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Dragonfly Song

Wendy Orr

$17.99

Paperback

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English
Allen & Unwin
22 June 2016
WINNER: 2017 Prime Minister's Literary Award, Children's Fiction WINNER: 2018 Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature, Children's Literature

HONOUR BOOK: CBCA Book of the Year, Younger Readers, 2017

There are two ways of looking at Aissa's story. She's the miracle girl who escaped the raiders. Or she's the cursed child who called the Bull King's ship to the island.

The firstborn daughter of a priestess is cast out as a baby, and after raiders kill her adopted family, she is abandoned at the gates of the Great Hall, anonymous and mute. Called No-Name, the cursed child, she is raised a slave, and not until she is twelve does she learn her name is Aissa: the dragonfly.

Now every year the Bull King takes a tribute from the island: two thirteen-year-old children to brave the bloody bull dances in his royal court. None have ever returned - but for Aissa it is the only escape.

Aissa is resilient, resourceful, and fast - but to survive the bull ring, she will have to learn the mystery of her true nature.

A riveting, mythic Bronze Age adventure from award-winning author Wendy Orr.

By:  
Imprint:   Allen & Unwin
Country of Publication:   Australia
Dimensions:   Height: 198mm,  Width: 128mm, 
Weight:   343g
ISBN:   9781760290023
ISBN 10:   1760290025
Pages:   400
Publication Date:  
Recommended Age:   From 9 to 13 years
Audience:   Children/juvenile ,  Young adult ,  English as a second language ,  Preschool (0-5)
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active

Wendy Orr was born in Edmonton, Canada, but grew up in various places across Canada, France and the USA. She started writing for children after a career as an occupational therapist. She's the author of many award-winning books, including Nim's Island, Nim at Sea, Raven's Mountain and Peeling the Onion.

Reviews for Dragonfly Song

"""Orr tells her tale in both narrative poetry and prose for an effect that is both fanciful and urgent, drawing a rich fantasy landscape filled with people and creatures worthy of knowing. An introductory note describes Orr's inspiration in the legend of the Minotaur, but her story is no retelling but a meditation on rejection and acceptance, on determination and self-determination. The shifts between poetry and prose build tension just as surely as the bull dances do. As mesmerizing as a mermaid's kiss, the story dances with emotion, fire, and promise."" - Kirkus **STARRED REVIEW**"


  • Short-listed for CBCA Book of the Year 2017 (Australia)
  • Short-listed for Griffith University Children's Book Award 2018 (Australia)
  • Short-listed for Queensland Premier's Literary Awards 2017 (Australia)
  • Short-listed for WA Young Readers' Book Award - Younger Readers 2017 (Australia)
  • Short-listed for Younger Readers 2017 (Australia)
  • Winner of Queensland Premier's Literary Awards 2017 (Australia)

See Also