Berserkers

A modern-day hunt for Viking treasure collides with Spanish conquistadors and small-town Minnesota in this delightfully zany adventure, perfect for fans of The Goonies and Holes.

"You'll be turning the pages as fast as you can."
--Stuart Gibbs, New York Times-bestselling author of the Spy School series

Listen. This book is kind of hard to describe. It takes place in a small town called Norse Ridge, Minnesota, which is a lot like any other small town in the Midwest except it has more subterranean caves and people named Olaf. (Also, they eat hotdish, not casserole.) The main character is a kid named Danny Hall, who goes on a hunt with his friends to find their missing history teacher and maybe a little ancient Viking treasure, too. Oh, and I'm the narrator, and I'll do my best to keep quiet and just tell the story.

But you should know that this book ALSO includes an evil descendant of a Spanish conquistador and his school principal sidekick who may or may not be up to no good. Also, it has cave pigs, seasick Frenchmen, a sentient rock, a mythological blue moose, and a super epic car chase. It's a lot to describe in only a few paragraphs--enough to make you go . . . berserk (see what I did there?).

Uff-da! Just open up the book and read it already!

Author: M. a. Larson
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (Byr)
Published: 05/26/2026
Pages: 320
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.90lbs
Size: 8.30h x 5.60w x 1.20d
ISBN: 9780374394431
Audience: Ages 9-12


Review Citation(s):
School Library Journal 03/01/2026 pg. 66
Booklist 03/01/2026
Kirkus Reviews 03/15/2026

About the Author
Well then, this is the part about M.A. Larson. He doesn't much like talking about himself, but he'll give her a shot here anyway. He was born on the banks of the mighty Zumbro River in Rochester, Minnesota, then bounced around a bit from Miami to New York and finally ended up in Los Angeles. He lives in a canyon with his wife and three daughters, who are all just lovely as peaches on a tree in July. He's been writing for television for several years now, shows like My Little Pony and Gravity Falls and Invincible Fight Girl. That's a pretty good show there, have you seen it? Anyhow, Berserkers is his fourth book. He really hopes everyone enjoys it and that this bio wasn't too self-indulgent. Oh, and he loves lefse and hates lutefisk. And Skol, Vikings!