SuitabookFailure, ridicule and aspiration
Oliver’s kite failures make him a laughingstock, while he hopes to become one of Windblowne’s legendary fliers.
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Book details
Stephen Messer - Author
This is a high-stakes fantasy mystery centred on kite flying, disappearance and a boy’s changing understanding of his world. It offers imaginative adventure, a striking premise and questions about identity and reality.
A high-flying fantasy adventure that will blow readers away!Every kite Oliver touches flies straight into the ground, making him the laughingstock of Windblowne. With the kite-flying festival only days away, Oliver tracks down his reclusive great-uncle Gilbert, a former champion. With Gilbert's help, Oliver can picture himself on the crest, launching into the winds to become one of the legendary fliers of Windblowne.Then his great-uncle vanishes during a battle with mysterious attack kites--kites that seem to fly themselves! All that remains is his prize possession, a simple crimson kite. At least, the kite seems simple. When Oliver tries to fly it, the kite lifts him high above the trees. When he comes down, the town and all its people have disappeared. Suddenly the festival is the last thing on Oliver's mind as he is catapulted into a mystery that will change everything he understands about himself and his world.Inspired by the work of Diana Wynne Jones, debut author Stephen Messer delivers a fantasy book for boys and girls in which the distance between realities is equal to the breadth of a kite string.From the Hardcover edition.
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Sign in for personalised guidanceThis is a high-stakes fantasy mystery centred on kite flying, disappearance and a boy’s changing understanding of his world. It offers imaginative adventure, a striking premise and questions about identity and reality.
Oliver’s kite failures make him a laughingstock, while he hopes to become one of Windblowne’s legendary fliers.
After the crimson kite lifts Oliver above the trees, he returns to find the town and its people gone; the mystery is said to change what he understands about himself and his world.
A useful conversation could explore how Oliver responds when an activity that matters to him goes badly, and whether his hopes change once the festival becomes less important than the unfolding mystery.
This is a grounded book brief while Suitabook strengthens the analysis: the current material supports only a cautious reading; another book-specific source is still needed.
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