Common Sense Media Review
By Carrie R. Wheadon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
High seas adventure is smaller in scope but still exciting.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In THE STERN CHASE: BROTHERBAND CHRONICLES, BOOK 9, everyone in Hallasholm is invited to the engagement party for two of the Brotherband: Ingvar and Lydia. The townspeople enjoy meat on spits and plenty of ale, and Jesper recites his usual saga with cringe-worthy rhymes, this time with a romantic bent. After everyone goes home to sleep off the revelry, that's when the pirates strike, killing the two guards on duty, smashing all the wolfships at port, and stealing Erak the Objeral's prize wolfship, Wolfwind. Erak is the first one up the next morning and the one to sound the alarm. The whole town is in shock. Who targeted the Scandians? Why? How will they get Wolfwind back? Lucky for Hal, his Brotherband, and all of Hallasholm, the fully rebuilt Heron was in the shipyard for minor repairs and not discovered by the pirates. Now it's up to the Herons to chase down Wolfwind. It's not long in their journey when they come upon a shipwreck with two injured men afraid to be rescued. They were attacked by Scandians, they claim. Scandians are the enemy. And suddenly it's clear: Pirates are posing as Scandians to ruin their reputation with every port along Stormwhite Sea.
Is It Any Good?
Fans of the long-running nautical series will enjoy another adventure with the Heron Brotherband, even if its scope is smaller than many previous outings. There's joy in the predictable here: the same stalwart characters, the same battle skills and strategic smarts on display. There's also joy in small developments for the characters, especially an engagement between Ingvar and Lydia. It's nice to see that Lydia's new status doesn't change how she's treated by the Brotherband. She even gets some surprise heartfelt support from the comical twins Ulf and Wulf. More time with the characters would have been welcome. Like when will it be Stephan's time to shine again, or Jesper's? And who else will find a love interest now that they're the right age for that kind of thing? Edvin can cook and sew -- some Hallasholm girl needs to snap him up right away.
There's little downtime in The Stern Chase for romance, however. As the title implies, it's all about the chase, and the stakes are high. The more damage the rogue wolfship does, the worse the Scandians look. These are some devious pirates, and it takes getting into their heads to figure out how to beat them, especially as outnumbered as the Herons are. As usual, it will take all of Hal's smarts and all the Herons working together to get the job done.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the battle strategy when you're outnumbered, like the Brotherband is in The Stern Chase. How important was it for them to track down the Iberian's base camp? How did deception and baiting play into their plans? How did Hal use the ship's superior maneuverability to help them against the enemy?
What other books can you think of that involve strategical thinking? Hal is the best at it of the Brotherband. What other characters have you read about who excel at it? Strategy is not just for sailors facing pirates. What else is it good for in everyday life?
This is the ninth in the series. What 's your favorite Brotherband book? Why? Who's your favorite character?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Adventure
- Topics : Adventures , Family Stories ( Siblings ) , Animals , Friendship , Pirates
- Character Strengths : Perseverance , Teamwork
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Viking Books for Young Readers
- Publication date : October 25, 2022
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 8 - 12
- Number of pages : 288
- Available on : Paperback, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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