When people think of fairy tales, they often think of traditional stories like Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Shrek. While these are all amazing fairy tales, the book Wings of Fire: The Dragonet Prophecy is far superior due to its thrilling action and deep plot. The Book, written by Tui T. Sutherland, starts with a shy little dragonet named Clay. Unlike other dragonets, he is met with a massive task that challenges him physically and emotionally. He is “destined” to end a raging war between different groups of dragonets—all fighting for power. The dragonet war is as violent and widespread as our World War I and II combined. Clay doesn’t think he is up for stopping a whole war even with the help of his friends, who are also “destined” to fulfill the prophecy that guides them to end the war. He thinks he is just an average dragonet that has little to no importance in the prophecy. Is he up to the challenge?
At first, Clay doesn’t seem special enough to be a part of a massive prophecy. He is quite shy, considered average, and is almost always ignored by the dragonets around him. He struggles with becoming his own independent dragonet. In a way, Clay is like the shadow of the other dragonets. Throughout the book, Clay is constantly under pressure from trying to fulfill the prophecy, be a part of his peer group, and escape and deal with the members of the Skywing kingdom who seem to hate him. He tries to change his ways in order to not get pushed around. You don’t have to be a “destined” dragonet in the middle of a war to understand how it feels to be ignored and want to express your own opinion. Anyone, not only dragonets, can understand what Clay experiences emotionally, but the author hides this deep theme under crazy dragon warfare.
Aside from the mythological dragons, death, and a massive prophecy, this book is about how someone can change when faced with conflict. I think almost anyone would describe Clay as a character who is gullible and gets lured by peer pressure. If you were ever in Clay's position what would you do? Would you crumble due to stress or would you learn to deal with everything? It’s kind of hard to imagine yourself in this position, but anything can happen. I would recommend this book for people who want a series that is action-packed, exciting, and engaging. This book, and the rest of the series is optimal for people around the age of 9-12. If you like to deeply think about the true meaning of a book, then the first book of the Wings of Fire series is perfect for you.
Wings of Fire: The Dragonet Prophecy by Tui T. Sutherland. Scholastic Press, 2013. Buy the book here and help support Stone Soup in the process!
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