The Wings of Fire Series by Tui T. Sutherland
Looking for holiday gifts for your late elementary/middle school children? We often get questions about different book series to purchase for kids, so this week, we’re featuring The Wings of Fire series by Tui Sutherland.
The Wings of Fire series is about a group of dragonets who are part of a prophecy to end the endless wars between the seven dragon tribes. The Talons of Peace kidnapped the dragonets years ago and have raised them together in a cave. In the outside world, dragons, for the most part, live with their species. Few places exist where dragons of different types would spend any amount of time together, leading to a lot of misconceptions of each other and even hatred. But these five dragons have been raised as friends, knowing they’re going to have to work together to stop the Dragon Wars.
In the first book, the dragonets escape the caves when one of their lives is threatened by the dragons holding them. Unfortunately, they are immediately captured by the queen of the Skywings, and must find a way to escape from her kingdom as well.
Each book has one dragonet as its main character. The first five books deal with first prophecy. Book 6 begins the second prophecy (with a new set of dragonets), and Book 11 introduces a whole new continent, with new dragon species! The original books are now being re-released as graphic novels.
Sutherland has built a wonderful fantasy world that kids will enjoy exploring through these books. As an adult, I enjoyed them greatly, and have seen kids fly through the series. With fifteen books in the main series, companion books and the graphic novels, there is plenty to get excited about.
There are many positive messages these books teach:
Friendship across species – Kids will find it easy to understand that the dragons are judging others by their outward characteristics and prejudices, and why that is wrong.
Kindness – The villains in these stories are ruthless and unkind, and each story reinforces that while evil can rule for a time, goodness always prevails if dragons (or people!) stand together. There also are characters who have made bad choices (or have been led to making bad choices) and are given the chance to redeem themselves.
A Sense of Adventure – If your kid loves adventure, these books deliver in spades! There are numerous battles in each book, and each dragon has their own special powers and strengths. What you’ll love is how different types of strength and power are celebrated, so every kid reading it will find a character with which they really identify.
Diversity/Neurodiversity – As I stated above, each dragon has their own power and strengths. The world values certain traits over others (both our world and the dragon world), but having those preferred traits don’t necessarily lead to success. Kids learn to value their own strengths and feel they are an important part of the world.
Representation: There are LGBTQIA+ characters, which means kids who identify as such feel seen.
(Possible) Negatives:
Violence: These books do depict dragon deaths. The violence is not gratuitous, but it might upset some children. There are dragons who have seized power (and hold power) through violence.
Neglect: Some dragonets are welcomed back into their families, while others are not. The dragons watching over the dragonets in the beginning are pretty callous at times.
Romance: The dragons do have crushes on each other, and talk about liking each other. Any romance depicted is age-appropriate (holding tails), but it is a part of these books that you might be surprised to see!
However, these “negatives” shouldn’t stop your children from enjoying these books! If your children are concerned, or you are, you can talk about these topics as your children read these books, or even before they begin the series. Talking about something happening to a book character, like a dragon, is a good way to introduce a topic with children in a way that doesn’t seem as threatening or personal to them.
We always love giving book recommendations and helping to grow a love of books in children. Come by any library for more recommendations.
Mary Beth Adams is the Community Engagement Librarian for Alamance County Public Libraries. You can reach her at madams@alamancelibraries.org.