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Wings (by Aprilynne Pike)

common sense media says

Romantic fairy fantasy, milder than Twilight.


parents & educators say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this book gets rather violent near the end, with fighting, shooting, neck-snapping, and attempted drowning. There's also some kissing, a brief discussion of sex, and one use of a four-letter word.

Positive messages: Not applicable.
Violence: A bloody fight, trolls try to kill a boy and a fairy, necks are snapped, two characters are shot.
Sex: Several passionate kisses, a mention of "making out," discussions of periods and sex.
Language: One use of "s--t."
Consumerism: Soda, snack food, shoe, candy, kitchen product, cold medication brands mentioned.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Morphine is used on a very sick man.

More on Wings

What to talk about

Talk to your kids

Families can talk about this new concept of fairies as plants. What do you think of the idea? How is it different from other versions of fairies you have seen? Is it compatible with them? Do you like the idea? Why or why not? Would you like to be one?

What's the story?

What's the story?

Homeschooled Laurel enters a public high school and feels a bit different. But she feels even more so when a large blossom starts growing out of her back. Soon she discovers that she is a fairy changeling, placed with a human family to keep one of the gateways to the fairy world of Avalon safe. Torn between a human boy and a fairy, she also discovers that trolls are after her land, and that her human parents are in danger.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 

This is clearly aimed at the Twilight crowd: a bit of chaste romance, a bit of violence, and a supernatural gloss on the real world. Instead of vampires and werewolves we get fairies and trolls, and the heroine this time is one of the supernatural creatures and one of the two boys she likes is human. It's a bit milder than Twilight: the romance is a bit less passionate, as befits the slightly younger age of the heroine and target audience.

But unlike that earlier blockbuster, this series launch has something to offer those who aren't into mooning over hunky vampires, or even hunky fairies. There's a story here, with an intriguing variation on traditional fairy lore -- fairies, for instance, are actually plants, and what humans thought were wings are actually their blossoms. With the romance not so much in the reader's face, this should appeal to a wider audience than Twilight, though perhaps not as passionately.

From the Book:
She didn't even have to turn to see the new development. Long, bluish-white forms rose over both shoulders. For a moment Laurel was mesmerized, staring at the pale things with wide eyes. They were terrifyingly beautiful -- almost too beautiful for words.

She turned slowly so she could see them better. Petal-like strips sprouted from where the bump had been, making a gently curved four-pointed star on her back. The longest petals -- fanning out over each shoulder and peeking around her waist -- were more than a foot long and as wide as her hand. Smaller petals -- about eight or nine inches long -- spiraled around the center, filling in the leftover space. There were even a few small green leaves where the enormous flower connected to her skin.

Book themes & details

Book Details
Author: Aprilynne Pike
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication date: May 1, 2009
Number of pages: 294
Hardcover price: $16.99
Read Aloud: 13
Read Alone: 13

This review was written by Matt Berman
 
 

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Most useful reviews by all members

ifyouaskme
parent of 11 and 13 year old
 
Liked not loved this book, the cover and title intrigued me and it is a very different story, but the conversation about sex made me tell my 12 year old to hold off on reading it. I would recommend for 14 and above.


kid, 12 years old
 
OLD enough or just more mature??
LOVE it and this rating stuff also depends if the person is mature or not and what there reading level is. I read it at 11years old and my reading level was eighth grade


teen, 14 years old
 
OLD enough or just more mature??
LOVE it and this rating stuff also depends if the person is mature or not and what there reading level is. I read it at 11years old and my reading level was eighth grade


kid, 11 years old
 
OLD enough or just more mature??
LOVE it and this rating stuff also depends if the person is mature or not and what there reading level is. I read it at 11years old and my reading level was eighth grade

BookLover2
teen, 15 years old
 
Fantastic book! Great for ALL ages!
This is a great book! I don't understand why discussion of periods is considered bad? It happens to every girl even at the age of 10. Oh, and they kiss! Call the police!! I just don't get it sorry.

kittykoo
teen, 15 years old
 
Wow
great book finnished in 2 day. luv it but, i just wish the kisses were discribed better lol great book.

Yuna52
teen, 17 years old
 
Good book for Tweens and up.
Well I think the cover design is product placement for Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series, the story within is very good nonetheless. As well it's similar to Twilight, it says much more in a lot less pages while being better written. It also handles similar situations in a better manner such as the love triangle and the mythology. I think it's a good story for 13+ because it's involving faeries, love, and a little adventure while not being dragged on or boring. Laurel, I can see as a somewhat good role model as when she enters into high school she doesn't change who she is and surrounds herself with people who accept her for that. Even though it does get a little violent and Morphine is used once on a sick man, I think it's a good read for tweens, involving fairies, while being interesting enough for teens and some adults too.

I_love_life
teen, 14 years old
 
Depending on how mature you are and maybe 13+ can be mature enough
This book is sooo good. I reallly loved it.I Think this book's plot is similar to twilight's plot so i read it instead of reading twilight because my mom won't let me read twilight. Anyway the book depends on how mature you are and not age.

lozzie98
kid, 13 years old
 
perfect for tweens ages 10and up
Its very good, only their is some iffy stuff in the middle

cellist7158
teen, 14 years old
 
Awesome!!!!!!!!
I just finished reading this and i loved it. The reason they use morphine in it is because her dad is DYING! Get over it! It was either him dying or him being saved by medicine.

Book_lover98
teen, 14 years old
 
SERIOUSLY??? BUILD A BRIDGE AND GET OVER IT!
This book is FINE! The language is really not an issue, kids these days drop the f bomb, and yet we are worried about a s***?! And sexual content? Like there is any! Yeah so a couple makeout? Big deal! Children these talk about so much more before even the third grade! This website treats children like babies, half theses things we already know about!

XxvampiressxX
teen, 16 years old
 
i love this book it is just so great and the second part spells is also great

trustme
teen, 14 years old
 
my concerns.
This is a good read, though it has some violent messages. Its best for ages 12-13.

Beautiful0192654
teen, 16 years old
 
I loved wings! The only thing I didn't like was the end, because they just left me hanging :(

super-duper-bo ...
teen, 14 years old
 
Couldn't ask for a better book!!!
This book was so amazing, I literally couldnt put it down! I took the book everywhere I went, waiting until I was no longer needed to read it, if only even for a few seconds. Every word was intricately placed to form a beautiful master piece about faeries (the same as fairies), romance, adventure, and, if you can stretch your imagination, even a little mystery. I'll be honest and admit that I cried a little (that's a good thing, not a bad thing). The main character's mom had her daughter drink Sprite, but the book also said that Sprite was "empty calories". It was kind of brutal and harsh when people's necks were snapped. Periods are touched on two times(I'd hardly they could be called "discussions"), and the discussion of sex wasnt too bad, and I'm very sensitive to things like that. But that one part about sex was pretty insignificant, so if you just skip over it, it's no big deal. I've read the second and third books, which were as incredible as the first, and everyone knows that sequals (and trequals?) are usually not as great as the first. I'm so glad that Common Sense Media recommended it for me! THANK YOU!

aless_guth
teen, 13 years old
 
Very slow at first, but it gets so much better!
Good intriging read. im 13 and i am loving the book, even though i am hafe way through it.

dasiygirl18
teen, 15 years old
 
If you liked Twilight, this is the book for you.
I loved this book. I could not put it down. It was great. If you liked Twilight, this is the book for you. ANd just to let you know, I've heard that this is the first book in the series.

rebma97
teen, 14 years old
 
I couldn't put it down
I loved this book. It's not very sexual, but it's got some edgy content that's probably not appropriate for kids under 12 (it's a bit iffy for 11 year olds). There is a lot of violence at the end, and it's kind of gruesome; necks are snapped, people are choked, someone tries to drown a faerie and a boy, etc. There isn't a lot of sex; there are some passionate kisses, and there were minor references to sex. The references to periods wasn't horrible because it's something that girls go through. There are a few uses of "h-ll" and "d*mn", and there's also one use of "s-t". They did mention some alcoholic beverages, like Morphine (and I think brandy is a drink), but it's used on a sick man.

fluffy llama
teen, 13 years old
 
Pretty good
I love this book, but they refer to sex multiple times. i loved the story, but it said a curse word and used an inapripriate phrase a couple of times. overall the story was great. thanks for putting a twist on the fairy(faerie)!

brendap9174
parent of 11 year old
 
I truely enjoyed the book. Compared to some other Teen titles that are out there, this in an appropriate read for the young teen!

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ON: Content is appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child, some content may not be right for some kids
OFF: Not age appropriate for kids this age