Silverwing by Kenneth Oppel

Title: Silverwing

Author: Kenneth Oppel

Publish Date: September 2007

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

Pages: 224pp

IBSN: 1416949984

Classification: Fiction

Genre: Fantasy

Annotation: Shade is a young bat who get’s left behind when his family migrates for the winter.  On his journey to rejoin the colony, he meets new friends, discovers enemies, and all the

Plot Summary: A young bat named Shade decides he wants to prove his bravery by catching a glimpse of the sun.  In doing so, he breaks an ancient law and the owls retaliate and burn down their roost, forcing the bats to begin their migration. Shade gets caught in a storm and is left behind by his colony during the migration. Full of customs, the imminent war between the bats and birds, and the escapee vampire bat, provides a challenging journey for Shade to return back with his colony.

Personal Response: Love the animal adventure Kenneth Oppel takes his readers on.  Sliverwing is an exciting story with dramatic suspense and a thrilling plot and is not a typical fantasy story as the main character is a bat.  The ending of the novel leads the reader to the next installment, Sunwing.

~Reader’s Advisory~

Themes: Making your own way and facing your fears.

Age Range: 8 and up

Subjects: Betrayal, Friendship, Fear, Friendship, Enemies, Adventure, Fantasy, Family, Family Relationships, Bullying, Courage

Series: The Silverwing Saga

Silverwing (1997)

Sunwing (1999)

Firewing(2002)

Darkwing (2007)

Similar Titles:

Sunwing by Kenneth Oppel

The Capture by Kathryn Lasky

Stellaluna by Janell Cannon

Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch

Title: Paper Bag Princess

Author: Robert Munsch

Illustrator:  Michael Martchenjo

Publish Date: February 1992

Publisher: Annick Press, Limited

Pages: 32pp

IBSN: 0920236162

Classification: Fiction

Genre: Picture Book

Annotation: A prince is kidnapped by a dangerous dragon who happened to burn up all the clothes in the palace with his dragon breath.  The princess finds a paper bag to wear as she sets out to save the prince. 

Plot Summary: A young princess goes off to rescue the young prince (whom she loves and hopes to marry) after a dangerous dragon has taken him captive and burned all the clothes in the palace.  The princess decides she will wear a paper bag to go save the prince. She tricks the dragon and enters the cave where the prince is being held.  When the prince sees her, he tells her how poorly she is dressed.  Her retort is that he is a fine and handsome prince, but completely useless and in the end they do not end up together. 

Personal Response: I really appreciated the theme of this story as it allows girls (from a young age) to see that if a man does not treat you the right way, you do not have to be with him (very empowering). Along with this running theme is lots of humor and a fluid style of writing that is both accessible to children and adults.  I really enjoyed this book!

~Reader’s Advisory~

Themes: Empowering girls—you don’t have to be with someone that doesn’t treat you well.

Age Range: 4-8

Subjects: Girl Power, Princess, Humor, Courage, Fantasy

Similar Titles:

Princess Ben by Catherine Murdock

Aaron’s Hair by Robert Munsch

Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede

On Wings of Evil by Cora Taylor

Title: On Wings of Evil

Author: Cora Taylor

Publish Date: June 2005

Publisher: Fitzhenry & Whiteside, Limited

Pages: 250pp

ISBN: 1550419293

Classification: Fiction

Genre: Fantasy

Annotation: This sequel to On Wings of a Dragon continues the story of heroin Kour'el, the bird girl, and Api'Naga, her great dragon, who have returned to their homeland.

Plot Summary: In this sequel to On Wings of a Dragon, Kour’el is back at her homeland with her trusty dragon, Api’Naga. With them, they have brought back the new Queen Galea. As the Queen takes her throne, she faces a new evil in her land, thus requiring the help of Kour’el and Api’Naga. The evil Queen Mariah has come back in a new form with assassination attempts on Queen Galea. On top of that there seems to be a strange black and white bird that is the focal point for evil against the throne.

Personal Response: In order to fully understand this novel, the reader must read the first installment to the series, On Wings of a Dragon (2001). Taylor writes vivid descriptions and creates interesting events with adequate twists, although sometimes too predictable. With parallel plots, the reader must stay closely in-tune to not only follow the storyline but to fully appreciate what Taylor has created. This fairly tale/fantasy follows the traditional guidelines of good verses evil. Kour’el is an interesting character (and great inspiration) for girls as she went from maiden-in-distress to heroin!

~Reader’s Advisory~

Themes: Good verses Evil.

Age Range: 9 and up

Subjects: Fantasy, Fantasy Heroin, Dragons, Good vs. Evil, Medievil, Historical, Adventure, Mystery, Magic

Series:

On Wings of Evil (2005)

On Wings of a Dragon (2001)

Similar Titles:

Magic Can Be Murdered by Vivian Vande Velde

Will and Swampy by Jim Arnosky

Minus Time by Catherine Bush

Invitation to the Game by Monica Hughes

Title: Invitation to the Game

Author: Monica Hughes

Publish Date: June 1993

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

Pages: 192pp

ISBN: 0671866923

Classification: Fiction

Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy

Annotation: Lisse has just graduated from school and is hopelessly unemployed in a dystopian future society. When she is placed in the Designated Area with seven other friends, the government invites her and her seven unemployed roommates to play The Game.

Plot Summary: Set in a dystopian Earth, Lisse and seven other graduates are fighting for survival in the decayed city. Hearing mysterious rumors about something called The Game, the roommates anxious wait for an invitation. When they finally get summoned to The Game, they learn that this alternate world of paradise and the game in which they are playing to track down a treasure is not at all what The Game’s main purpose is about.

Personal Response: Similar to Enders Game for me, in which I highly enjoyed. Monica Hughes creates a future that is both dark and deeply realistic with the advent of technology and robots performing humanistic occupations. This forces people out of jobs and into unemployment. I thought the characters were likable as each of them displayed a trait or skill that complimented the group as a whole. Collectively, you (as the reader) could understand the selection process upon populating the new planet as life there was in it’s prehistoric phase, making it important to acquire the precise group of people. A true survival story with optimism and hope for a better future.

~Reader’s Advisory~

Themes: Things aren’t always what they seem.

Age Range: 12 and up

Subjects: Dystopia, Boarding School, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Computer Games, Survival, Over-population, Government

Similar Titles:

The Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card