Set in the Stone Age, The Stolen Spear is the first book in
the Wolfsong Series written by Saviour Pirotta and illustrated by Davide Ortu. This series is published by Maverick Publishing.
In this story, Wolf struggles to fit into his tough and
strong community. He is kind and sensitive and ridiculed by his peers. Everyone
including his older brother know their calling and their place in the society
while Wolf stumbles through life with his spirit guardian and dog Shadow.
When Wolf befriends a girl from the faraway island, disaster
strikes. Their sacred ground is raided and the spear is stolen. When his
community blames his friend, Wolf vows to find the real culprit and bring back
the spear.
The adventure that ensues not only shows Wolf’s grit and
determination, but also how his kindness is returned by strangers. With the
help of Shadow, he travels on the sea that many have never crossed and eventually he finds his calling.
This is my first historical read set in the Stone Age. The
author has weaved in the details and places we know about this
generation into the story, while also keeping the language fresh and
contemporary. The story is engaging and exciting for young readers and the
details of the world will make them curious to find out more.
Weaving this tale of adventure for young people, the
author has managed to bring out important themes of being different, being an
outsider, how some might exploit others and the value of friendships. The story
shows the reader that some things are universal through time. We forge
friendships, we get jealous, we are scared of the unknown and how we deal with
these is how we define ourselves.
Young readers like Wolf will recognise these patterns of
emotions in their real life and see the parallels. This is a great book not
just to teach history in a fun way, but also to discuss contemporary issues
with the readers.
I can’t wait to read this book to my nephew and I’m sure
he’ll ask for Book 2 and 3 soon after.
Chitra Soundar is the author of over 40 books for children. Find out more at www.chitrasoundar.com and follow her on Twitter at @csoundar.
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