The Boy With Wings

By Author / Illustrator

Lenny Henry, Keenon Ferrell

Genre

Adventure

Age range(s)

Publisher

Pan Macmillan

ISBN

9781529067835

Format

Hardback

Published

14-10-2021

Synopsis

Lenny Henry's brilliant first novel, The Boy with Wings, for readers of 9 to 12, illustrated throughout by Keenon Ferrell. Includes an exclusive comic book adventure illustrated by Mark Buckingham.

An ordinary kid is about to become an EXTRAORDINARY hero!
Wings? Check.
A super-cool, super-secret past? Check.
An impossible mission to save the world from a fur-ocious enemy? Check.

When Tunde sprouts wings and learns he's all that stands between Earth and total destruction, suddenly school is the least of his problems. Luckily, his rag-tag group of pals have got his back, and with his new powers, Tunde is ready to fly in the face of danger. So what if he can't even stand up to the school bully? He's the boy with wings - this is his destiny. No pressure then. . .

Reviews

Tunde is an ordinary kid in an ordinary school. He knows he is adopted, his parents love him and support him and he has a group of close friends who he hangs out with. His only problem is a child at school, Quinn and his gang of bullies. They make fun of Tunde and Tunde feels particularly alone, even though he knows his friends have his back. Then one day, everything changes, and Tunde finds out who he really is and that he has to save Earth from imminent destruction. He also discovers he has wings and some truly excellent friends, all of which will hopefully be what is needed to save the world.

Lenny Henry wrote this book because he felt very strongly about black representation in books, which accounts for only a tiny proportion of the market. Tunde is a great character, and the book is a lot of fun. Children of colour will be able to see themselves in the pages and there are also children of Asian backgrounds and one with a disability who feature in the story. The pictures by Keenon Ferrell are almost cartoon like in quality and add to the entertainment. At the end there is a comic strip by Mark Buckingham, which is also a real plus point to the story.

I think many children will love The Boy with Wings. It has a really strong voice (I can hear Lenny Henry reading it!) and the humour and fun means there is no terrifying climax, even though the end of the world is involved!

208 pages / Reviewed by Jacqueline Harris