ERIK VS. EVERYTHING

The Sheepflattener clan fearlessly follow ancestral Viking traditions set down in the Lore, except for Erik, 9, whose default response to challenges and invitations is to invoke his life philosophy, “AVOID STUFF.”

Sent to help babysit his triplet cousins in Minnesota, Erik’s relieved to escape piano lessons with Mrs. Loathcraft but nervous when the fiercer of his two older sisters, ax-wielding Brunhilde, decides to accompany him. Like his parents, the hearty, outdoors-fancying Minnesota Vikings prove deaf to Erik’s fears. Forced to fish with his bare hands, he’s mauled by a large pike; then Mr. Nubbins, the family pet, activates Erik’s squirrel phobia. Erik’s meltdowns inspire Brunhilde to help him tackle his fears head-on. Determining their scope, she studies strategies to conquer them, like exposure therapy, and implements breathing exercises, supplementing the Lore’s wisdom with the library’s The Big Book of Fear and Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. Seeking a comprehensive picture of Erik’s dizzying array of phobias, Brunhilde constructs an ingenious diorama, using her mapmaking skills and Lego bricks. As the project progresses, Erik finds himself drawn into a multiage biking club soon to race Bonebreaker Hill. Unable to empathize with Erik’s anxieties, Brunhilde recognizes they must be vanquished; conquering is a concept the Scandinavian-ancestry–worshipping, rune-tattooed Sheepflatteners embrace. Fond of aggressive sports and a turnip-heavy diet, short on nuance, long on family loyalty, they’re portrayed with sly, affectionate humor. Erik’s anxieties are presented lightly but sensitively.

A quirky delight.