Shade is a young
Silverwing bat, the runt of his colony, determined to prove himself more than his size.
Daring to look at the forbidden sun, he touches off some dire consequences for himself and
his colony who are part, explains Frieda the Elder, of a much greater whole in a vast
space of time. We learn of the Great Battle, of Nocturna's Promise, and of the curse of
the bands (which took Shade's own father).
During a storm on the long and dangerous
winter migration to Hibernaculum, millions of wingbeats to the south, Shade is swept out
over the ocean and lost. Alone and frightened as winter fast approaches, he sets out on a
remarkable journey to rejoin his colony in the south. He meets up with a fascinating array
of characters: Marina, a banished Brightwing bat; Goth and Throb, two huge and carnivorous
jungle bats; Zephyr, the albino bat with the gift of inner sight, and many others. The
adventure is compelling and fast-paced, and the intricate detail of the world Oppel has
created is fascinating.
Sarah's Grade
3 teacher read this book to the class last year as part of their unit on bats. Sarah loved
it so much, she urged me to seek it out. It will be part of our memory of our trip to
Maine this past summer. Once we got into it, we couldn't put it down. The 18 hour car trip
home flew by on the wings of Shade.
Oppel
followed up this highly successful book with a sequel, SUNWING, which sets Shade on an even more
challenging and horrific adventure which will have you on the edge of your seat. A third
book in the series, FIREWING, is due out in early 2002. Kenneth Oppel's
website (http://www.KennethOppel.ca) is fun to visit, and features illustrations of Shade
and other characters by international illustrators.
Both
Silverwing and Sunwing have won numerous awards including The Mr
Christie Book Award
SILVERWING - R14P130 -Paperback 272 pp - $6.99
SUNWING - R14P183 -Paperback - $14.95 |
