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5th out of 15 books
—
4 voters
Wild Wings
by
Gill Lewis,
Yuta Onoda
The majestic Osprey is an endangered bird that hasn’t been seen in Scotland for years, so when Iona McNair locates an Osprey nest, she’s desperate to keep the bird safe from poachers. She shares her secret with her classmate Callum, and the two become friends as they work to save the Osprey they’ve named Isis. They’re able to get the bird tagged by a preservationist, but a...more
Hardcover, 287 pages
Published
May 24th 2011
by Atheneum Books for Young Readers
(first published April 19th 2011)
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Eleven-year-old Callum and two friends notice a girl catching a fish in the stream at Callum’s farm. Iona, who has returned to the town, has a secret that she shares only with Callum: two ospreys have a nest in a tree at the farm. No ospreys have lived in this part of Scotland for over 100 years. Iona and Callum pledge to keep the birds a secret to protect them from people.
During school Iona is shunned, but later Callum joins her to watch the birds. They reluctantly reveal their secret to Callum...more
During school Iona is shunned, but later Callum joins her to watch the birds. They reluctantly reveal their secret to Callum...more
Callum and Iona were not friends on the day Callum and his pals discovered her fishing with her bare hands on Callum's family farm in Scotland. But when Iona says she has a secret about the farm Callum's curiosity gets the best of him and he asks her to show him the secret when his friends are not around.
The secret is that there is an osprey nesting in a secluded area on the farm. This secret sparks a wonderful friendship as Callum and Iona start to spend most of their free time observing the m...more
The secret is that there is an osprey nesting in a secluded area on the farm. This secret sparks a wonderful friendship as Callum and Iona start to spend most of their free time observing the m...more
I wanted to like this book, as I have a lot of students that are really into birds and I'd hoped it would be a great book to recommend to them. Unfortunately it was so poorly written that I can't give it more than one star. (Maybe 1.5 if GoodReads allowed half-stars.) No clues were given to indicate that several days, weeks, or even months had passed. A lovely character was introduced in the beginning of the book only to have her killed off a few chapters in, and while I understand that such tra...more
Have you ever seen a bird heading south for the winter and wondered exactly where it would end up? In this roller coaster of a story, Callum and his friend Iona have the rare chance to track the path of an osprey they spot in the woods on Callum’s family farm in Scotland. They name the bird Iris, and her travels unexpectedly connect Callum with new friends in another part of the world – and even reconnect him with his friends at home. Tragedy strikes, storms rage, and people learn what it means...more
Have you ever seen a bird heading south for the winter and wondered exactly where it would end up? In this roller coaster of a story, Callum and his friend Iona have the rare chance to track the path of an osprey they spot in the woods on Callum’s family farm in Scotland. They name the bird Iris, and her travels unexpectedly connect Callum with new friends in another part of the world – and even reconnect him with his friends at home. Tragedy strikes, storms rage, and people learn what it means...more
Wild Wings by (Ms.) Gill Lewis is a children's adventure novel, which I read with my 9-year-old son as his bedtime reading over the last several weeks. We read it as a Kindle book on our Touchpad tablet, which helped immensely, as we were able to take little side excursions while reading - visiting websites such as Wikipedia and Google Maps and others for more information about the places in the story, for example, or hearing what the cry of an osprey sounds like.
We both really enjoyed the book,...more
We both really enjoyed the book,...more
Mar 21, 2013
Caroline (Cary)
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
animals,
birds,
bullying,
friendship,
great-britain,
middle-grades,
endangered-animals,
scotland,
africa,
grief,
geography,
death
Callum and Iona discover endangered ospreys on his family's farmland in Scotland and strive to keep the birds a secret for fear of poachers. Callum becomes estranged from his former friends because of his budding friendship with Iona, and the two of them form a unified, but lonely, front because of their secret. The story moves along in chronological order, bringing in currently relevant issues like protected species, poaching, and geography. The characters are well developed, young and old, and...more
Two children forge an unlikely friendship over a nest of ospreys. Callum's farm in Scotland is a wild and beautiful place, and it is now home to a creature that has not been spotted there in over a hundred years. Hamish, a worker at the nearby nature preserve, fits the female osprey, Iris, with a tracking device so the children can follow her migratory progress, which will cover thousands of miles. Then tragedy strikes, and Callum finds he has a new reason to care for and track Iris. Lewis is no...more
Callum McGregror strikes up an unlikely friendship with Iona McNair when the two of them find a pair of nesting osprey on his Scottish farm. The two agree to keep the birds a secret, but Callum also wants to keep his friendship a secret at school. The female bird, Isis, is injured and the two are forced to reveal the secret to help save her life. After observing the birds over the summer and watching a hatchling mature, Iona suddenly dies of meningitis.
Callum, grief stricken, isn't sure what to...more
Callum, grief stricken, isn't sure what to...more
This is an unusual story, probably best suited to middle grade readers. The book kept my interest, and I could really imagine it being used in a classroom, with some complementary study of bird migration, endangered animals, geography, diverse cultures, etc. There were some parts of the book that struck me as technically awkward, enough so that I was pulled out of the story and became aware of how it was written. I doubt this would be an issue for a young reader, but it did lead me to lower my o...more
Dec 16, 2012
Madyson Ogdahl
added it
I finished reading the book Wild Wings. I really enjoyed reading this book and I think you would too. My favorite part in the book is when Callum grabs the sneakers and jacket and goes in the dark forest to look for Iona, so he could give her the clothes. She was freezing. Then she said to meet him there in the morning. If you want to find out more you will have to read it for yourselves, which I think you should. There are secrets in this book, and that’s what I like about it. It kind of keep...more
I enjoyed this book about two kids who forge a bond over their pact to protect the "secret" osprey's nest on Callum's land. I thought the friendships were very realistically portrayed, with Callum's relationship with his school chums being threatened by the secret he was compelled to keep from them. Lewis does a great job of showing the evolution of their relationships as Callum befriends the "weird" girl and then loses her.
Wild Wings also does a great job of intriguing the reader to find out mo...more
Wild Wings also does a great job of intriguing the reader to find out mo...more
Callum and Iona discover an osprey nesting on Callum's family's land. Together, they watch as he builds his aerie and his mate arrives. They spend the summer watching the osprey and keeping it a secret from others. When tragedy strikes, Callum is determined to take care of Iris, the female osprey, just as he's promised Iona. This promise leads Callum to a girl in Gambia who desperately needs an operation to save her legs.
This is so not what I expected when I started the story. I'm not a bird wa...more
This is so not what I expected when I started the story. I'm not a bird wa...more
This a wonderful middle-grade book about two children in Scotland who discover a secret osprey nest. If that sounds like the simple bare bones of a plot, be assured that it's not. Rich in themes of nature and our relationship with fellow creatures, the story also delves into bullying, friendship, computer tracking of birds, and how the internet can bring the entire world closer, as the main character begins trading emails with a girl in Africa.
As an avid birdwatcher and osprey lover (and I've se...more
As an avid birdwatcher and osprey lover (and I've se...more
This book has really stuck to me. The themes of friendship and respect for the natural world set in a small village reminded me a lot of one of my favorite books of all time, THE WHEEL ON THE SCHOOL. It is amazing how this well-told story manages to make the struggle to save a single osprey so engaging. This is a story for young naturalists for sure, but I will not limit my recommendations to my animal obsessed students. The well-drawn characters, short chapters and cliffhangers make this book a...more
Scottish osprey make a treacherous journey twice a year, all the way to Scotland to mate and lay eggs and tend their chicks, then back, across the Pyrenees mountains and the Sahara desert, to spend the winters in Africa. As if that weren't enough, people pay thousands of dollars for an osprey egg, so even when they've completely their journey safely, there's no guarantee that someone won't steal the eggs before they're able to hatch. So when Callum McGregor's classmate, Iona McNair, tells him th...more
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Based in Scotland, Lewis' first novel starts strong but is uneven throughout, including very awkward transitions between chapters. Characters are flat. The most interesting voice in the book belongs to the osprey. Lewis includes an occasional passage from the viewpoint of the osprey. I would recommend this book to a younger reader that enjoys stories about nature and wild animals. This story may be especially interesting to kids living in Maryland as we have ospreys nesting on the Eastern Shore...more
This book got great reviews so I was disappointed to not agree with those reviews. It seemed that the author had a heavy message regarding the ecological issues of ospreys and it came through loud and clear throughout the story. I also thought there was too much sadness in this story and while it ended on a hopeful note I did not feel a sense of satisfaction at the end of the story, probably because of the roller coaster emotions (mostly sorrow) that spread through this book. It is not a book I...more
Also published under the title "Skyhawk". Neat little tale of a couple of kids discovering nesting osprey on their farm in Scotland. The birds have not been seen in that part of the world for years, so they are trying to keep it secret until one of the birds gets tangles in fishing line and needs rescuing. One of the best parts of this story is the communication between Callum and a young girl in The Gambia (where the osprey spends the winter months). Nice little read.
This story has some awfully sad moments that aren't completely addressed, but it also has some really happy and fulfilling moments. The book really isn't for every kid, but some will probably really enjoy it. Bird lovers, in particular, will enjoy following the osprey and all of the people who work to save and protect her. I can definitely see this one sparking some readers' interest in birds as well, and the author gives some great websites for more information.
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This one should come with a warning label. It has a plot development that really shocked me. But, label or not, this is a really warm and feel-good book about some special kids who come across a little bit of real-life magic and go out of their way to preserve it. It's a Black-Eyed Susan nominee, so I ended up reading it twice. I cried both times, and enjoyed it just as much the second time around.
Wild Wings is well written and has likable characters. For third grade readers and older. The author does a great job of showing how easy it is to have an impact on others' lives--even across the world. My favorite quotation: "It always amazed me to think of behavior so hardwired into their system that it was actually part of them--inseparable. Like the ospreys and their migration. It made me think what could be buried deep inside me."
A beautifully written and moving story perfect for animal lovers of all ages. A rare Scottish osprey pair makes a home on a Scottish farm, leading to an unlikely friendship between two children. As the female bird migrates to its winter home in Africa, the story expands to include a young girl in Africa as well. An easy and quick read but very engaging.
I personally enjoyed this amazing bird story. It shows how two different people can become friends until the end, and what challenges they hold in their friendship and secrets.
I would really suggest this book for someone who likes some dramatic changes in stories, and likes books about friendship combined with nature.
I would really suggest this book for someone who likes some dramatic changes in stories, and likes books about friendship combined with nature.
Callum's farm has a couple of new residents. Ospreys. Ospreys that would change Callum's life forever.
Reasons why I like this book-
Reason 1- I learned about Ospreys.
Reason 2- The book made me want to research for endangered birds that might live nearby.
Reason 3- I could imagine what was happening.
Reasons why I like this book-
Reason 1- I learned about Ospreys.
Reason 2- The book made me want to research for endangered birds that might live nearby.
Reason 3- I could imagine what was happening.
What an uplifting and charming book! It touches on friendship, bullies, family, loss, ospreys, Africa and humanitarian aid! And it makes me want to live in Scotland, in a place where people care about each other and the beautiful and wild land they, and a host of other animals, live in.
I read this in one sitting -rare for me - could be a Newbery contender this year. True friendships - between class and gender at this tender age - are rare and endearing to read about. A scruffy vagabond girl Iona discovers an osprey nest and is befriended by Callum, on whose land the nest is found. Iona and Callum are awed by the female they name Iris and begin to follow her migration to Africa. The story takes many unexpected turns though the ending is a bit too tidy and unrealistic as Callum...more
I enjoyed this book very much. I couldn't put it down, in fact. After I finished it, I checked other people's reviews and found out that the writing was terrible and that the characters were not well drawn, etc. I decided that I shouldn't write reviews any more!!
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Jan 18, 2013 06:21am