The Stolen Spear by Saviour Pirotta, reviewed by Chitra Soundar

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.

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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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Magical Kingdom of Birds, by Anne Booth. Reviewed by Saviour Pirotta

I'm a big fan of Anne Booth's Refuge, a Christmas picture book that highlights the refugee aspect of the classic nativity story and I have given copies as Christmas presents to quite a few kids. Some of those kids are now old enough to tackle stories on their own, so Anne's new series will come in very handy for birthdays and other gift-giving opportunities.

Magical Kingdom of Birds, aimed at 7 to 9 year olds, has a very cute premise. Maya has inherited a magical colouring in book from her late mother. When she tries to colour in one of the pictures, she falls into the book, landing in the magical kingdom of birds and fairies. Here she becomes 'the Keeper of the Book' whose coming has been foretold.

Maya needs sticks to help her walk and this gives her confidence issues. The magical adventures in the enchanted kingdom help her prove to herself that she is brave and that, if she believes in herself, she can achieve great things despite her disability.

In the first book, The Sleepy Hummingbirds, Maya befriends a fairy princess called Willow whose evil Lord Astor has usurped the throne of the magical kingdom. The despot is planning to enslave all the singing birds. Can Maya and Willow, along with Patch the magpie, retrieve the princess's  enchanted cloak of feathers from his castle and save the birds?

In the second book, The Ice Swans, Lord Astor is threatening to freeze the kingdom of birds unless he is accepted as king. He has already frozen Swan Lake and turned the beautiful swans
into statues. Maya, Willow and Patch must outwit him and his fairy guards once again to rescue the birds and the kingdom.

These short books are very well written, with pacy chapters and lots of direct speech, which helps move the plot.  Kids will love them. They're a feathery delight. The b&w illustrations by Rosie Butcher add to the richness. As a bonus, there is a fact file at the end with info about the real-life birds that inspired the stories. And there's a colouring in page too. Who knows what will happen if you colour it in?


Saviour Pirotta's new picture book, The Unicorn Prince, is illustrated by Jane Ray. It was an editor's choice in The Guardian and The Bookseller.  His novel Mark of the Cyclops, an Ancient Greek Adventure has recently won the North Somerset Teacher's Book Award for quality fiction. Follow him on twitter @spirotta.








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