Reviews

The Boy Who Flew with Eagles by Ben Woodard

lyndajdickson's review against another edition

4.0

An old Indian tells a story around the campfire about Naa'ki, a boy who is picked up by an eagle who wants to feed him to her children. They are starving because there are no fish in the lake due to the fishing practices of the humans. In return for his life, Naa'ki promises to work for her until her babies leave the nest. He spends his days gathering food for the babies and ends up feeling like part of the family. So much so that, when the eaglets are ready to fly, Naa'ki wants to fly too. Will Naa'ki learn how to fly? Will he ever want to return to his old life?

The author's wonderful descriptions make you feel like you are actually there, on the cliff with the eagles. The book contains some great messages about persistence paying off and about being accepting of others' differences. The eagle also teaches Na'aki a lesson about over-fishing salmon: "For all to live, we must share." The lovely illustrations by Laura Leikona at the beginning of each chapter are a great complement to the story. The author's notes at the end provide some real-life information about topics discussed in the book.

A great story for reluctant readers, especially boys, ages 7 to 12.

Full blog post (24 April): http://booksdirectonline.blogspot.com.au/2016/04/the-boy-who-flew-with-eagles-by-ben-woodard.html