Wild Wings

by Gill Lewis, Yuta Onoda (Illustrator)

The majestic Osprey is an endangered bird that hasn’t been seen in Scotland for years, so when Iona McNair locates an Osprey nest, she’s desperate to keep the bird safe from poachers. She shares her secret with her classmate Callum, and the two become friends as they work to save the Osprey they’ve named Isis. They’re able to get the bird tagged by a preservationist, but after Isis flies to Africa for the winter, her signal becomes stagnant, then lost. Spurred by a promise to Iona, who has fallen ill, Callum is determined to track and save Isis, and a leap of faith and the magic of e-mail connects him with a girl in Gambia who can help him make good—in more ways than one.

Set against the dramatic landscapes of Scotland and West Africa, this is a timeless tale of hope and friendship—a heartwarming novel infused with the beauty of nature.

Genres: Novels, Animals, Friendship, Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, Adventure

287 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2011

About the author

Before she could walk, Gill Lewis was discovered force-feeding bread to a sick hedgehog under the rose bushes. Now her stories reflect her passion for wild animals in wild places. She draws inspiration from many of the people she has had the fortune to meet during her work as a vet, both at home and abroad. Gill Lewis has a masters degree in Writing for Young People from Bath Spa University and won the 2009 course prize for most promising writer. Her first novel was snapped up for publication within hours of being offered to publishers. She lives in Somerset with her young family and a motley crew of pets. She writes from a shed in the garden, in the company of spiders.

Reviews

[Lari Don · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Simple as that. It started quite slowly, with kids poaching fish in a Scottish burn, lambs being fed on a farm, and friends bickering over the things which seem important when you’re ten. And because I was brought up somewhere a bit similar, I stuck with it for a few chapters. But then suddenly the gentle writing got under my skin, the story heated up, and I was gripped. I had started reading it without preconceptions, without even reading the blurb (a great way to read any book, if you can manage it!) so I’m not going to say much about the plot, but I will say that it’s about two children in a Scottish village and two rare birds, about real death and imagined death, about secrets and community, and about another child in another village. This story’s wings spread all the way from Scotland to Africa, just like the osprey’s annual migration. I started crying on page 100, and barely stopped blowing my nose after that. But I enjoyed every minute of it.

[The Shayne-Train · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a beautiful and touching story.

The blurb on the back made it seem vaguely fantasy-ish,but that wasn't the case. I may not have purchased this to read aloud to my little one had I known, so I'm truly glad of my mistake.

Basically, it is the story of two young Scottish children discovering an endangered osprey has mad their backyard its home. There is great joy in the story, and also great loss.

My daughter would beg for one more chapter after each one ended, forcing herself to stay awake and listen, her eyes fever-bright in her tired little face. And I found myself delighted to indulge her every time.

[Isobel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic book
This book is full of beautiful imagery describing the hawk and nature. I loved the important messages that were portrayed in the book: kindness, friendships and love.


How is the story told?
The story is told as a narrative in first person, where a boy and girl called Iona Callum find a hawk. The boy tracks the flight off the bird when he travels between Africa and Scotland. The book has a lot italics, which grips the reader into the book. The paragraphs with the italics are only written when describing the actions of the bird. The book is also full of a variety of speech and adjectives are used effectively to describe land scapes, nature and the hawk. The book also has paragraphs that are written in the format of letter and email writing and diary or log. These formats describe the main event of when the main character communicates with a girl from Africa to look out for the Sky hawk, and when he tracks the hawk travelling between Africa and Scotland.
Does the novel belong to a particular genre?
The novel is written as a fiction genre. The book is full of continuous themes linking to nature: the hawk, landscapes, bird nest, deserts and mountains
Can you see in patterns in the ideas in the book?
In the novel there was a continuous pattern of love and friendship: Callum developed a loving and caring friendship with Iona and Jeneba. There is also patterns of kindness and care: Callum continues to care and look after the bird and he cares for his family and friends.
The book has a pattern that shows up twice, the important pattern is the flight of the sky hawk travelling between Scotland and Africa. The pattern continues from this idea where Callum tracks the shy hawk using a diary log to see where the hawk is. And to see how far she travels and the locations she travels over between Africa and Scotland.
Near the end of the book there is a continuous format writing: letters and emails are sent continuously between Jeneba and Callum.
Iona’s heart shaped locket appears a couple of times in the book. It appeared when Iona showed Callum and when Iona’s mum gave it to Callum after Iona died. Therefore, I thought that the locket shaped heart may symbolise the importance of love. For Callum I think the locket symbolised his loving friend ship with Iona. The locket to Iona symbolised her cut of love with her mother, the locket was there as a symbol for her to remember, cherish and love her mother.
The book had a few patterns of pain and sadness: when the bird hurt her foot, when Iona got ill and passed away and when Jeneba was ill and hurt her leg. Therefore, I think this gives the reader an important message that life is not always happy and joyful, but there can be moments of pain and sadness. The reader may then understand that sometimes pain and sadness can be sorted out and resolved but sometimes it can leave people with despair. For example, the main characters may have felt loss of hope when the bird cut her leg, they may have been worried and lost hope that the hawk would not be able to look after her eggs.

Can you see patterns in the language?
In the novel Gill Lewis has given the reader clues about what the story will be about; introducing one of the main characters: the girl Iona and it also introduces the dark rivers and forests. This landscape is introduced to give the reader an idea of where the novel will be set.
The book is written in 1st person and the book bounces straight in with a mysterious phrase- “I saw her first, a pale skinny girl lying on a flat rock below the rapids.” This phrase is interesting because it draws the reader and triggers their mind that that this mysterious girl may have connections to the sky hawk.
There is a repetitive language phrases ‘kee, kee used in the text, this helps the reader to understand the noises of the hawk and how she tries to communicate with the characters.
Can you notice any patterns or puzzles with the story?
The book has repeated patterns of the highlands in Scotland, nature, rivers, rapids and the hawk. The are puzzles in the book are written as diary logs, the logs are puzzles to the reader because the reader realises that Callum is using the puzzles to track how far the hawk travels, the speed of the hawk and which locations the hawk flies over. This stays as a continuous puzzle to the main character because she figures out the location the bird is flying over and this helps him to figure out how far the hawk is to her final destination, Africa or Scotland.
How does the front cover help the reader to understand the themes of the book?
The front cover helps the reader to understand the themes of the book because it has a beautiful illustration of a hawk with bright yellows eyes and a black beak. This therefore gives the reader an idea that the book may be based on a story about a hawk. Below the picture of the bird there is a scenery of mountains and grassland and the reader may understand that the book may be based in the countryside or highlands.

How could the book be used in the classroom?
• A good activity that could develop the children’s knowledge of the book may be to ask the children to illustrate the front cover and consider the main themes that they think are important in the book.
• The teacher could use the ideas of diary entry and letter and email writing to help the children to understand that there can eb different formats of writing.
• The teacher could also read certain phrases with a good use of adjectives, the teacher could read the adjectives to the children and then encourage them to come up with their own adjectives for the actions and looks of the hawk.

Dislikes and likes
I enjoyed the novel sky hawk because I felt immersed in ten story and I felt as though I was in the story when the author had described the nature and scenery well. The book was full of happy and sad moments, this taught me that life is not always happy but it can be full of ups and downs. The ending of the story captures a the beauty of the sky hawk and made me feel joyful and happy that the hawk had returned. The phrase “her bright sunflower eyes looked right into mine.” This phrase brought joy to the story and it a very beautiful ending describing the joy that the main character Callum feels when the hawk returns.

[Jaimie Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sky Hawk is set in a small farming village in Scotland. It starts with a meeting between three boys who seem, at first, to be quite irritating and childish, especially Rob who is a bit of a show-off, and Iona, a girl who has returned to the village to live with her grandfather who is almost an outcast in the village.

Callum and Iona form a deep bond of friendship. Callum has the strength of mind to stand up to his friend to defend Iona and she then shares an amazing secret with him about a wild creature that is living on his father's farm. Callum and Iona become very close friends and together they will do anything to protect the beautiful creature.

What I loved most about Sky Hawk was the chance to read about children whose lives are very different from mine because they live in a remote place where they are free to roam together. Also I especially liked the section of the book which are like are diary or log. They are written in italics and are all about the Osprey. The writing is very vivid, like poetry and could make a lovely description writing session in English.

[Sofie Lisette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sky hawk is a realy good book. It's about this boy called Callum and this girl called Iona and Iona finds a realy rare bird thats not been seen for over 100 years and they lookafter it. And a couple days later they dicide they're going to camp out but Iona didn't make it but the problem is callum dicovers Iona dies.
About a month later It's the summer and the bird flys to africa and she has a wound on her leg so it gets realy infected and some african people help her recover so she can be free. Then an african girl writes to Callum saying that the birds Okay and soon she'll fly back.
A while later the african girl is coming to where Callum is, so they want to celibrate and have a party. When she gets there they have the party and the next day they climb the mountain and see the bird come back.
And that is the end.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

rating: 3.5 - the first third was too bland for this book to merit a solid 4 stars

It's taken seven years for me to stumble across this author. According to the inside back cover, she "is a former veterinarian living in the UK. This book was influenced by her passion for wildlife and the inspirational people she met during her travels as a vet." In many ways, her writing reminds me of books by Jean Craighead George.

The focus here is on ospreys, an endangered species in Scotland. An aerie is discovered by 11-year-old kids who are enchanted by the birds. As is described in the GR summary, the osprey is fit with a satellite transmitter, which allows the kids to follow the osprey's activities, locally as well as on its wintering grounds. Yes, this is set in the present day, complete with computers, internet access, digital cameras, cell phones, and dirt bikes. (As far as I know, JCG never included high-tech gadgets in her stories.)

I will watch for other books by Lewis.

[Esutterlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

What did I like about this book ?...
1. The way that love of animals often seems to bring out the best in people, e.g. Callum and his friends.
2. The settings - Scotland, and the osprey's trek to Africa.
3. The truth that the internet can forge long distance friendships that are real (some people argue/ worry that time spent on the internet deprives children of "real" friendships)
4. The courage of the author in killing off a quirky lead character early in the book. Meningitis is a very abrupt death. The author's choice to end a prominent character's role without much warning is tribute to the fact that this is a dangerous disease that strikes fast and invokes fear in the community when it occurs. I happen to know a beautiful, genuinely good, healthy young college graduate who died suddenly overnight after falling asleep with a fever as Iona did, and there is no foreshadowing possible. The truth can be painful. That the author chose to include this very rare occurrence in a child's life, while having a fragile, wounded migrating bird survive against all odds, is a risky decision as an author, but one that had a huge impact on Callum's character development.
5. The intertwining of fiction and nonfiction (COMMON CORE TEACHERS TAKE NOTE) in a way that fills MY own personal reading preferences. I know not all people are like me and enjoy making every vacation trip an educational experience or every stroll a nature walk, but this book made reading it doubly fun. Enough to excuse some of the author's uneven prose. (My longwinded writing has no such excuse ;-) ) My guess is that everyone who reads this book will be (or at least should be) inspired to use access to online resources to enrich both their educational and life experiences. Hopefully more will be encouraged to form international and intercultural "pen pal" relationships.
6. The appreciation and regrets that came with the funeral. This chapter could be reworked to benefit -- more realism and shades of grey while preserving the insight about how a community of individuals often only recognizes their own complicity and expresses any regrets in social isolation, prejudice, and poverty in hindsight.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

i thought that it was really good, a little unbelievable at times but very emotional.

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was an interesting read highlighting many cross-curricular links that can be used in a variety of Primary School subjects. Integrating lots of diverse themes Sky Hawk can be utilised in many subjects such as, English lessons. This is because Sky Hawk generates a vast range of creative writing tasks, examples being, getting the children to imagine a different animal to an Osprey and visualise it making a journey (this could be a pet, or another wild animal). They have to describe its journey from the animal’s perspective, portraying the people and places they encounter on the way. Other ideas include, creating a diary entry from the perspective of Iona or similarly to Callum they could write a letter/email to a pen-pal in a different country.
There is also an interest in Nature in the book which can be connected to Science. Activities such as, creating a fact-file of Osprey’s or getting children to explore their local environment through researching what birds they have near them could be influential in expanding their knowledge of living things and their habitats which is of significance in the Science National Curriculum.
There is also the opportunity for the inclusion of drama, role-play and art as children could create their own tree house/den like Iona’s and Callum’s which could be filled with drawings the pupils have created of birds from their local area.
Throughout the book there are also opportunities to interweave PSHE, for instance, discussing the treatment of wild birds in the book and why it is important to protect such rare species. The book moreover, holds strong themes of relationships - family and friendship. Specifically, the challenges we face in relationships such as, bully, jealousy and loss, topics which are relatable to pupils.
Geography can also be used as children can look at different counties the Osprey visited and can explore citizenship through investigating what is it like living in different communities.
Overall, I throughly enjoyed reading this book felt and would encourage the use of this book in schools.

[Zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book because the text offered many learning opportunities, for example, the definition of an eyrie. I definitely became more engaged in the text as I got to know the characters and the setting of the text because I wanted to find out more. At certain points in the text I felt various emotions, for example, happiness, excitement, sadness and concerned. Particularly during the climax of the story, I felt concerned for the characters because of the series of events that occurred. I particularly like how the author structured the chapters in the text because they are short in length but compact in detail, language and punctuation. The authors use of language is effective throughout the text, particularly when they reference to Iris because they bring her character to life by giving her a sense of presence. One phrase from the text that I particularly like is; 'its smooth scales glittered a million colours in the bright sunshine' (page 50), my reasons for this are because the words used immediately painted a picture in my head. One aspect of the text that I did not particularly like were the diary entries because I felt they distributed the flow of the story and the font used was slightly distracting. However, the author put a date, time and place above most of the entries which provided a useful context.

[Amy Beckett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book took me two days to read as I just couldn’t put it down. It was just such an easy journey to follow and be a part of. There is so much you can do with characterisation: Callum is such an interesting character as he is incredibly subtle and reserved in his speech but as a narrator, you can really connect with him and understand his internal thoughts and feelings towards Iona and the ospreys. Callum and Iona dedicate themselves to such a heartwarming and resilient journey to ensure the safety of the ospreys and even without Iona, Callum remains strong and determined to fight for Iris until the very end.

You could use this book in KS2 across the curriculum, not only in creating character profiles but letter/email writing and settings in English. You could also cover PSHE topics such as perseverance, friendship, bereavement and community spirit. As well as exploring elements of geography and science: looking at maps, culture differences between Scotland and Gambia. Moreover, looking at the importance of nature reserves, bird ringing and habitats. There is such potential for rich experiences and learning in this book.

As well as the enormity of themes, there are some interesting discussions to be had through book talk regarding the author’s craft. For instance, why is it no one knew until it was too late that Iona was ill? Whose perspective is the text from describing Iris on her journey? Are there significant relationships and comparisons between Geneba and Iris? And various other hints and clues that are dotted throughout the text. I think children can learn an awful lot from this book and some really interesting discussions could definitely immerse.

[Lianne Goates · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book and it is definitely aimed towards KS2 children. I liked the small chapters as it made the book easier to read. In a classroom setting, this means that the teacher could start and finish a chapter at the end of the day to leave children guessing what happens next. Chapter 4, in particular, ends on a cliffhanger and you have to read chapter 5 to know what Iona and Callum have found.

[Phoebe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although slow to begin, the story was engaging with some very heart-warming (and heart-wrenching) moments. The story predominantly explores the theme of friendship, a theme widely accessible at primary, however it is worth checking that readers would be emotionally mature enough to process some of the plot twists. A popular book for quiet reading, but not one that I would share as a class-book, simply as at times the plot moves on too quickly without unpacking ideas sufficiently. There are huge opportunities for cross-curricular work throughout.

[Caitlin Riordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is a great book for children to read and includes many great topics that can be discussed in class such as friendship, bullying, caring and loss. Personally, I thought the book was quite slow to begin with up until the main character, Callum, and his friend Iona find the Osprey’s. It then becomes a lovely story of how they need to protect them from other people and help them in their journey. Overall, this book can be used in a variety of different subjects, firstly and foremost being literacy, where children could do some description work, just as Callum did about the Osprey’s journey. It could also be used in art where they could draw a picture of how the Osprey look and perhaps also in science where they could compare other features of birds to how the Osprey look, and how they are adapted. To grab the children's attention and use this book in a lesson, you could take the children out of the classroom in different groups and look at how birds fly around the area e.g. looking at pigeons and then depending on the ability group they could come up with different words or find words about flight that have already been placed around outside. Then perhaps to write their own version about how they would envision an osprey to fly.

[Zoe Hickey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this little book and there are lots of messages for the children to take away from the book. I really enjoyed the storyline and think that children could get a lot out of this book. This could lead on to having pen pals, learning more about birds, talking about friendships and promises. A really lovely story to share with a class.

[Jacob Ogilby · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have very mixed feelings about this book, i would say it is very much a book of two halves. To begin with it was absolutely captivating, the slow buildup to actually finding out about the Ospreys was great. It really felt as if I was reading the imagination of a child discovering such a unique thing and keeping it a secret.
It dealt with implying that there were problems with Iona's home life, this meant that more mature readers would understand the implications of what was said but not younger.
The way that Gill Lewis portrayed each of the characters relationships with one another was also fantastic. The group dynamic between Callum, Euan and Rob was so well constructed, it felt very relatable as well, where two friends are closer than the third for some reason.
Then there was the sad moment in the book, I was heart broken when I read that Ioana had simply died, in one way it was predictable, but at the same time I did not expect it. I have mixed feelings on how the book dealt with it, from a child's point of view it felt like a good explanation of what happened. However for older readers it felt almost glossed over, it happened and then it was forgotten.
From this point on I enjoyed the book less and less, it was a quaint story but it didn't feel as believable. The Africa side of the story felt like a sequel to the book instead of a second half. It felt much more aimed at younger children from chapter 28 or so onward.
I did really like the ending when the bird returned, I felt it would be a fantastic piece of symbolism to look at with a class.

[Jonathan Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

What really enjoyed about this novel was that it was such an emotional rollercoaster that the book takes the reader on. Loss is a key theme that really attaches the reader to the character of Callum, however, love does end up coming through with courage. Some times the book was harder to follow due to some events being largely complicated that could be simplified. Personally I would use this book when teaching because it has so many cross-curricular opportunities. As well as this, the book could be used in English to write diary entries about Callum's life or from the viewpoint of Iona.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sky Hawk by Gill Lewis is about a boy named Callum.One day he meets Iona who tells him an incredible secret.Ospreys are living in the woods beside his farm.Ospreys are endangered and are protected.He and Iona make a promise to keep the ospreys a secret but when Iona dies and the female osprey dissapears halfway through her migration will Callum be able to save the female osprey or will she disapear?
I picked this book up because I wanted to see if the books by Gill Lewis were good and they were.
I finished Sky Hawk because it was one of the best books, that don't have alot fo action, I've ever read.
I would recommend this book to people who likes to read books that are heart warming because this one was.

[Ben Kane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read about this book in a newspaper article about great kids' books. The title and subject appealed at once, so I bought it. It's an engaging story, well-written and very evocative of the wilds of Scotland. I take the point made by another reviewer that Rob and Euan are very similar - one of these two characters could have been lost without difficulty, and what happens to Iona could also have been expanded - but overall I thought this novel was terrific. Its plot cleverly links Scotland with The Gambia, not just through the osprey, but through Callum, the hero, and Jeneba, a little girl who helps him. Prepare to have your heartstrings tugged, and to shed a few tears before the end. Suitable for children from 8-9 upwards as well as adults. Thoroughly recommended.

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the first children's books that has made me say, "here's a book whose protagonist does things I wished more real children did." I mean, Callum tracks an endangered animal on Google Earth AND makes a human friend overseas. He's also an example of a male protagonist who is both strong and kind, one I'm hoping will appeal to young boys. In addition, this book could get children interested in learning about life in both Scotland and Africa, as well as possibly finding pen pals in those places! I also like the fact that this is an environmental story with no real villains; only theoretical ones.
For all of these reasons, "Wild Wings" definitely added fuel to my "teacher fire." If I ever teach third or fourth grade, this book will definitely be on our reading list.

[milly 🖤 · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was my favourite book as a child and for years i have thought about it again and again. reading it now as an adult is healing; the story is so touching and definitely the reason why ospreys are special to me!

[Dwk · Rating 5 out of 5]

MAMA BEAR. YOU HAVE TO READ THIS

[Anna Branson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A - May - Zing! I loved this book!!!!

[Gina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed reading this book. It's not exactly predictable. It's beautifully written. It makes you google up the animal to find out more. That's why it is a terrific book for any age, really.

[Jane Scholey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just re-read this for the coming term. Like how it portrays friendships and the impact we can have/do have on nature.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Skyhawk by Gill Lewis Goodreads Diary Entry
The story is set in rural Scotland and the main two characters are Callum and Iona. Iona shares her secret which is that she has discovered an osprey, Iris, on Callum’s farm, with Callum and they form a close friendship. The story includes the fact that ospreys are endangered species, so in order to keep her safe and protect her. This makes it difficult to keep Iris a secret which Iona told him was important for her safety. However, particularly when Iona dies, Callum realises that in order to protect her he needs to tell others so that they can help him. This includes Hamish, a nature warden, and eventually more and more people know about Iris from all around the world. Despite Iona and Callum’s worries, everyone works to help Iris, including when she migrates, showing that whilst secrets are important, sometimes things must be shared (which could be studied in PSHE). The book contains some field-specific lexis, such as an eyrie; the definition can be worked out easily as the meaning is evident through the content in which the terms are used, or children could be told the meaning, but due to this and some of the themes in the book, it would be best for children in Year 2 and above. In the story Iona dies which could upset some children, particularly any who have gone through similar experiences. Due to this, consideration of the particular children in the class would be important before reading.
The story has lovely description and a happy ending, although there are parts which are exciting and sad. This builds suspense and encourages children to continue reading to find out what happens. Such plot twists include when Iris’ tracker loses signal when she migrates to Africa and Callum worries that she has got lost or died and Iona’s death. It is told in first person narrative from Callum’s perspective which enables greater connection with him and his emotions and experiences are easily portrayed and understood and this could help children to understand and follow the plot. Dialogue also features which helps with the development of characters. In addition, the main characters are children, which makes the story and the characters’ experiences more relatable for young readers. To aid the description, similes and metaphors are included which could tie into some English lessons. There are also small pictures to accompany each chapter. These help to set the scene and act as visual cues to accompany the story.
There are lots of opportunities to use this book in many different ways in English lessons. They could create diary entries for Iris as she migrates from Scotland to Africa (which could be linked to geography and science topics of habitats) or for Callum or Iona. They could plan other journeys for people or animals using Sky Hawk as inspiration for write creative writing. They could also write letters to friends who live far away, which is similar to what happened with Callum and Januba. In the book there are also examples of other forms of writing, such as emails and letters. This could allow for comparisons of different types of writing and could be used when teaching about writing letters.
The topic of friendships and family could be covered in PSHE, along with bereavement, perseverance, the community and bullying (particularly by Rob and Euan towards Iona). In PSHE and geography, differences in cultures could be studied, such as between Scotland/UK and Africa/the Gambia. If the story was read to children in urban and city areas, they could learn about other environments within the UK such as rural areas and farms, which children may be able to experience themselves through school trips to farms, wildlife centres where they could see ospreys or other birds of prey, or to nature reserves. Links with science, such as migration, tracking birds and habitats could be included along with x-rays which are used on Iris and this could be discussed when studying how they can be used with humans. Children could hot seat the characters to gain a greater insight into their feelings which could be used in drama and could develop their creative writing or empathy in PSHE.
Due to Skyhawk being an enjoyable story, the book would also be suitable to read as a class story with any KS2 class. The chapters aren’t too long so at least one could be read at a time.
The reading area or a display could be decorated with trees, as would be found on the farm near where Iris was found, along with toy birds or drawings/collages (which could be done by the children in art) of ospreys. This would help to bring the story to life and encourage greater engagement with the story and could also encourage reading as it would make the reading corner more exciting and inviting. This could help to create a receptive context for the book.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Likes, dislikes, patterns and puzzles:
Despite my lack of interest in the theme of the novel, I found myself really enticed in reading. The end of each short chapter left me questioning what was coming next.
While I usually find book reading uncomfortable and difficult, due to dyslexia and visual stress, the short chapters and widely spaced text made for an easy flow of reading.
I really enjoyed the various intertwined stories that all wrapped around Callum’s life and the journey of the Ospreys. I think these side stories kept the text engaging and allowed the time scale of the birds journey to become relatable.
As readers, children’s will all have experiences of changing seasons, going back to school, making friends and falling out and how long such things take. Portraying the birds journey alongside these day-to-day happenings allows the reader with little bird knowledge to easily understand the vast time and distance scale and danger involved in the Osprey migration patterns.
Patterns involving checking on Iris and mapping her positive journey through incredible landscapes held the reader captivated in imagining such beautiful scenery. Juxtaposing such thrill alongside the patterns fear and concern, often when Callum hasn’t had time to check the map, when the Ospreys location in unavailable. The negative tension and worry created by the reader while Callum continues his day unaware, leads the reader wanting to shout for Callum to check the tracker and relieve the worry. This is further build by the fact that the times when Callum hasn’t checked the tracker are paired with the times the Osprey hits danger. The helpful Osprey updates in amongst the story create a dramatic irony between Calum and the reader- we can only begin to imagine how Callum will react when he finds out.
How you could grab a class’ attention; familiarise and immerse children into the text:
The mapping of the birds flight path is engaging enough to read- the vivid description of each new destination flew over naturally entices reader to create mental images. Allowing the class to explore their imagination through art, movement and music and then spending some time online, or in the school library, researching the destinations to compare their thought with could really engage children in the story and further develop their enjoyment and relatability with the rest of the story. Additionally, troubles around friendship etc. could be taken from another characters point of view; some children could be encouraged to view this point of view through a diary entry, some through drama- a wide range of differentiated, perhaps PSHE related, tasks could extend the pupils views of the different characters, as well as improving written and verbal communication skills.
How you could create a ‘receptive context’:
A variety of activities relating to the text, along with an engaging reading of the text in a shared environment, where as many of the class are present, so no one misses vital information. Time for children to engage and discuss their own views, opinions on characters, happenings and what could happen next in relation to topics covered in the text to create a whole experience. Allowing pupils to see and understand beyond the text, through physically mapping the birds journey on a classroom display and looking up the places the bird flies over, or researching more around the land in Scotland and many other themes arisen in the book will therefore enable new words and concepts to be understood and can be transferred into their own productive context, supported by exploration with teachers and peers.

[Lauren Drake · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a good read. It's main focusses are on nature and birds, in particular osprey's, and friendships and how they can change and be adapted. The story also touches on emotions and death and therefore the story pulls on the reader's heart strings as they can become attached to characters once they have got to know a bit about them.

I liked the emphasis on emotions and friendships in this story and how it also touches on bullying, especially when Iona joins the class and is called a weirdo by her new classmates. This is effective as it can relate the character to the readers life, especially if they have been bullied in the past and can also create sympathy for the character due to the way in which she is treated. I liked how Callum went against his friends who were mean to Iona and decided to be her friend. I also liked how Callum's soft side came out as the strong went on and the character developed. The beginning of this was shown when he became friends with Iona through the osprey and then how he decided to create a fundraiser to help a girl in the Gambia that he had been messaging over losing his osprey (Iris) so that she could have a life-changing operation.

It did take me a while to get into the book and the story being told as I didn't really engage with it until the Iona character was introduced. This may have been because I can relate to her character or that was where the memorable parts of the story began. Due to this I would definitely recommend this story for a child in upper KS2 as the younger children may lose interest quickly as the beginning of the story is not captivating and may encourage them not to read on, whereas the older children will understand the story more and want to see what happens and where the story is going. I enjoyed the many twists that occurred in this story as many of them I did not expect to happen, especially Iona's death.

If I were to use this text in my future classroom, I would create a receptive context by creating a display based on the book so that the children can imagine themselves inside the book as they are reading it. I would get some toy osprey and some pictures to put in the classroom so that the children can see what they look like. I may also get them to draw their own osprey pictures just like Iona did in the story. Another way in which I might create a receptive context for this story is by using drama and hot seating. I would choose some children to be the main characters in the book and then get the rest of the class to ask them questions so that they can understand the characters emotions and actions more clearly. This activity also gets all of the children involved in the story and keeps them interested. Before reading the story I would ask the children if any of them knew what an osprey is and also if any of them are from Scotland as this can create a bond between the children and the story.

I would definitely recommend using this book in the KS2 classroom, in particular for use in science or geography as it focusses on places, landscapes and birds. I may also use parts of the story in PHSE to teach about friendships and how not every one is the same and everyone should be given a chance before being judged by their peers.

[Francesca Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel was about an osprey that a girl called Iona found near her home in Scotland. She showed it to her friend Callum but he wasn’t allowed to tell anyone because she made it their secret. The children adored the bird and went to see it every day before it left to fly to the Sahara Dessert. However, before it left a tracker was attached to it so that Callum could track the bird and sadly Iona died. There were parts where the tracker lost signal so it made Callum worried. However, he got in touch with someone who lived near the Sahara Desert who could track the bird. That person was called Jeneba who was in hospital but her father was a fisherman. He found the bird and was able to update Jeneba on it so she could email Callum to pass on news. Callum soon found out that Jeneba might not get better in hospital and the only way to save her was to bring her to England for an operation however this would cost a lot of money. Callum raised money by doing a school fair to bring her over to London so she could have it then she came up to Scotland to visit him. As this was happening iris the osprey was on her return back to Scotland from the Sahara and when Jeneba met Callum in Scotland they saw her fly over them both and Jeneba was recovering well from her operation.
I liked how the book incorporated lots of elements from other subjects such as geography. E.g. talking about weather conditions in other countries, describing other cultures and using measurements for tracking the bird. This enables children to learn facts whilst enjoying a book. I also liked that other genres of writing were included in the book such as emails and a letter as this allows children to see other formats of writing which could involve them in having a go at doing these too.
I disliked the fact that Iona died in the book as I felt that it wasn’t necessary to the book and it made the book a little sad. This could affect children if the book was being read to key stage 1. However, the rest of the story is lovely to read with a happy ending. It didn’t feel like there was a clear link to the story for Iona to die therefore it didn’t feel as if it was needed.
Patterns and puzzles that I noticed included the use of the tracker device being repeated to update the reader on how far the bird had flown. This enabled the reader to see how magnificent the bird is and how extraordinary this form of specie is. Using the emails also occurred a lot. This allowed the reader to recognise the format and how Callum and Jeneba were keeping in contact.
To create a receptive context, I would turn the classroom into a forest to make it look like the scene from where the bird first took off to go to Africa and when it returns to Scotland. I would put a bird’s nest in the corner of the classroom with some eggs in for the children to look at and put sound effects on with bird and forest noises.

[Alice Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lewis’ ‘Sky Hawk’ is a story of friendship, perseverance, hope and mystery set in the countryside of Scotland. It is about two unlikely friends, protagonist Callum and fiery Iona, who share an incredible secret that pushes their emotions to the edge as they struggle to protect it. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and found myself in tears at one point because I was so invested in Lewis’ very real characters. The book would go into the adventure and animal category and would be suitable for children 9 and older (Upper Key Stage Two).

I really liked the author’s use of description in creating the characters of Iona and Callum. For example, Iona is described as a: “pale skinny girl” with “floating ends of her long red hair”. This immediately tells readers that Iona is unique and sets her apart from the boys watching her. Iona is seen lying on a rock with her hands deep into the water of the loch below trying to catch a fish, implying that she is brave, independent and may be trying to fend for herself and perhaps a family struggling to get by. As a teacher, I could ask my children to find quotes from the first two chapters of the book that support these ideas to help them learn to analyse and justify their answers. We could also do something similar for Callum and make predictions about what we think might happen to them both in the story.

I would also look Lewis’ use of ellipsis to build suspense and create tension in the story, for example: “I CAN’T! One. . . Do it. Go. . . The ground was gone. I was flying. . . falling.”. Using this technique keeps the reader on the edge of their seat and teaches children that when writing an exciting story, it can be a more effective way of writing because the reader has to wait longer to find out what has happened. We would come up with own examples of ellipsis to display on the board and then we would have a go at writing suspenseful paragraphs in Lewis’ style.

I would ask the children to go through different sections of the text and pick some of their favourite words and phrases, for example I would draw their attention to: “a smudge of purple mountains”. We could create pictures around these phrases to explore the meaning of: “a smudge” and spark the children’s imagination for their own creative and descriptive writing.

We could play a fun prediction game when we finish a chapter of the book, for example in chapter four Iona and Callum’s secret is finally revealed to us, and so after reading the previous chapter we could all think about what the secret could be and draw a picture or write about what each child thinks it is.

The book also offers lots of cross-curricular opportunities including Geography, the aforementioned Art, History, Music and Science. The story takes place in rural Scotland and so I would teach the class about Scottish culture, lifestyle, history and legends, such as the famous Loch-ness monster. We would have fun decorating the classroom with flags, a multitude of birds, flowers and maybe a pretend lake filled with fish and our own monster. Furthermore, the story is also centred around Osprey birds of prey. The children would learn all about different birds and I’d show them videos and pictures of impressive birds of prey. We could do a research project on different types of birds, adaptation and migration, as we see with the journey of Iris. In Music we could create our own bird noises using a variety of instruments and see if the children can identify each others. I would also introduce the children to classic stories and Greek mythology because the name of the female osprey is Iris, the Greek goddess of the wind and sky. The book also deals with death and grief which I would handle in a sensitive way and teach older children about this in a PSHE lesson where they could support each other and understand it more.

Moreover, the book features different styles of writing and this would be the perfect opportunity to teach the children about these, for example writing inserts from Callum’s diary, writing a newspaper article about the village campaign raising lots of money for Jebena's operation, a bird fact file, a letter to Jebena in the hospital and creative writing about Iris’ journey in South Africa with the coordinates of her position at the time. Children would really enjoy writing in a variety of styles, learning about the audience, features and purpose for each one and using pages from the book as models for writing their own osprey adventures.