A fun story about accepting who you are, and doing what is right.
Lenny Henry CBE is a name familiar to many adults. They will know him as one of Britain’s most famous comedians, a writer, an actor, and as a cofounder of Comic Relief.
The Boy With Wings is Henry’s new novel for young people about 10-13 years old. It is the story of Tunde, a 12-year-old boy with brown skin who has had difficulty fitting in. He is picked on at school, mostly by a bully named Quin and his gang. Luckily, Tunde has four good friends who always have his back. He was adopted by Ruth and Ron, who both look like Tunde. His adoptive parents work at a laboratory called THE FACILITY, a place surrounded by walls, fences and barbed wire.
Tunde has always been told not to run or play sport, but when he goes against the wishes of his parents and joins the school football team, he suddenly sprouts wings. And so begins his destiny: to save the world!
A bright red front cover with a winged Tunde surrounded by his friends entices the reader to look further. Throughout the book, Ferrell has given us black-and-white illustrations which perfectly mirror the text. Many words throughout the story have also been highlighted using bold lettering and different fonts, some for an obvious reason, some just for effect.
This story starts off very promisingly, as we learn about Tunde’s life and empathise with him as he copes with quite severe bullying. We are tantalisingly introduced to a possible affinity with birds, and wonder what happens in THE FACILITY that is so secret. Once we discover Tunde’s true heritage, the story moves into the realm of fantasy, picks up speed, and it becomes a little more difficult to understand.
Lenny Henry, a very funny man with years of experience, knows what makes people laugh. He is able to infuse his story with humour. Kids will laugh at things like “aardvark-face,” the” bum” references and just plain silly things like “Mr Losey McLoser of Loserville”. Some references such as “longer than the Lord of the Rings trilogy” may, however, go over the heads of the target audience, but adults reading the story will have a chuckle. Also, the names of cat-like creatures called Furleenians and bird-like creatures called Aviaans may not necessarily elicit a smile from the younger audience.
Broad themes explored in The Boy with Wings are bullying, the unconditional love of friends and family regardless of blood ties, and power versus doing what is right.
Diversity is covered in several ways. The group of friends includes both genders, one of whom is in a wheelchair and each with their own skill sets and all self-confessed nerds in their own way. Thankfully, The Boy with Wings, unlike many books written for children these days, is not too scary, and therefore will have a wider audience appeal.
Reviewed by Sue Mauger
Distributed by: Pan Macmillan
Released: 12 October 2021
RRP: $16.99
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