Swordbird

Saw this young author speak and bought both books in her series. Am sixth grade Reading teacher for regular education and gifted education students. This series is wonderful! My students love the book and would recommend it as a great summer read. See this one and the newest Sword Quest! Excellent stories, beautifully written! Adults will enjoy as well. Could become the next Harry Potter craze; birds become real characters and not thought of as "just birds". Look forward to the next Yi Fan book to come along!

The biggest theme of Swordbird is peace and freedom. There are also such themes as filial piety, bravery and selflessness. I just did a project on Swordbird and I found many readers' reviews were so cool. I think it's so meaningful to share some quotes with new readers: I can read multiple times and still not want to leave it." --- Alex "You have been a BIG inspiration to me." --- Olivia "A fantasy in the vein of the Redwall series, Fan's precocious first book (the author's only thirteen-years old) is enchanting and action-packed." --- Norwood School's library, MD "Swordbird was a fantastic book for children and adults, it made you feel warm inside to know that such a little girl has gone this far to make such a wonderful book." --- Jackie "I think that swordbird is a marvelous book; the discriptions of the scenes were amazing, the characters WERE described very well, especially Turnatt." --- Vix "There are many messages carried inside Swordbird. The message of peace, of course, that is prevailing throughout the book; I respect this greatly because it is a hard feat to keep that message sailing whenever times are looking tough. I respect peace. It is a beautiful thing. And there is the outside message, which I believe will give hope and courage to generations of young writers to come." --- Duffy "You should be very proud that you have such a profound positive influence on kids." -- Mrs. Barnello "It's a wonderfully created novel rich in volume and depth." --- Jade "Great book. Keep me up on my toes, wanting to read more." --- Brooke "I think the book is fanciful, captivating." --- Carrie "You've inspired me so much, and this was like a kickstart!" --- Grace. "Swordbird is a beautiful piece sparking the meanings of peace and war. "--- Megan

The story, simple as it might seem to be, contains something profound and meaningful to the world: it sows the seeds of peace and freedom in the hearts of children who read it. You can find volumes of bloody, gory battles for adults, yet you can hardly find such a story for children that, through an idyllic world of birds, so gently and yet so vividly illustrates the price of battle, the value of life, the weight of peace and freedom. A book that's great all the way.

A group of young writers like me regularly visit Nancy's website to chat on her message board. I want to quote some of us to share our thoughts with other kids! I just want to say, your book was very enjoyable, and I have recommended it to all of my friends. I think you will be the most famous author in the world, next to Charles Dickens and J. K. Rowling. Well, it'll be really cool if you can email me back along with your probably other thousands of fans. -Sunghyun Kim (10 yrs old, CA) Isn't it just amazing to think that such an original story such as swordbird can come from someone of this age? She really captured a sense of freedom in this story and not many people can truly write from their hearts about how they feel about that kind of thing. Nancy will always remain a favorite author of mine and swordbird, a favorite book. My favorite part of the whole book is the epilogue where Aska leaves swordbird's feather on Milton's grave and the grave seems to get brighter. Long live Windvoice! Happy Writing! - Emily R. I would strongly recommend this book to ages nine and up. I think it is worth spending money for Swordbird. I enjoyed it very much. The book uses strong words that are very powerful. This book reminded me of some events in history, slavery. I would recommend this book for those who like the Redwall and Warriors. I would also recommend this book to strong readers, people who like action, powerful words, and those who enjoy a great story. - Kaitlyn (11 yrs old) An outstanding book I've ever read before! Nancy Yi Fan has a amazing talent for writing. The plot was just outstanding! Brilliant work Nancy! It was worth it! -Hazel H. (13 yrs old)

The blue jays and cardinals are friends, but the hawk Turnatt turned them against one another. As they find the truth and reband, they need the help of Swordbird, a legendary hero. And so they undergo a journey to find him... THEMES: Peace and freedom, bravery and selflessness MESSAGES: What does fighting bring us? Fear, misery, hatred, and death. Even the smallest bird has courage and strength. WRITING: poetic, concise, compelling. Good story structure, with humor, tragedy, suspense and rhythm. Has a fair sprinkling of SAT vocab! TARGETTED AUDIENCE: ages 8-12, and anyone else who is young at heart. Recommended HIGHLY!