Customer Reviews

The Wind Singer (The Wind on Fire, Book 1)

5 star:		(57)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Children's books about the horrors of standardized testing are increasingly popular these days. From Edward Bloor's well-intentioned, "Storytime" to "The Report Card" by the otherwise talented Andrew Clements, these books have attempted to capture the dangers of this destructive teaching tool. Both books have fallen short, leaving some people to wonder if there could ever be a book that discusses this sometimes controversial subject well. What few people know is that there's a fantastic well-written and beautifully put together fantasy series that begins with the horrific results of what happens when a society bases all decisions on testing. Regular methodical testing. In William Nicholson's, "The Wind Singer", (the first in his "Wind On Fire" trilogy), the term "distopia" takes on a whole new look and meaning. In a book that is simultaneously wise, beautifully penned, and deeply moving, "The Wind Singer", gets to the bottom of rigid test-based communities and show us a beautiful worst-case scenario.

Aramanth is a community that loves its tests. Living by the daily pledge, "I vow to strive harder, to reach higher, and in every way to seek to make tomorrow better than today", its citizens embody the ultimate caste system. Based on strict standardized testing, people live according to how well they test. The nicest homes belong to those members of society that answer quizzes effectively and intelligently. For those people who don't like tests or don't do well on them for a variety of reasons, they live on the bottom rungs of society. There's very little rebellion in Aramanth due to its rigid control of any possible insubordination on the part of its citizens. That is, until one day little Kestrel Hath decides that she doesn't want to live in a world based on testing anymore. Suddenly she's endangered her family and herself. There seems no escape from Aramanth's rules and regulations, until the ancient Emperor, a disused ruler, tells Kestral about the Wind Singer. This gigantic and ancient construction of pipes that towers over the town was once given the ability to sing to its citizens, calming their hearts and making them happy. When the key to the Wind Singer's voice was stolen, the society became cold and hardened into its current state. With her twin brother Bowman and their initially unwanted tagalong Mumpo at her side, Kestral and company embark on a quest to save Aramanth from itself once and for all.

I nominate this book for the title, Perfect Distopian Novel. I've not fallen for a fabulous fantasy in a long time, and this book has everything you could want in it. A great (and little used) moral. Characters you care about deeply. A gripping plot. Everything. I greatly appreciated that the parents of the heroes in this book were not only both alive (name three children's books, especially fantasies, where that's the case) but also active, amusing, and subversive aids to their kids' efforts. Too often parents fret and flail in children's novels, adding nothing to the story but woe. In this book, however, Mr. and Mrs. Hath recognize the quest their children are on and decide to raise a little hooplah in Aramanth on their own. The results are quite fabulous. I was also impressed by the character of Mumpo. A developmentally challenged boy who loves the Hath twins desperately, Mumpo could easily have been a kind of mock-Forest Gump character, spouting simple platitudes and giving everyone around him a patented new lookout on life. Ugh. There's a little of that, but Nicholson is clever enough to know how to give Mumpo more complexity than Mr. Gump. His character learns and grows (sometimes frighteningly) through his experiences and his very existence makes the twins kinder people through his presence.

There are an awful lot of other things good in this story, though. For one thing, I think it contains the scariest evil army I've ever read. You can keep your "Lord of the Rings"-type orcs and goblins. I personally believe that the army of the Zars, a relentlessly cheery troop of endless, young, white-suited, peppy people given to singing "Kill Kill Kill" at the top of their voices, is the most horrifying group to ever appear in a children's book. The Zars are rivaled in evil, however, by a prematurely old group of children with the ability to suck the youth out of anyone they touch. Worst of all is the evil spirit-lord, the Morah. The Morah has long since convinced the citizens of Aramanth that he's a myth. It reminds me of the quote, "The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist". With these incredibly awful foes, it's a wonder Kestrel and Bowman keep their wits about them. Finally, the book has a deep emotional core that I think will be appreciated by all readers. The Hath family is very loving and caring. The bond between the twins is deep and Nicholson deftly portrays the depths of Mumpo's loneliness and despair. Plus the book has an amazing array of different worlds through which the kids travel. From the deep mud world below Aramanth to a traveling city on wheels (suspiciously similar those found in the more recent "Hungry City Chronicles" by fellow Brit, Phillip Reeve), Nicholson creates new worlds out of thin air. The result is a book that'll have you continually reading for hours on end, unable to stop even part way through.

The most recommended fantasy book in schools nation-wide is undeniably Lois Lowry's, "The Giver". I suggest that, as good as it is, we give, "The Giver", a break for once and encourage our kids to read "The Wind Singer" instead. Those children that suffer under the strain of repeated testing will appreciate the book's strong message. Children who like great action sequences and heightened danger will fall for the book's fast-paced escapes and battles. And those children that simply like a good story with good writing will be entranced. I say with conviction that this is probably the strongest British fantasy book for children written in the twenty-first century. It's simply the best.

This book is within the tradition of science fiction/fantasy that seeks to make comments about our current state of human affairs through entertaining fiction, without beating the reader over the head with the obvious moral of the story.

It's not often that one's heartbeat is raised when reading a book, but that's exactly what happened to me on several occasions while reading this. Mr. Nicholson has written a stupendous novel, and I'll be first in line to buy the second book in the trilogy.

In Amaranth, everyone has their place in society, and that place is determined by one's performance on exams. Each year, test-takers have the opportunity to move up in the social hierarchy, with those who fail the test sent down a level. Those who have risen to the very top of the system seem to like it best, and feel most threatened by those whose apathy toward their own position in Amaranth makes a mockery of the whole system of constantly striving to better oneself.

This is the place from which Kestrel and her brother, Bowman, start out on their great quest. And what a quest it is! The obstacles that they encounter on their journey for Amaranth's version of the Holy Grail are so well-described by Mr. Nicholson that I felt myself covered with mud, or on top of a steep precipice, or surrounded by thousands of zombie-like drones.

So, my recommendation is this. If you liked Harry Potter, give this a go. If you didn't like Harry Potter, give this a go.

I only realised that this was not a full adult book when I started reading the other reviews. This book does not have the richness of, say, The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman, or the Harry Potter books, which are "young adult" books that have successfully crossed over for an adult audience. But it is fine for a young adult audience.

I blazed through it in one evening: the story is highly gripping, and keeps your attention throughout. Teenagers will respond well to the story of two young people, one concerned with action (Kestrel) another with feelings (Bowman), who rebel against a structured life of exams and rigid classes. Sound like school? It's also a nice touch that the feeling character is male, and the action one is female, although the book is not politically correct in a heavy handed way.

Kestrel's rebellion and wilfulness land her in trouble, and also bring her face to face with the hidden emperor of their world, who tasks her with bringing back the wind singer, and saving the nation. This involves a perilous journey out of the walled city, Aramanth, to the mountains in the North, and brings her, and her brother, in contact with interesting and dangerous people.

The story is simple, and pretty linear, but that is what will keep a young person's attention. The morality is not heavy-handed, but the values it preaches of individuality and tolerance are just the right ones. Not particularly recommended for adults therefore, but a great read for younger readers.

This book is a breathtaking examination of social structure and fantastical elements - Gulliver's Travels meets The Wizard of Oz. I am greatly impressed and delighted to see works of this nature being written for a younger audience, because it speaks to a rising literacy. Bravo to both the author and the publisher for daring to aim so high, and succeed so admirably (like Pullman).

I am 9 years of age. I have read all the Harry Potter Books and I have been looking for a new book to read. I found The Wind Singer on amazon.com and liked the reviews so I got the book. I think it is a brilliant book because its really exciting and you dont know what's going to happen next. I have figured out the secret message on the back of the book by using the old Manth alphabet. I would really recommend this book.

Wow this book is a really great book. If you like a lot of adventure then this book is for you. Well this book is about the Hath family. The hath family lives in a city called Aramath. Aramath is a very complex city. There are levels to which the familys are rated and their homes are placed. The Hath family lives in the orange district which is the third level from from the end. Its not a very good district. Anyway, Kestrel and her twin brother Bowman share the power to communicate with each other using their minds. Their father Hanno Hath is a librarian and he knows everything about the history of aramath and the myths. Ira Hath is a stay at home mom taking care of the baby child Pinto. Now in the middle of Aramath there is a giant statue of the wind singer. The old story of the wind singer goes: "About a hundred years ago, or so, the wind singer used to sing a wonderful song that made everyone forget all of their problems and always be happy. Until the city of Aramath heard that the awfull army of the Zars was coming to attack the city in order to steal the wind singers voice. When the city heard of this great fate the surenderd the voice to the zars and everything cahnged after that." Now the city runs of levels and examination. But that wasnt't the case for Kestrel. She figured that if she could get out of the city then she could find the wind singer's voice and return happiness and peace the the city of Aramath. So she decided to leave the city acomponied by her brother and a tagolong classmate named Mumpo. Once they were on the otherside of the city gates the journy began.

As Kestrel, Bowman and Mumpo crossed the great valley they came across some great dificulties. Especially the Old Children. As they got closer and closer to the location of the voice they met a couple friends along the way. Wolves and eagles. Since Bowman could communicate with animals they found out that they were trying to help the three friends. Once they got inside the mountain were the voice was they met the army of zars. Now the army of Zars are young children that used to be Old Children. The Zars will now stop for anything until they get what they want. As the three children were running on their way back to the city of Aramath they had to do everything in their power to make sure the Zars were eather stopped or at least stalled until they got close to the city. well this is where i leave you. I cant tell you the end of course. But i will tell you that while Kestrel, Bowman and Mumpo were on there adventure there were a lot of things that happened at home. Well read the book already. Its really good. Trust me.

The wind singer is a wonderful book filled with adventure, suspense, and imagination. If you liked Harry Potter, or The Lord of the Rings, there's a good chance you'll like this book, too. Kestrel, a strong individual, is unhappy with the perfect, orderly society in which she lives. The wind singer, a peculiar struture that was supposed to at one time sing and bring peace and harmony to the people of Aramanth, has always been a special interest of Kestrel's. But the wind singer's voice was given to the evil Morah long ago in exchange for his army of Zars to leave Aramanth. Armed with courage and determination, Kestrel, her brother Bowman, and a classmate named Mumpo, must bring the voice back in order to restore happiness and equality to their home and its people.

William Nicholson's "The Wind Singer" tells the story of Kestrel and Bowman Hath, a twin sister and brother who live in the city of Aramanth. Aramanth is a joyless city, divided into color-coded districts, with White being the best and Gray the worst. Families are ranked based on the results of yearly examinations, and everyone is told to strive harder, reach higher, and better themselves.

Kestrel gets fed up and publicly insults the High Examiners, the Emperor, and the whole way of life in Aramanth. This puts her whole family in danger, and she, Bowman and Mumpo (a hapless boy in their class at school) go on a quest to find the voice of the Wind Singer, a strange contraption at the heart of Aramanth, which has been silent for hundreds of years. Meanwhile, their parents are fighting for their dignity and freedom in Aramanth.

The book is a wonderful fantasy, very inventive. In addition to the thoroughly unpleasant culture of Aramanth, we meet the mud people who live under the city, the Baraka and Chaka who travel the desert plains in great wheeled ships, the disturbing "old children," and the unstoppable Zars, who serve as the army of the Morah, an evil being who holds the voice of the Wind Singer. Unfortunately, the later stages of the quest, once Kestrel, Bowman and Mumpo leave the plains, are not nearly as detailed and absorbing as the first two thirds of the book.

"The Wind Singer" is a lovely, fun book, which manages to deliver a message without beating readers over the head. Though it's the first book of a trilogy, it stands very well on its own, leaving only a few dangling hints unresolved. However, it's aimed at people between 8 and 12 years old; adults and teens should adjust their expectations accordingly.

Reading Level: Ages (Young Adult)

Kestral Hath is a square peg in a round hole. She lives in a society that neatly tests, evaluates and classifies all of its people. The Wind Singer is a solid, fast-paced adventure for young readers with interesting characters and a theme to which most students and educators can relate: standardized testing. What if your whole life was measured by a series of tests, standardized and thus seemingly fair to all who took them? What if your family's status within the community depended on the accumulated scores of parents and children? What if you just don't fit into this system?

At the heart of this book is an examination of social structure. Like Swift's Gulliver, Kestral and her brother, Bowman, journey beyond the confines of their society and encounter two cultures-the peaceful, agrarian Mud People and the mobile, warring cities of Ombaraka and Omchaka. These societies seem strange even though they are logically based on the philosophical and physical dispositions of their people. But Kestral is no more an alien in these societies than she is in her own.

That is not to say The Wind Singer is a heavy-handed lecture on the ills of society. First and foremost, this is a tale of adventure. The author, a screenwriter (Tomb Raider) and director, draws vivid action scenes and moves the plot along at a motion-picture pace.

There is not a lot of depth to the characters in this first volume of a trilogy because, like J. K. Rowling, the author lets us learn about the characters through their actions rather than long passages describing who they are and justifying their personalities. As the trilogy continues to grow, so will its characters. In the end, the entire cast of characters are interesting and immensely enjoyable. I am particularly fond of Hanno Hath, the patriarch of the Hath family and a most unlikely revolutionary.

The Wind Singer is a very good entertainment that should have a broad appeal to boys and girls alike.

- KB Shaw, Publisher
SPECTRUM Children's Book Club
www.incwell.com

I try to give all the new fads a fair shot. The back of the book seemed interesting enough, so I picked it up and gave it a go. The writing style was decent enough. The dialogue seemed very stilted in places. There was a lot of "Oh, I love you, my dears..." sort of lines that just kinda made me roll my eyes.

I liked the beginning part where Kess rebels against the teacher and the stuffy rules of her society, but from there, the plot plods on. It seems like there is a series of random events that follow thereafter that have very little to do with actually propelling the book forward.

It might be a good book for a 6th grade literature class though, as you can discuss the ideas of this contrived society. As for fun fantasy reading, I'd probably look elsewhere. Nothing in the book truly annoyed me, but then again, nothing impressed me either. Dialogue was mostly believable but some lines were just laughable. The plot mostly sounded like it wanted to be Narnia in a blender with a dash of LOTR.