Wild Wings by Gill Lewis

 

Wild Wings by Gill Lewis

Ages 8 and up

Atheneum Books For Young Readers

A Maine Student Book Award Selection 2012-13

Review copy from Great Falls Elementary School library.


I'd like to thank my friend Denise for recommending this book to me.

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 majestic bird.  They know the secret must be kept in order to keep the endangered birds safe.  When the osprey lures a mate they name her Iris and soon the mates have a chick.  Callum's father builds a tree house so the friends can observe the birds privately.  Iona creates beautiful, detailed pictures and decorates the tree house and the two research ospreys and keep a notebook of observations.  They even get a transmitter for Iris so they will be able to track her on the long migration flight to Africa.  

Even though Callum is losing touch with his other friends, he loves the osprey and spending time with Iona. When Iris becomes tangled in fishing line and is hanging upside down from a tree, the two friends know they have to tell someone their secret in order to save the her.

When Iona suddenly becomes ill, Callum promises to track Iris' journey to Africa and to "take care of her."  Callum and his friends track Iris' journey any chance they get.  They are able to see a Google Earth image of wherever she flies and are learning a lot as they tack her. 

Callum's promise to keep Iris safe becomes difficult to keep as her signal is lost during her migration.  Fearing the worst, Callum and his friends use the internet to miraculously find someone in Africa that might be able to help Iris. This path leads Callum to a new friend and a new adventure.  Readers will love the inspiring ending to this exciting book.

This book will appeal to anyone interested in nature, and endangered animals.  It is also a wonderful story of enduring friendship, responsibility and determination.  Gill Lewis has taken her knowledge and love of nature and animals and has written a winner with this debut novel.


Click here to see a book trailer for Wild Wings