TheApple

Swordbird says ...

 

Swordbird

This book had an interesting plot. I think my friend baily would like this book. She would like it because it had lots of details, exciting, and action.

—Kayla Ky. (age 11, grade 6)

 Is Baily your friend too?

Swordbird

Swordbird is a children’s book published in 2007 by Nancy Yi Fan. The book, although intended for a younger audience, has very advanced sentence structure, vocabulary and depth. Further, there are strong parallels between Chinese and American culture found throughout the book.

The first aspect of Chinese culture is found in the name of the book. All of the characters are birds. In the story, a nasty falcon has move into the forest and is ‘birdnapping’ the residents and using them as slaves. Early on in the book it is revealed that two tribes of birds are on the brink of war because of an initial misunderstanding, caused by none other than the falcon.

The two tribes of birds are the Bluewingle tribe and the Sunrise tribe. If one were to look for symbolism, they might find a connection between the United States (the west) and China (the east) using sweeping stereotypes. Looking at the map, you can see that first of all, the Sunrise tribe is east of the Bluewingle tribe. Geographically, the Sunrise tribe is east of the Bluewingle tribe, where the sun might begin its rise.

The Sunrise tribe is comprised of cardinals could be thought of as being Chinese. Cardinals are red as is a popular color in China and denoting good luck and are smaller than bluejays (Bluewingle tribe). The Cardinals, although described as being smaller than the bluejays, are more dexterous, agile, nimble and quick. The Bluewingle tribe on the other hand is larger and stronger than the cardinals. They also use a different method to fighting than the cardinals, using more swords than bows and arrows. The Bluewingle tribe also is said to sleep in later than the Sunrise tribe, which is something I have personally noticed about westerner’s over Chinese, who are always early to rise from bed.

There are some similarities that both tribes share in respect to either Chinese culture or western culture. One is Bright Moon festival, in which both tribes celebrate with cakes, pies, foods and drink. The traditional Chinese calendar was measured off of the lunisolar cycle. The Chinese New Year then may be represented by the presence of the Bright Moon Festival.

Another similarity between both American and Chinese cultures is the reverence towards Swordbird, the Son of the Great Spirit who is very representational of Jesus Christ. Most birds in the book seem to revere Swordbird, from whom the book gets its title. Swordbird is a white bird that appears after acquisition of a leasorn gem and chanting a song. When Swordbird appears there is a halo of light surrounding him.

Before every chapter there is a proverb from either the book of Old Scripture or Book of Heresy. The former book’s proverbs are inspiring and peaceful while the latter’s are evil and violent in nature. The Book of Heresy immediately reminded me of the Sun Zi’s Art of War while the Old Scripture reminded me of the Christian bible.

The book ends with the birds eliminating the evil falcon Turnatt with the help of the mythical Snowbird. The bird’s agree that there will be no more fighting amongst their tribes and that any bird is allowed to settle anywhere in the forest they wish. This is certainly evident in today’s world where westerner’s and Asian’s alike are settling around the world making a global community.

Overall, I believe the book melded two very different cultures amazingly well. I have always thought of the east and west as being yin and yang in some aspects. Even though similar behaviors are shared, they may be done for different purposes or with different ideological or philosophical reasons as a vehicle. Although some of the things I feel might be symbolism are not consistent throughout the book, I believe these were purposefully included by the author.

— Rob

Sword Quest

Sword Quest by Nancy Yi Fan is a wonderful story of a world inhabited by birds. The archaeopteryxes rule the other bird types through power and cruelty, and the only way to break this is for a hero to reclaim a magical sword believed to rest on a mythical island. Wind-voice, the main character and eventual hero, breaks away from slavery and embarks on an epic journey to make a difference. Along the way he meets friends and allies that teach him and inspire him, showing him the true meaning of friendship and peace. My intention is not to give a detailed summary about this book’s plot, but to explain what I received as a message, what I gathered personally about the book.

First of all, I am an avid birder. I have been watching birds for many years, and have devoted feeding stations in my yard in order to enjoy their company. I have seen many different types build their nests and raise their young on my property. The interactions of wildlife and with my family have been priceless. They really do have personalities and quirks, and we consider them as members of our own family. The fact that the book chronicles different bird tribes and their struggles was real fun for me, in that I got to extend the human characteristics further into their being. It is also clever for the author to use birds to convey human concepts, in order to give the author’s insights on moral and life issues to a younger audience. In short, birds allowed the author to connect to the younger audience.

Philosophically, I could see many different possible influences on the author and/or story. For example, the book stresses peace and harmony, as well as excerpts such as “One of the hardest things to break is the tie of family.” (p142) I reflect on Confucianism and think of its value of harmony, and the relationships. Indeed, loyalty to one’s heart and one’s friends/family was another concept touched upon. Stormac dealt with loyalty to himself, as he was constantly, knowingly, making the wrong decision and struggling with the consequences. Fleydur being disowned by his tribe of eagles shows a struggle of loyalty as well. He followed his heart for music and change, but this put him at odds with his family. The hero, stays loyal to all of his friends. I feel the author was displaying these Confucian values not as stand alone values, but also showed various aspects of each, as with loyalty.

Fate and choice are intertwined as well. Fate continuously puts the characters of the story in many situations, but choice determines the outcome. Even in the end, wind-voice is choosing between images in the magical pyramid of Kauria. It is fate that takes him to that place in time, but the way the author stresses the different possibilities and options at each step, show the importance of choice. Wind-voice rationally approaches the options, knowing the consequences if he is wrong. The world is doomed if he chooses selfishly or poorly. She is saying that fate only takes us so far; it is up to us to choose and move forward, to choose the right way.

Aside from these messages, I feel the greatest one of all is the need for peace and harmony. True peace is not one that is enforced as mentioned in the book. The constant sharing of the scant resources between the bird tribes, the continuous aid and help shown between them, and eventually the coalition of the tribes to fight the villains reflect the ideal of working together for a better, common, good. One should be unselfish and persevere even when fate hands you a difficult situation or many options. Peace is restored in the book only when the tribes learn to work together unselfishly. Wind-voice is the hero, but he needed the support of all these others to get there, so in the end, peace is something they all, we all, must strive for.

I greatly enjoyed this book because it was able to take somewhat more difficult concepts, somewhat more adult concepts, and present them in a fun, and yet entertaining way to younger generations. Even at my age, I felt the writing simple enough for must young adults, but complex enough to keep an adult interested. Just as the book uses many influences and concepts, and the characters themselves show a need for one to evolve and change, I think it takes many sources and much experience for one to be cultivated. It also reinforces the notion of choice, that despite one’s position, there is potential for positive change, to make a difference. I feel this book propones just that, not just peace, but a cultivated, intelligent type of peace.

— Tom

dhastings says ...

 Why do I feel like you have some sort of automated arrangement with a web host?

You and me both.

 It must be that time of the month.

Swordbird

I am really impressed. If someone hadn’t told me that this book was written by someone my age, I never would have guessed. Although the story lost me at times, I found this to be a wonderfully written book. It was inspiring to me, being a writer, to see such talent in this young author. The battle between good birds and bad birds was very intriuging and I reccomend it to everybird.

— Sasha

 It actually requires the turning of 2 keys simultaneously.

Ready Bobblehead? One, two, three..

Now, (whew) this dangerous machine has been officially dismantled.

You’re never too young

Nancy Yi Fan is only 16 years old, yet she’s written two books, Swordbird and Swordquest, which have been published. Inspired by the events surrounding 9-11 Fan wrote of a hero, Swordbird saying “In real life, we don’t have a Swordbird. All we have is each other and I think it’s important for us to create that Swordbird by our understanding and friendship.” Fan spoke to a group of teenagers and encouraged them to write about what excites them. “From my research, I realized if you have the experience doing something — suppose you’re very good at a sport — when you write about it, it flows more naturally to you.” It’s never too late (or too early) to write.

Just Write!

— Fiction writers

 We might as well be speaking to androids or other sci-fi entities programmed to realize the prime directive. 

Dear Nancy,

I am Caitlyn from Singapore. I am 6 years old and I am in Primary 1.

I like the books that you wrote. They are very interesting.

My mother borrowed the audiobook on Swordbird from the library a month ago. It was very exciting and I was always looking forward to know what the next chapter would be. My mother then borrowed the SwordQuest audiobook as well as the actual books. I read the books but I have not finished reading them as they are very long stories. I am finishing the books soon.

The names of the birds are very unique.

Caitlyn, Singapore

The heroic Swordbird is called upon in times of war to restore peace and eliminate fear. hatred, misery and death. But if he’s just a myth the cardinals and blue lays will be enslaved by the tyrannical hawk-lord. This novel was penned by Nancy Yi Fan. 13, after a crazy-vivid dream.

— The Girls’ Life Magazine

Swordquest by Nancy Yi Fan is a great book. It’s a prequel to Nancy Yi Fan’s previous book, Swordbird, and it tells about the adventures of Swordbird: The legendary white bird in the book Swordbird. The book goes from Swordbird being born, to him becoming a guardian spirit. If you love the book Swordbird, you should definetly read Swordquest, because not only it tells about the adventures of Swordbird and his companions, it gives you better picture what happened BEFORE the book Swordbird. All in all, Swordquest is a wonderful book, and I encourage people to read it.

–Cele

Swordbird Soars!

My all-time favorite book is Swordbird by Nancy Yi Fan. It’s about birds joining together to overpower an evil hawk to bring peace and freedom to all.

The message is cool, too-way better than Harry Potter’s.

_cat_girl4_