Forest of Wonders: Wing & Claw, Book 1

Book review by Carrie R. Wheadon, Common Sense Media
Forest of Wonders: Wing & Claw, Book 1 Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 9+

Talking beasts, bright kids pep up fantasy series start.

Linda Sue Park Fantasy 2016
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Parents say

age 12+

Based on 1 review

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this book.

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What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Forest of Wonders is the first book in the new 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 to run across some hurt and mistreated animals. Raffa, a gifted young apothecary, tries his best to cure a bat and some raccoons injured by large birds. Large birds also attack people and try to peck out eyes and deafen them with piercing cries. Other than that, violence is mild -- apothecary ingredients are cleverly used instead of weapons to fight soldiers in pursuit. Raffa is the kind of main character who makes some mistakes and lets curiosity get the better of him at times but shows profound respect for the healing profession and all the creatures in his care.

Community Reviews

Kristin H.
Kristin H. Adult
March 13, 2017
age 12+

Great book, but I would say wait til age 12 or older (violence and scariness)

I have been reading this book to my 9 year old who loves fantasy and animals, and she loves it so far! I got a little over half way through, and read the rest myself before reading the rest with her. Umm....it gets really creepy and scary! Honestly its about as creepy as I ever like to get in books! I do not want to read the last of it to my daughter! (Spoiler alert) The book takes on a darker tone in the last third. For an out-of-the-blue turn of violence, it starts with the main character (who, btw, is 12) getting whacked in the head with a board by another child in the middle of a night sneak-out (which I'd say is a muderous move). Then they discover a sinister plan by the adults to train animals to kill people, and of course the animals are treated and housed horribly, and subject to horrible experiments. Then the birds try to kill them as they escape by trying to stab their eyes out, and with a deafening screams. I don't know, this might not sound that bad just writing about it here, but I think it's done in a way, with enough nightmarish detail, that its just too creepy for us, and for my 9 yo at this point. Oh, and the main character is also not only betrayed by, but suddenly almost killed by, his own beloved uncle, who up to that point, has been nothing but loving and supportive in his life (not much foreshadowing of this, no suspicious behavior on his part, nothing). I think that's a little much for this age as well. Don't get me wrong, its a great book, well-written, great creative subject matter, just not age-appropriate for us right us right now, which is so disappointing!

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Too much violence
1 person found this helpful.
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

Raffa and his cousin Garith, apothecaries in training, are so excited when Garith's father tells them they're invited to move from their rural settlement into the city of Gilden to work directly for the Chancellor. Raffa is ready to pack his bags until his mother and father change their minds suddenly and mysteriously. Raffa is heartbroken when Garith and his uncle leave without him and consoles himself by taking care of a gravely injured bat. He expertly uses a special vine he finds in the FOREST OF WONDERS to help cure him. It seems to be working but with the strangest side effect: The bat is asking for his favorite insect snacks by name. Raffa and his father start experimenting with the vine to see what else it can do, but the first trial proves disastrous; Raffa's hand cracks and throbs in pain until his father finds an antidote. Raffa is worried about what else the plant can do and that his cousin Garith took some with him to Gilden. What's worse, his parents don't seem worried enough. So Raffa sneaks out at night with his talking bat to head to the big city and warn him. In Gilden by himself, Raffa begins to realize just why his parents turned down such a prestigious job. His uncle and the Chancellor have some big secrets to hide.

Is It Any Good?

Young animal-loving fantasy fans will find much to enjoy in the Wing & Claw series start, including talking animals, a brilliant young apothecary and his resourceful friends, and a mysterious forest. The beginning of the book is a little misleading, with the setup of the Forest of Wonders. Readers will be expecting to get lost in that magical place with the main character, Raffa. But instead of heading back to the forest, Raffa goes to the big city -- a place with even bigger secrets but not wondrous ones. It's rather hard to fathom why the bad guys are acting the way they are; there aren't a lot of hints for the reader to go on.

However, Raffa's escapes from soldiers using his stash of apothecary ingredients are as clever as the new friends he meets. Both Kuma and Trixin are strong girl characters whom readers will immediately root for. And after an exciting cliffhanger, kids will clamor to see what's next for Raffa and all his friends, human and furry, in Book 2.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Raffa and Kuma's thoughts on how animals should be treated. Are they similar to yours?

  • Why is Garith so jealous of Raffa? Do you ever feel that way when a friend scores better than you on a test? What do you do with these feelings? Does it make you work harder or treat the friend differently?

  • Will you read the next book in the series? What do you think will happen?

Book Details

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