Beast of Stone: Wing & Claw, Book 3
Animal series finale satisfies with many solid messages.
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Beast of Stone is the third and final book in the Wing & Claw fantasy series by Newbery Medal winner Linda Sue Park (A Single Shard). It's a great fit for animal-loving kids who are just digging into fantasy, but expect some violence involving substance-controlled animals. They bite and attack people; one boy loses his leg to a bite, and there's talk of a few others killed. There's also a stabbing death of a beloved human character and threats that more beloved characters will be executed. What stands out more than the brief fighting, however, is the drive for displaced people who are discriminated against to fight for themselves with the least amount of violence used. They would rather find a way to free the animals and reason with soldiers. The main character, Raffa, is a boy who weighs right and wrong with great care. When he lies and realizes his lie may hurt others, he stands up, admits he lied, and accepts the consequences.
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What's the Story?
In BEAST OF STONE: WING & CLAW, BOOK 3, Raffa narrowly escapes prison and the Chancellor's grasp and follows a secret exodus of the slums into the Forest of Wonders. The Chancellor is determined to gut the slums and expel all the people she calls Afters: those who settled in Gilden after a great earthquake ruined their homelands. It's not long before the Chancellor notices where the Afters have gone -- not far away enough for her -- and sends her substance-controlled animals to attack them. Those who make it to a camp know it won't be long before soldiers arrive. With no weapons and just the forest to protect them, it's up to young Raffa the apothecary to teach everyone how to use what's available to them in the forest. The Afters, Raffa, and his friends know they can't avoid a battle, but hope to save as many people and animals as possible.
Is It Any Good?
The satisfying conclusion to this animal fantasy series is full of solid messages about truth, nonviolence, and compassion for animals and displaced people. It's a great discussion book for conscientious kids and exciting enough that it doesn't feel like just a discussion book. The main character, Raffa, is adept at problem-solving with just the botanicals offered to him by the forest. As readers wait for the final battle, the ingenious preparations Raffa makes to protect those he cares about help pass the time.
What's refreshing about Beast of Stone is that characters spend as much time in their battle preparations discussing how to stop the soldiers and animals coming for them as they do on how to cause the least lasting harm. That awareness about the enslaved animals deserving their freedom more than death, even if they are trained to bite and kill, keeps readers thinking far beyond friend and foe, good and evil. The evil here is the violence and intolerance itself, and defeating those things, more than specific people in power, leads to the satisfying and extremely hopeful conclusion.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Raffa's lie in Beast of Stone. Why do you think he told it? Who would this lie end up hurting? How is owning up to a lie an incredibly brave thing?
How do the Afters prepare for battle? What plans do they make to try to cause the least harm to people and animals? Why do they do this?
What do you think of this trilogy conclusion? Is everything resolved?
Book Details
- Author: Linda Sue Park
- Genre: Fantasy
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy, Adventures, Friendship, Great Boy Role Models, Science and Nature, Wild Animals
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books
- Publication date: March 6, 2018
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 8 - 12
- Number of pages: 368
- Available on: Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Kindle
- Last updated: April 29, 2018
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Redwall: Redwall, Book 1
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For kids who love fantasy and animals
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