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    Silverwing
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    Silverwing
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    Silverwing
    Audiobook7 hours

    Silverwing

    Written by Kenneth Oppel

    Narrated by John McDonough

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

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    About this audiobook

    Shade, a young silverwing bat, is the runt of his colony. Determined to show how brave he is, Shade breaks one of the ancient rules that governs the bats. As punishment, owls burn the bats’ roost, forcing them to migrate earlier than normal.

    While on the trip south to the Hibernaculum, Shade becomes separated from his flock during a rain storm. His destination is millions of wing beats away. Now he must find a way to make the journey on his own.

    Along the way, he’ll meet up with bats of different species—some friendly, some not. Shade will have to learn quickly which ones to trust if he’s ever going to see his family again.

    Silverwing combines action, fantasy and factual information on bats into an unforgettable tale. John McDonough’s soaring narration brings Shade and and his colony to life.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books Audio
    Release dateMay 29, 2009
    ISBN9781436188500
    Author

    Kenneth Oppel

    Kenneth Oppel is the author of numerous books for young readers. His award-winning Silverwing trilogy has sold over a million copies worldwide and been adapted as an animated TV series and stage play. Airborn won a Michael L. Printz Honor Book Award and the Canadian Governor General’s Literary Award for children’s literature; its sequel, Skybreaker, was a New York Times bestseller and was named Children’s Novel of the Year by the London Times. He is also the author of Half Brother, This Dark Endeavor, Such Wicked Intent, and The Boundless. Born on Canada’s Vancouver Island, he has lived in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, Canada; in England and Ireland; and now resides in Toronto with his wife and children. Visit him at KennethOppel.ca.

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    Reviews for Silverwing

    4/5

    307 ratings21 reviews

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    • 5/5
      A childhood favorite, reread to see if it held up, and it definitely did. A great meditation on learning about the world and how to navigate it when all the adults you trust tell you different “truths” that contradict.
    • 3/5
      One of my favorites, even re-reading years later it's just as good as the first time.
    • 3/5
      In the tradition of other children’s animal books, like Watership Down, Silverwing is often amusing and bizarre and brutal, though it unfortunately often drags without wings.
    • 3/5
      Fun read, my 11yo also enjoyed it.
    • 5/5
      I received this book as a gift from a student. It is the first teen book that I read. I fell in LOVE with teen books thanks to this great read. To top it off, it is a Canadian author! Thank-you, Rayanna!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 2/5
      In Part One it's reasonably interesting, a kind of Watership Down with bats. But in Part Two it takes a dark, ridiculous and horrifying turn, with a giant vampire bat named Goth who worships a god called Zotz and wants to create a breeding colony of small bats to be edible slaves. I stopped reading.
    • 5/5
      I don't like books about animals AT ALL, but when I read this book when I was small, I REALLY liked it (even though it's about animals!)It's an easy to read book, that is REALLY good!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You just HAVE to read it! All I remember is that it was about bats who acted like people (with there similar problems to our's) and there was a bat society. That's about it, but I still remember it, year's from then. A MUST read!!!!!!!!
    • 4/5
      This is a cute and appealing story about a brave young bat. Shade is a runt - bullied by his peers and very lucky to have survived his early days. However, he has a stubborn determination and courage that refuses to relent. He also is a little too curious for his own good. When, in an attempt to impress his fellow newborns, he impulsively decides to see the sun, it brings destruction and much danger down upon his community. The bats have been engaged in a centuries long way between the birds and the beasts, a war in which they refused to take sides and were banished from the day. Now, even the night has become deadly to them. When he is separated from his flock, Shade makes some unlikely allegiances - first with the brightwing, Marina and then with the fearsome tropical bats, Goth and Throbb. Danger, betrayal and the bitter bite of winter threaten him at every turn.

      Oppel has captured the world of the bats in exquisite detail and great thought. His tale is limited (mostly, there is one mention of "yellow") to their monochromatic world where sound is important a sense as sight and being part of the colony is of great importance. He shows a strong understanding of animal behavior, and whilst his bats (and other animals) do behave in somewhat a humanized manner (the owls have fire, for example), it was never enough to bug me. He has created a charming fantasy world and I look forward to exploring it further.
    • 5/5
      The main character in this thrilling fantisy book is Shade, a young silverwing bat who longs to be brave show his coloney what he can do.After being seperated from his coloney, shade befriends a brightwing bat named Marina, and the two go on the biggest journey of their lives, to find Shade's coloney. On the way the two friends incounter a series of events and challenges, and Shade finds out that his father Cassiel, who went missing before he was born, might actually be closer than he thinks.I would recomend this exciting book to thrill-seekers aged 10-adult.
    • 5/5
      One of my favourite books. A truly unique and well-written story.
    • 4/5
      I know this is a juvenile book, but I loved it. I was sucked into the imaginatively created viewpoint of a bat, and especially loved the way they transmit memories and navigation sound-pictures. The interactions were so intriguing I had to keep reminding myself that Oppel was not writing about real bats.
    • 4/5
      Shade Silverwing is the runt of the colony. He lives a life of darkness, as bats were not allowed to see the sun due to an ancient battle. Shade takes a dare from another young Silverwing bat, and takes a peek at the sun. Unfortunately, he is spotted by a deadly owl, and barely escapes with his life. Enraged, the owl colonies burn his haven with hidden fire. Forced to migrate early for hibernation, Shade's colony flies a million wingbeats. During the migration, a massive storm sweeps Shade away from his colony and safety. Landing on an island, he meets Marina, a young female bat exiled from her colony because of a mysterious silver band on her wing. Together, Marina and shade journey so that they can reach their destination. Shade sets off with his new friend, dodging hostile owls and pigeons, and flying away from the deadly vampire bats, Goth and Throbb. This book is a science fiction novel about bats. By reading this book, I learned how bats lived uncomfortably and I liked the way how the author described his thought ‘Bats are in danger’ by a story. I like this book because it tells me lots of knowledge about bats in a fun way.
    • 5/5
      Kenneth Oppel does for bats in the novel, Silverwing, what Richard Adams did for rabbits in Watership Down – he makes a creature's world into a humanized culture, complete with religious beliefs and traditions and forces of evil to be fought against. The main character, a newborn Silverwing bat named Shade, overcomes being blown off course in his colony's migration only to be captured and used by a jungle vampire bat which has escaped from captivity in the Northern hemisphere where Silverwings live. The fantasy is compelling and the characters appealing to young people, particularly Shade who frequently makes mistakes, yet presses forward with his strong beliefs. An award winner many times over, this should be in every elementary library.
    • 5/5
      A newborn bat, Shade, refered to as the “runt” of the colony, is determined to prove himself on the long and dangerous winter migration to Hibernaculum, millions of wingbeats to the south. During a storm, he is swept off course over the ocean, away from his family and friends but finds his way to their destination. Awards:Can Lib Assoc book of the Year for Children AwardSilver Birch Blue Heron Red Cedar Book Manitoba Young Readers’ Choice AwardHackmatach Children’s Choice Book AwardThe CNIB Tiny Torgi talking Book of the Year AwardPrix 8NC 2002 du Livre de Jeunesse (for the French edition)Minnisota’s 2002 Maud Hart Lovelace Book Award. Award (Illinois)
    • 5/5
      I loved this book it was a big adverture happening through the eyes of a smallchildish yet daring bat.
    • 4/5
      Exciting tale for the primary grades.
    • 5/5
      Silverwing is an exciting adventure story with dramatic suspense and a thrilling plot. The story tells of betrayal, strategy, warmth, and friendship as Shade and Marina battle their way through the fear of enemies and winter. Silverwing is a gripping novel that will keep your eyes glued to the page. -Brooke B.
    • 4/5
      This is fast-paced adventure story. Shade, a young bat is caught in a storm and is left behind by his colony during this first winter migration. The world of the bats is full of laws and customs, and danger - Shade meets friends and enemies, mystics and madmen on his journey to rejoin the colony. This is a lovely blend of fantasy and animal adventure. While there is no magic used, the different senses give the bats a world view and a credible mythology that seems magical to a human reader. I especially enjoyed the different religious beliefs and mythologies that different types of bats developed, and the variety of reactions to human's banding of bats.There's plenty of scope for spinning off into non-fiction, looking up the interesting details about bats that surface in the books - but not for a moment did research reach out and hit me on the head. There wasn't a didactic moment in the entire story.I would recommend this to reader who like fantasy and adventure stories, especially to kids who don't like typical fantasy stories.
    • 5/5
      This book is about a bat's adventure. He was lost when his colony headed south. He met another bat, and were almost found they're colony if it weren't for 2 cannibal bats...It is very suspenseful, I liked it a lot.
    • 5/5
      Shade, a young silverwing bat, is the runt of his colony, but he's got big ideas. When Shade, tired of being bullied, tries to prove his courage by catching a glimpse of the forbidden sun, he unknowingly breaks an ancient law and the owls retaliate. When the owls burn down their roost, the bats must begin their migration. Along the way Shade gets separated from his colony and meets a young brightwing bat named Marina. Marina has been thrown out of her colony because of a metal band placed on her by humans. Is it part of a legendary prophecy that will allow bats to fly during the day?
    • 5/5
      You need to read this book. Really. Go out and buy it, or borrow it from the library, or steal it from a small child, or SOMETHING. It's fantastic. Kenneth Oppel builds a complex and believable world for his bats, who come across as sympathetic characters. I had such a good time with this book that I've actively encouraged all my friends to read it and have actually purchased it as a gift a couple of times.