Dragonfly Song
- ISBN-10
- 1772780375
- ISBN-13
- 9781772780376
- Category
- Juvenile Fiction
- Pages
- 408
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2017-10-13
- Publisher
- Pajama Press Inc.
- Author
- Wendy Orr
Description
The girl has had many selves in her short life. The first she remembers is Aissa, the daughter of Mama and Dada, sister to Zufi who watched the goats. Then the Bull King's raiders came, and Mama said, "Don't make a sound till I come back." And when the villagers found her she was silent as stone, because Mama never came back again. So the villagers cursed her as back luck and made her No-Name, lowest of the servants to the Lady, the island's priestess. But there were whispers, as she grew, of another self: of the Lady's rejected first daughter, born imperfect with two extra thumbs. The silent girl looks at the scars on her wrists and wonders, but she has more pressing concerns. The villagers blame her bad luck for the tribute the Bull King now demands of them: two youths given each spring to dance with his bulls and die for his god's glory. And the servants hate and fear the unnatural way the animals all come to her. For Aissa, though, this bond with creatures of fur and scale is the first clue in finding the true self that no one else can give to her, or take away. Wendy Orr, the author of Nim's Island, introduces a resourceful and resilient heroine for slightly older readers. Inspired by an archeological trip to the island of Crete, where frescoes show figures leaping over the backs of bulls, Orr weaves an intriguing mythological portrayal of the Bronze Age Minoan civilization. Lyrically written and refreshingly unpredictable, Dragonfly Song suggests a fascinating origin for the legend of the Minotaur and his dark tribute.
Get the book
Similar books
-
Dragonfly Song
By Wendy OrrDragonfly Song
-
Song and Dance Man: (Caldecott Medal Winner)
By Karen Ackerman"In this affectionate story, three children follow their grandfather up to the attic, where he pulls out his old bowler hat, gold-tipped cane, and his tap shoes.
-
Song and Dance Man
By Karen AckermanGrandpa entertains his three grandchildren with a magic trick, a song, and a tap dance, while he relives his days in vaudeville.
-
Dragonfly Kites
By Tomson HighwayPreviously published: Toronto: HarperCollins, 2002.
-
The Mark of the Dragonfly
By Jaleigh JohnsonScavenging objects from barely veiled parallel universes to support herself in the dangerous outer provinces, Piper discovers an unconscious, well-dressed stranger from another land and embarks on a life-changing journey.
-
A Dazzle Of Dragonflies
By Forrest Lee Mitchell, James LasswellThis is a passionate look at a ubiquitous group of insects.
-
The Boy who Made Dragonfly: A Zuni Myth
Retells a Zuäni myth in which a young boy and his sister gain the wisdom that makes them leaders of their people through the intercession of a dragonfly.
-
The Dragonfly Pool
By Eva IbbotsonAt first Tally doesn’t want to go to the boarding school called Delderton.
-
Memories of Red Dragonfly
By Augustin K. S. SongMemories of Red Dragonfly
-
The Dragonfly Whisperer: Collected Haiku
By Steve K. BertrandSteve K. Bertrand's book "The Dragonfly Whisperer: Collected Haiku" is a compilation of 1,000 poems. Inspired by the rich imagery of the Pacific Northwest, Bertrand explores the physical nature and human nature of the region through poetry.