Great Jones - Shop now
Buy used:
$7.34
Used: Acceptable | Details
Sold by ThriftBooks-Phoenix
Condition: Used: Acceptable
Comment: Readable copy. Pages may have considerable notes/highlighting. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Added to

Sorry, there was a problem.

There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. Please try again.

Sorry, there was a problem.

List unavailable.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Nancy Yi Fan
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Sword Quest (Swordbird, 2) Paperback – January 27, 2009

by Nancy Yi Fan (Author), Jo-Anne Rioux (Illustrator)
4.3 out of 5 stars 33 ratings

One magical sword. Two rivals.

Wind-voice the half-dove, formerly enslaved, is now free, and Maldeor, the one-winged archaeopteryx, hungers for supreme power. The adversaries will both embark on their own epic quest to find the sword that will determine the future of birdkind. An exciting prequel to the New York Times bestseller Swordbird.

Previous slide of product details
  1. Reading age
    8 - 12 years
  2. Book 2 of 3
    Swordbird
  3. Print length
    304 pages
  4. Language
    English
  5. Grade level
    3 - 7
  6. Dimensions
    5.12 x 0.61 x 7.62 inches
  7. Publisher
    HarperCollins
  8. Publication date
    January 27, 2009
  9. ISBN-10
    006124337X
  10. ISBN-13
    978-0061243370
Next slide of product details

Frequently purchased items with fast delivery

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
Previous set of slides
  1. Adventurer's Wanted, Book 2: The Horn of Moran
    M.L. Forman
     
    Paperback
    $9.99
    Get it as soon as Monday, Apr 7
    FREE Shipping on orders over $35 shipped by Amazon
  2. The Frozen Sea (Dragon Games #2)
    Maddy Mara
     
    Paperback
    $5.57
    Get it as soon as Monday, Apr 7
    FREE Shipping on orders over $35 shipped by Amazon
  3. Grip of the Shadow Plague (3) (Fablehaven)
    Brandon Mull
     
    Paperback
    Teachers' pick
    -10%$8.99
    List: $9.99
    Get it as soon as Monday, Apr 7
    FREE Shipping on orders over $35 shipped by Amazon
  4. The Diamond of Darkhold (The City of Ember Book 3)
    Jeanne DuPrau
     
    Paperback
    -23%$6.95
    List: $8.99
    Get it as soon as Monday, Apr 7
    FREE Shipping on orders over $35 shipped by Amazon
  5. Bear Knight (Volume 2) (Lightraider Academy)
    James R. Hannibal
     
    Paperback
    -13%$14.77
    List: $16.99
    Get it as soon as Monday, Apr 7
    FREE Shipping on orders over $35 shipped by Amazon
  6. The Mage (Foxcraft, Book 3) (3)
    Inbali Iserles
     
    Hardcover
    $18.99
    Get it as soon as Monday, Apr 7
    FREE Shipping on orders over $35 shipped by Amazon
    Only 15 left in stock (more on the way).
Next set of slides

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

One magical sword. Two rivals.

Wind-voice the half-dove, formerly enslaved, is now free, and Maldeor, the one-winged archaeopteryx, hungers for supreme power. The adversaries will both embark on their own epic quest to find the sword that will determine the future of birdkind. An exciting prequel to the New York Times bestseller Swordbird.

About the Author

Nancy Yi Fan is the New York Times bestselling author of Swordbird and Sword Quest. She appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show as one of the World's Smartest Kids and on The Martha Stewart Show. Nancy spent part of her childhood in China, where she was born in 1993. Birds have been a lifelong passion of hers and provided the inspiration for her novels. She began writing her first novel, Swordbird, when she was eleven years old. Nancy attends Harvard University.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperCollins; Reprint edition (January 27, 2009)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 006124337X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0061243370
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 8 - 12 years
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 3 - 7
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.21 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.12 x 0.61 x 7.62 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 33 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Nancy Yi Fan

Nancy Yi Fan

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Nancy Yi Fan is the New York Times Bestselling author of Swordbird (2007). She is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and has been a straight-A student since elementary school. She spent the first part of her childhood in China, where she was born in 1993. Birds, a lifelong passion of the author's, provided the inspiration for Swordbird and her new fantasy novel Sword Quest (2008). When she isn't talking and writing to readers worldwide, she kayaks, performs martial arts, and takes good care of her pet lovebirds, Ever-sky, Dippler, and Pandora. She currently lives in Florida with her parents.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
33 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Top reviews from the United States

  • K. A. Evans
    5.0 out of 5 stars Third Grade Son Loves It
    Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2008
    Verified Purchase
    My third grade son claims Sword Bird as his favorite book and says that he liked this prequel "almost as much." He reads constantly, so naming a book as a favorite is a big claim for him. He and a number of friends his age have reporting loving Sword Quest because the characters and action are so interesting. I think they also are intrigued that it was written by such a young person.
    3 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • D's mom
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for adults and children alike
    Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2008
    Verified Purchase
    My 7-year old son and I read Swordbird first before reading this prequel and I enjoyed both books every bit as much as he did if not more. To think a 12-year old girl imagined this wonderful story filled with rich characters is both humbling and fascinating. I dearly hope Nancy Yi Fan will continue writing this series. I would put her series in a league near Harry Potter.
    4 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Kindle Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars Sword quest
    Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    This book was a great book with a good story I really enjoyed the whole book! Also the characters were introduced very well. Overall this was a great book.
    Helpful
     Report
  • Jackson Lee Cate
    5.0 out of 5 stars Best Book
    Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    This book is the best book that I have read before. I started to read it the paper version but I finished it on my kindle. I recommend people to read it if they like adventure books.
    Helpful
     Report
  • Tjien N. Zeng
    5.0 out of 5 stars Chinese elements in Sword Quest
    Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2009
    I must admit that I was skeptical of how a story about birds at war with each other could have much essence of Chinese culture. However, my skepticism quickly died. Nancy Yi Fan's Sword Quest contains several Chinese elements. The key and more obvious elements that I was able to find are the importance of family, nonviolence, Yin and Yang and the belief in good and bad spirits.

    A major Chinese element in Sword Quest is the importance of family, as shown by the eagles. Though I do not know all that I wish to know about my parents' culture, the importance of family is permanently drilled into my head. One of the quotes from the Old Scripture describes this importance well; "One of the hardest things to break is the tie of family". However, Fan takes this key belief and goes a step forward by challenging it. One of the main characters, a former prince of the eagles, Fleydur, had to choose between what he know to be the right thing to do and the people he loved more than himself. In the end, he chose to do the right thing and did not regret it. However, the pain of separation from his family after so long is evident. Fan also takes it a step further when Wind-voice proclaims his companions his brothers, as if they were a true blood-related family.

    The most obvious Chinese element is Yin and Yang. Its most obvious appearance is when the robin uses a tapestry that depicts the symbol of Yin and Yang to tell the future. Fan's description of the piece sounds poetic, like right from a translation of a Chinese poem; "tadpoles swimming together, encircled by orderly lines". Fan imbeds some Asian décor into the novel. The Yin and Yang tapestry is one example but another is the kite-shaped flying carriage with a frame of bamboo that Maldeor rides in.

    Yin and Yang's other apparent appearance is in the form of the most evil and greedy villain, Yin Soul. In Chinese culture, Yin is thought of as the dark side representing all of the evil. I am surprised that the author did not go the whole way and make Yin Soul male, seeing as Yin is usually paired with any feminine. Its less obvious appearance in the story is when the main character, Wind-voice, realized that birds are not easily separated into "white and black, good and bad". Life and people have a lot of gray in them. This belief is depicted in Yin and Yang by the small circle of the opposite color in the fluid shapes of white and black.

    Yin Soul is also linked to anther aspect of Chinese culture; spirits. The evil monster is turned into a spirit that must find a physical body to inhabit if he wants to live. Hence, he attempts to convince other birds to take his essence. The idea of essence and one's spirit seems a bit of place in the American culture but it is not so in the Chinese culture. However, not all spirits are evil. An obvious example is Wind-voice, who turns into a spirit to become an everlasting protector of peace, and his possible father, the Great Spirit. In China, ancestors are believed to be good spirits that protect families. Due to spirits not being a major role in American culture, Americans might confuse Fan's Great Spirit to mean the Christian God.

    I do not know if it was the author's intentions but the name of her main character, Wind-voice, sounds like an English translation of a traditional Chinese name. However, I am certain that Fan named Wind-voice as 013-Unidentified because he is the hero that everybird, good and bad, has been looking for and because 13 is considered a lucky number in China. This is less obvious and may be confusing to Westerners who believe that 13 is one of the unluckiest numbers possible.

    I remember silently agreeing with one of the characters when they questioned how a weapon, specifically a sword, could bring about peace. It seems that martial arts use weapons but only as a tool for nonviolence and peace. I noticed that when Wind-voice goes against Maldeor, Wind-voice does not actually physically fight Maldeor. Even when he had the hero's sword, Wind-voice uses it to protect himself but he does not harm his opponent.

    My mind and heart were both touched by the words of Wind-voice; that true peace is not possible through force. Thought it does not directly deal with Chinese culture specifically, it applies universally. However, we humans easily forget it. The most obvious event that shows this is the Iraq war. Though the details of the mater are extremely complex and there are many gray areas, it is impossible for America to believe she can create peace in the Middle East through force. It seems so simple in this children's book in which it is the lives birds that are destroyed by war. Yet adults have not grasped this seemingly simple concept when they are in the real world impacting other human beings.

    I must commend on the author, Nancy Yi Fan, for the brilliance of her writing and the universal teachings within. To me, Sword Quest is emboldened with hidden elements of Chinese culture but those are not themselves the key messages. They are tools used to inform readers of greater and broader messages.

    ---Lensa Z.
    4 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Karin
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent series of books for young readers.
    Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2018
    My 8 year old son found Swordbird, Sword Quest and Sword Mountain at the library. We've renewed each one at least 3 times and he has probably read each one 3 times as well. It's now time to purchase all three. My husband and I started reading the books so we could discuss the characters and the plot. Our son was engaged and thrilled to discuss. The books are fantastic on their own but once you learn that they were written by a 12 year old, it's even more impressive! The books have interesting & complex characters, action and morals that are applicable to life - all with appropriate language and context (not easy to find in children's books of same genre). This is an excellent series of books which I highly recommend. I hope Nancy Yi Fan chooses to continue the saga, or at the least, continue her writing.
    Helpful
     Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • B. Cavener
    5.0 out of 5 stars different
    Reviewed in Canada on January 25, 2010
    Verified Purchase
    It's a different kind of read,instead of people you birds as the characters. Very cool. We loved it
    Report
  • hazel c sewell
    3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 16, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    ok
    Report