Wingfeather Saga Books Review

Disclaimer: I have invested in Season One & Two of the Angel Studios animated series.

Author: Andrew Peterson, acclaimed songwriter and recording artist

The Wingfeather Saga begins, after three introductions (brief, slightly less brief, and very brief), with these words: “Janner Igiby lay trembling in his bed with his eyes shut tight, listening to the dreadful sound of the Black Carriage rattling along in the moonlight.” And in these first five pages, author Andrew Peterson sets the tone of the rest of the four-volume story – a witty adventure marked with real danger.

The three main characters include twelve-year-old Janner, his eleven-year-old brother Kalmar (nicknamed Tink), and Leeli, his nine-year-old sister. The supporting cast expands during the two-year adventure and includes their mother Nia and their ex-pirate grandfather Podo (who has a wooden peg leg).

We quickly find out that the adults in the family have been keeping secrets from the children, including how Leeli’s leg became crippled, and the mystery behind their missing father. As these secrets are discovered, including the revelation of lost jewels, the children are propelled through the saga toward its dramatic and surprising conclusion.

Along the way, the reader encounters, kings and queens, trolls and sea dragons, vicious enemies, and dangerous creatures, including toothy cows, horned hounds, quill diggles, snickbuzzards, and bomnubbles. The saga is set in various settings from grassy prairies to dark woodlands, cliffs and waterfalls to frozen tundra, small towns to large cities, caves, mountains, castles and islands.

The Wingfeather Saga deals with many challenging social topics. The story winds through single parenthood, domestic violence, handicaps and disabilities, isolation, peer pressure, slavery, child labor, mental illness, and the horrors of war. The children deal with life and death, as well as discovering what it means to live well and die well. Concepts like community, the importance of books, love of family, betrayal, young love, and the danger of rumors are explored with humor and realism.

These settings and challenges provide a backdrop to deal with the topics of responsibility, servanthood, sacrifice, identity, trust, perseverance, jealousy, fear, brokenness, courage, and compassion – even for enemies. One thread that runs from the first few pages to the action-packed conclusion is Hope. No matter who dark things look, there is always hope!

While most of the saga is not overtly religious, this story provides an opportunity to examine spiritual concepts like the existence of a Maker, the reality of personified evil, doubt, obedience, healing, faith, and even anger toward the Maker.

Another thread that runs through the Wingfeather Saga is the philosophical and educational importance of what Nia calls the T.H.A.G.S. (Three Honored and Great Subjects): Word, Form, and Song. Janner excels in the Word: prose, poetry, and books. Tink is shaped by Form: sketching, mechanics, and sports. Leeli’s strength is found in Song: music, emotion, and compassion.

The printed design of the award winning Wingfeather Saga includes the surprising presence of footnotes and appendices. Peterson uses these literary tools to interject humor and supplemental information, while teaching young readers how to interact with these devices in future reading endeavors.

Each volume also includes a Reader’s Guide at the end of the book, which asks introspective questions, enabling readers to apply discovered truths to real-life situations. These Readers Guides would also be useful in facilitating small group or classroom discussions.

The Wingfeather Saga is sure to become a classic series that rightfully earns a place on the shelf alongside The Chronicles of Narnia and the Lord of the Rings. And in recent news, it has generated enough financial investments to be developed into an animated television series, which is anticipated to be released by the end of 2022.

Disclaimer: I have invested in Season One & Two of the annimated series.

Three main characters: Janner, Tink (Kalmar), and Leeli

Characters:

Kings and Queens

Pirates

Sea Dragons

Trolls

Strange creatures: Toothy Cows, Horned Hounds, Quill Diggles, Snickbuzzards, Bomnubbles, etc.

Vicious Enemies

Locations/settings:

Castles

Caves

Mountains

Sea

Frozen Tundra

Grassy Prairies

Woodlands

Rivers

Waterfalls

Cliffs

Small towns

Large cities

Islands

Social Topics:

Domestic Violence

Mental Illness

Slavery

Child Labor

War

Being Alone/Isolation

Handicaps/Disabilities

Single Parenthood

Emotions:

Compassion (even for enemies)

Jealousy

Bitterness

Fear

Brokenness

Courage

Hope

Topics:

Life and living

Death and dying

Adventure

Community

Family Secrets

Lost Treasure

Danger/Peril

Importance and Love of Family

Importance of Books

Danger of Rumors

Suffering

Mystery

Betrayal

Young Love

Magic

Allusions to genetic manipulation/engineering/modification

Genealogy

Personal Character Formation:

Responsibility/Faithfulness

Servanthood/Service

Sacrifice

Identity

Trust

Perseverance

Heroism

Spiritual Content:

Maker/Creator

Healing

Evil

Anger toward the Maker

Doubt

Obedience

Faith

One response to “Wingfeather Saga Books Review”

National Author’s Day – Who’s Your Favorite? – curtferrell.com

November 1, 2024 at 5:06 pm

[…] A relatively new addition to my favorite author list is Andrew Peterson, the author of the Wingfeather Saga books. This adventurous series comprises four volumes and is appropriate for eight-year-old readers and older. The saga follows pre-teens Janner, Kalmar, and Leeli, their mother Nia, and their ex-pirate grandfather Podo as they encounter strange, and sometimes dangerous, creatures as they evade the evil forces that pursue them. It’s an excellent read for parents and children and you can read my full review here. […]