf – a Wolf! This is the seventh book in a series of nine, I’ve read the whole book in about ⅔ of a day (it arrived yesterday!) Viper’s Daughter is an astoundingly rich, immersive and thrilling adventure that utterly gripped me from start to finish, skilfully drawing me into the Stone Age world with characters I adored, feared and feared for. This is a stunning masterpiece of powerful, evocative storytelling at its absolute best: it swept me into the world, enthralled me, emotionally drained me but, ultimately, left me wholly satisfied.” Here’s my photo of Torak (on the right) with a wolf called Mai, who we think inspired the wolf character Darkfur in the books! Are we right Michelle??

First Edition Hardcover

I do masses of self-editing while I’m writing the book, which means that when my wonderful editor Fiona Kennedy finally sees it, there’s nothing structural that needs doing; although Fiona’s comments and suggestions are always invaluable. The editing process with her takes about three weeks. It’s mostly about adding little touches: bringing out Torak and Renn’s feelings, tightening scenes, clarifying. The aim is to make the story as evocative and full of action and emotion as I possibly can. Here are some stone age survival techniques your children can try at home, from a workshop we attended a few years ago, and you can read about the time I went snow hole digging in Scotland– the nearest I’ve come to one of Michelle’s own investigative expeditions. Mammuts, Ice Caves & Magic The first is of course that Torak and Renn are hunter gatherers. Everything they need to survive – that’s food, weapons, clothes, shelter – they’ve got to find or make from what’s just around them in the forest, so they really know the animals and plants around them because they depend on them. Hello, I’m Michelle Paver. I wrote the Wolf Brother books and I want to tell you about the latest – Viper’s Daughter.

I wrote it both for existing fans of the Wolf Brother books and for new readers who want a rich, immersive adventure in an entirely different world. And I do mean adventure! As with the other Wolf Brother books, my aim is to make the reader unable to put it down. Equity between male and female is a surprising theme in the story. And for one character it is a story of emancipation and empowerment – an important storyline for children living in a modern society which still has some way to go before fairness reigns. Outdoor Mum, lover of nature& the wild, and parent of a childhood cancer survivor. I LOVE being outdoors & have experienced the benefits of nature & the wild during serious illness. So it doesn’t matter if you haven’t read any of the books – you can dive into Viper’s Daughter. It’s a standalone story.After finishing Viper’s Daughter she’ll undoubtedly read it a couple more times in the coming months and she is now gutted to have to wait a year for the next book. First Edition Hardcover Do you have any book recommendations for primary school teachers who are teaching their children about the Stone Age? Good news for those who are dying to know more about Apex Legend Valkyrie abilities you'll have to play with. Thanks to the legacy launch trailer and several Apex Legends dataminers we've got some early info on Valkyrie’s passive, tactical, and ultimate skill. The descriptions from the dataminers seem to fit with the abilities displayed in the legacy trailer, but bear in mind that some of the details may still change before the launch: Stories from the Outlands - Northstar" released today and connected many dots between Apex Legends and Titanfall 2 through the new playable character Valkyrie. At the center of it all is her father, Viper.

Perfect for children in UKS2 and KS3, this is a fantastically unique fantasy story which speaks to heart, mind, body and soul. A story in the vein of the greatest and oldest adventure epics, and importantly, one that raises many pertinent questions for our own life and times. I shall certainly be seeking out the other books in this series, such was the excellence of this one.” If you want to tie things together, you might make a piece of string. Torak and Renn would do this out of nettles (this is a piece I made earlier), or they could make a whole bag. This is a small one, this was made by Aborigines in Australia out of plant fibres, but you could make as big a one as you liked.I wanted a simple set-up that would appeal both to existing fans of the Wolf Brother books, and readers completely new to them. That’s why I kept the focus on Torak, Renn and Wolf: on the bonds of love and trust between them, and on how these are tested in the story. Apex Legends has just launched its ‘Stories from the Outlands – Northstar’ cinematic video. It starts by showing us a grieving girl kneeling next to a pilot’s destroyed helmet. This girl is none other than Valkyrie, daughter of the infamous Titanfall pilot Viper. Lucy has a lifelong passion for nature & the transforming benefits of getting outside, especially since her daughter's cancer diagnosis in 2017. She loves walking, travelling & exploring with her family, dog & camper van. She helped rescue 28 swans & set up a Forest School in 2002 & cries every time she sees a whale in the wild! Lucy aims to inspire families to connect with nature & love the great outdoors There’s no better time-travelling guide than Michelle Paver… she does for the Stone Age what Hilary Mantel does for the Tudors”