Swordbird

From ChildLitWiki

Notes

Bibliographic Data

Original Publication Date: February 2006
Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books
Imprint: HarperCollins
ISBN 9780061130991
Hardcover Price: $15.99
Paperback Price: $
Number of Pages: 219

Best for ages: 8-12

Library of Congress Descriptor: Warring factions of blue jays and cardinals call on Swordbird, the heroic bird of peace, to rescue them from the evil machinations of Turnatt, the tyrant hawk lord who plans to enslave them

Awards:

Best of Year Lists:

Review Citations:

Categorization

Type of Book: Chapter/Fiction

Genres: Fantasy

Topics and Themes: Books by Kids, Talking Animals, Birds, War, Animals

Summary

An evil hawk named Turnatt attempts to rule the forest through brutality and intimidation. He captures birds to be his slaves and build a fortress, and he gets the bluejays and cardinals fighting against each other.

Once they realize they have been tricked, the jays and cardinals unite, but they are still not strong enough to defeat Turnatt and his crow minions. Their only hope is the legend of Swordbird, son of the Great Spirit, who can bring peace. But how can they find him?

Reviews

How should a work such as this, written by 11-year-old author Nanci Yi Fan, be considered? As the work of a truly gifted child it is extraordinary -- any middle-school teacher would be thrilled to have a student do work like this. The achievement is even more amazing when one considers that English is not the young author's native tongue. Fan is certainly a budding talent worth watching for in the future.

Is it fair to judge it the same way that novels by adults are judged? On that basis, it is sorely lacking. Stilted prose and sometimes embarrassingly awkward dialog, a simplistic, derivative plot -- if this had been written by an adult, it is unlikely it would have seen print, and if it had, it would not have garnered much positive notice.

Does that matter? Probably not. Middle-graders will undoubtedly enjoy it (pleasure enhanced by knowing that a kid wrote it), and be inspired by its young author, maybe even to the point of trying some writing of their own. So no harm done, and maybe something to the good. Nancy Yi Fan is an incredibly talented kid, and we can look forward to seeing more work from her as her talent matures. -- Matt Berman

Excerpt

He turned abruptly to face his companion, Skylion. "How are you going to keep this ‘war' up?" Glenagh asked. "Ever since you became the leader of the Bluewingles, we've been fighting the cardinals constantly." The old blue jay sighed. His feathers drooped. "You definitely do make your mind up faster than a falling acorn hits the ground."

Skylion turned his gaze toward the elder, Glenagh. "They used to be our friends—our family, almost," he said. The younger blue jay poured a cup of acorn tea for the elder with disbelief.

Shaking his graying head sadly, Glenagh accepted the tea with a worn claw. He gazed at his reflection in his cup with a dreary look. "Remember Fleet-tail? The cardinal who's always so quiet? Just last week I saw him with a raiding party, hollering and yelling like the rest."

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