Every once in a while, we run across a book that just blows me away. The Silverwing Series by Kenneth Oppel did that. Why have I never heard of these? Why isn’t there a Silverwing World right next to Harry Potter World in Orlando? It is seriously THAT GOOD!
We started the first book (as an audiobook in the car) and nobody seemed into it. I didn’t pay much attention and the boys seemed bored. Naturally, the book was replaced by yet another Boxcar Children mystery (always a favorite in our family) and only by chance did we give Silverwing a second shot. Our free borrows ran out, but we still had Silverwing….so that’s what we listened to.
The audiobook for Silverwing is over 6 hours long, and the next two books in the series were even longer (9 hours!). John McDonough, the narrator, is absolutely fantastic. Usually, we only do audiobooks in the car but once we got into the story, the boys would ask to listen to it everyday. We would just sit and listen in our house cuddled up with snacks for hours at a time! From the moment I woke up, they were asking for it!
What was so great about the Silverwing Book Series?
- Excitement: The story was exciting; many twists and turns
- Virtues: Bravery, doing the right thing (even when its hard), being a good friend, perseverance…they are all there.
- Aesop’s Fables: The story is inspired by Aesop’s “The Birds, the Beasts, and the bat” There is a war between animals in that fable; this story is an elaborate retelling of the war and the reasons for the war from the bat’s prospective.
- Mythology: With names like Zephyre, Ariel, and Orestes, it’s hard to not make connections to Greek Mythology and compare stories. Also Roman Mythology and Mesoamerican Mythology references are present with mentions of sacrifices in the temples for the bats’ God, Camazots (again, a Mayan reference)
- Fantasy: Obviously, it is all fantasy since the animals are talking; but their world, beliefs, and almost magical use of their echolocation and sound powers puts this book series on par with the best fantasy books around. The first two books in the series take place on Earth while the third takes place in the underworld that is part of their bat religion.
- Imagery: You can picture everything in perfect detail with the amazing descriptions provided.
What Ages is this book series for?
These books are recommended fro ages 8-12. My kids are very sensitive to scary or worrisome stories (like, we can’t even watch Finding Nemo because of the beginning). They were 8 and 5 when we listened to these books and really enjoyed them.
BE WARNED!
The third book, Firewing, was a little bizarre at first and the topics of death, being dead, souls, afterlife, ghosts, and some disturbing things happen. I worried it was too much and ket asking if they wanted to turn it off, but they were fine. The direction they went with the third book was surprising, but they fell in love with the characters and had to see them make it through the fantasy underworld. I am glad I was listening with them because firstly, I loved the series and secondly, it brought up so many great discussions.
Even if you only read the first or the first two books, they are worth reading! The stories wrap up on their own, so continuing isn’t necessary.
Suggested Activities or spin-off studies:
- Bat unit study
- Bat art project like this or this
- Greek Mythology
- Ancient Mayan studies
- Roman Mythology
- Echolocation Study
- Aesop’s Fables
- Minecraft – Have them build Tree Haven in Minecraft (or the indoor forest, Vampirum Jungle or the underworld…)
I hope your family enjoys the Silverwing Book Series as much as we did! After you read the book, here is a fun cartoon about the series to watch and compare!
