Families who loved Braving the North Atlantic: The Vikings, the Cabots, and Jacques Cartier Voyage to America by Delno C. West often look for books with a similar feel. These 20 recommendations were selected for their similarity in style, theme, and reading level.
Reach for this book when your child is grappling with the uncertainty of a new challenge or expresses a budding interest in the sheer grit required to face the unknown. It serves as an excellent bridge for middle schoolers who are transitioning from simple adventure stories to complex historical narratives about human endurance and curiosity. While it tracks the famous voyages of the Vikings and European explorers, the heart of the book lies in the emotional themes of bravery and resilience in the face of the vast, unforgiving North Atlantic. Appropriate for ages 10 to 14, this volume helps parents open conversations about the dual nature of discovery: the wonder of finding new worlds and the difficult realities of those who were already living there. It is a slim, accessible chapter book that uses primary source material to make history feel tangible rather than abstract. You might choose this to help a student see that even the most legendary figures felt fear, made mistakes, and had to persevere through isolation and physical hardship.
