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Battle of the Birds - Te pakanga o nga manu
A pendant. A prophecy. A race against time.
Breaking free of the earth, the massive bird shudders as if awakening from a long slumber...
Stuck in Wisconsin, Annie is homesick. But when a giant eagle flies her home to New Zealand, it's a thousand years too early and a battle is brewing between the birds. Can Annie and her friends help the flightless overcome the ambitious Te Hokioi?
Will gentle Moa survive to live on in history? And will Annie make it back to Wisconsin?
"The battle scene is one of the best I have read. "
-Barbara Murison
Born in New Zealand, Lee Murray lived in Wisconsin for four years before an effigy mound whisked her home. she now lives in Tauranga, with her husband and 2 children. This is her first novel....
Breaking free of the earth, the massive bird shudders as if awakening from a long slumber...
Stuck in Wisconsin, Annie is homesick. But when a giant eagle flies her home to New Zealand, it's a thousand years too early and a battle is brewing between the birds. Can Annie and her friends help the flightless overcome the ambitious Te Hokioi?
Will gentle Moa survive to live on in history? And will Annie make it back to Wisconsin?
"The battle scene is one of the best I have read. "
-Barbara Murison
Born in New Zealand, Lee Murray lived in Wisconsin for four years before an effigy mound whisked her home. she now lives in Tauranga, with her husband and 2 children. This is her first novel....
158 pages, Paperback
First published September 14, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 26, 2020
This was a lovely, short children’s fantasy novel set in New Zealand. I enjoyed the focus on native birds. The only thing I didn’t like was that it was written in present tense.
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March 30, 2024A story for young readers that draws together 2 cultures in unexpected ways - modern day Wisconsin, USA and pre-colonial New Zealand.
Annie is a New Zealander (about 12 I think?) who has been taken to live in Wisconsin with her parents for her Dad's work. Her mother is studying and, while sitting outside on one of the ancient effigy mounds in the area, this one shaped like a bald eagle, Annie finds that the eagle comes to life and flies her back to New Zealand - but a New Zealand of the past.
There she meets a young Maori girl named Moana and is taken in by her family, where she is recognised as a figure from prophecy, one who will be instrumental in the battle of the birds - between the flightless NZ birds and those with flight. Annie is the only one who can talk to the birds so she is needed to translate.
Annie is a New Zealander (about 12 I think?) who has been taken to live in Wisconsin with her parents for her Dad's work. Her mother is studying and, while sitting outside on one of the ancient effigy mounds in the area, this one shaped like a bald eagle, Annie finds that the eagle comes to life and flies her back to New Zealand - but a New Zealand of the past.
There she meets a young Maori girl named Moana and is taken in by her family, where she is recognised as a figure from prophecy, one who will be instrumental in the battle of the birds - between the flightless NZ birds and those with flight. Annie is the only one who can talk to the birds so she is needed to translate.
August 11, 2012
You've read or viewed my review of Dash of Reality by Lee Murray - a Chick lit novel for the Young Adults to adult audience and now readers I bring forth to you - Battle of the Birds , her latest book written for those aged 10+ to teen audience or if you are like me and wanting a quick read, then by all means - Adults you too will enjoy .
Before I get started on my review , this book "Battle of the Birds" recently won an award - The Sir Julius Vogel Award for Best Youth Novel. More information on what the Sir Julius Vogel award is can be found @ http://www.sffanz.org.nz/sjv/sjvAward...
Battle of the Birds starts off with the reader's meeting Annie - an Eleven year old girl who has just moved to Wisconsin from New Zealand as her father has received a job teaching as a University Lecturer . While her mother who has just started some college courses - that's American for university heads to the local library , Annie decides to tag-a-long and wait outside for her mother to finish. While outside waiting on one of the hill mounds which we discover are called Effgy's . Annie starts to feel odd and soon , the mound is transformed into an American eagle and has transported Annie back to New Zealand. Home again, she is ecstatic until she discovers that she has in fact gone back in time to over 1000 years ago. New Zealand is definitely not the same place then as it is now. We later discover that there was a prophecy foretold that a guide and a speaker who could speak the language of the birds would save New Zealand and mediate between the long-standing Battle of the Birds. Reader's will learn that Annie is the prophesied one, but she isn't a warrior - she is just an average 11 year old girl. Can Annie save her newfound friends when terror strikes the Maori villages ? Will Annie learn and be able to mediate and settle the Battle of the Birds and more importantly , feeling homesick - will Annie ever return to the future to her family or will the prophecy have her stuck in this timezone ?
A fun and easy read , Battle of the Birds is a story filled with Nature, History, Culture and Maori Myths and Legends.
A tale we can all appreciate.
For More Information on Battle of the Birds head to http://www.battleofthebirds.info/
To purchase check out www.oceanbooks.co.nz
Before I get started on my review , this book "Battle of the Birds" recently won an award - The Sir Julius Vogel Award for Best Youth Novel. More information on what the Sir Julius Vogel award is can be found @ http://www.sffanz.org.nz/sjv/sjvAward...
Battle of the Birds starts off with the reader's meeting Annie - an Eleven year old girl who has just moved to Wisconsin from New Zealand as her father has received a job teaching as a University Lecturer . While her mother who has just started some college courses - that's American for university heads to the local library , Annie decides to tag-a-long and wait outside for her mother to finish. While outside waiting on one of the hill mounds which we discover are called Effgy's . Annie starts to feel odd and soon , the mound is transformed into an American eagle and has transported Annie back to New Zealand. Home again, she is ecstatic until she discovers that she has in fact gone back in time to over 1000 years ago. New Zealand is definitely not the same place then as it is now. We later discover that there was a prophecy foretold that a guide and a speaker who could speak the language of the birds would save New Zealand and mediate between the long-standing Battle of the Birds. Reader's will learn that Annie is the prophesied one, but she isn't a warrior - she is just an average 11 year old girl. Can Annie save her newfound friends when terror strikes the Maori villages ? Will Annie learn and be able to mediate and settle the Battle of the Birds and more importantly , feeling homesick - will Annie ever return to the future to her family or will the prophecy have her stuck in this timezone ?
A fun and easy read , Battle of the Birds is a story filled with Nature, History, Culture and Maori Myths and Legends.
A tale we can all appreciate.
For More Information on Battle of the Birds head to http://www.battleofthebirds.info/
To purchase check out www.oceanbooks.co.nz
June 11, 2014
You've read or viewed my review of Dash of Reality by Lee Murray - a Chick lit novel for the Young Adults to adult audience and now readers I bring forth to you - Battle of the Birds , her latest book written for those aged 10+ to teen audience or if you are like me and wanting a quick read, then by all means - Adults you too will enjoy .
Before I get started on my review , this book "Battle of the Birds" recently won an award - The Sir Julius Vogel Award for Best Youth Novel. More information on what the Sir Julius Vogel award is can be found @ http://www.sffanz.org.nz/sjv/sjvAward...
Battle of the Birds starts off with the reader's meeting Annie - an Eleven year old girl who has just moved to Wisconsin from New Zealand as her father has received a job teaching as a University Lecturer . While her mother who has just started some college courses - that's American for university heads to the local library , Annie decides to tag-a-long and wait outside for her mother to finish. While outside waiting on one of the hill mounds which we discover are called Effgy's . Annie starts to feel odd and soon , the mound is transformed into an American eagle and has transported Annie back to New Zealand. Home again, she is ecstatic until she discovers that she has in fact gone back in time to over 1000 years ago. New Zealand is definitely not the same place then as it is now. We later discover that there was a prophecy foretold that a guide and a speaker who could speak the language of the birds would save New Zealand and mediate between the long-standing Battle of the Birds. Reader's will learn that Annie is the prophesied one, but she isn't a warrior - she is just an average 11 year old girl. Can Annie save her newfound friends when terror strikes the Maori villages ? Will Annie learn and be able to mediate and settle the Battle of the Birds and more importantly , feeling homesick - will Annie ever return to the future to her family or will the prophecy have her stuck in this timezone ?
A fun and easy read , Battle of the Birds is a story filled with Nature, History, Culture and Maori Myths and Legends.
A tale we can all appreciate.
Before I get started on my review , this book "Battle of the Birds" recently won an award - The Sir Julius Vogel Award for Best Youth Novel. More information on what the Sir Julius Vogel award is can be found @ http://www.sffanz.org.nz/sjv/sjvAward...
Battle of the Birds starts off with the reader's meeting Annie - an Eleven year old girl who has just moved to Wisconsin from New Zealand as her father has received a job teaching as a University Lecturer . While her mother who has just started some college courses - that's American for university heads to the local library , Annie decides to tag-a-long and wait outside for her mother to finish. While outside waiting on one of the hill mounds which we discover are called Effgy's . Annie starts to feel odd and soon , the mound is transformed into an American eagle and has transported Annie back to New Zealand. Home again, she is ecstatic until she discovers that she has in fact gone back in time to over 1000 years ago. New Zealand is definitely not the same place then as it is now. We later discover that there was a prophecy foretold that a guide and a speaker who could speak the language of the birds would save New Zealand and mediate between the long-standing Battle of the Birds. Reader's will learn that Annie is the prophesied one, but she isn't a warrior - she is just an average 11 year old girl. Can Annie save her newfound friends when terror strikes the Maori villages ? Will Annie learn and be able to mediate and settle the Battle of the Birds and more importantly , feeling homesick - will Annie ever return to the future to her family or will the prophecy have her stuck in this timezone ?
A fun and easy read , Battle of the Birds is a story filled with Nature, History, Culture and Maori Myths and Legends.
A tale we can all appreciate.
June 11, 2014
An entertaining and quick read, clearly written for children and will require substantial suspension of belief. As a bird enthusiast, I was quite intrigued by the concept, and probably came into it with a certain amount of cynicism and knowledge that is not to be found in its intended audience (of - at a guess - ages 8+). The characterisation was fun, I particularly enjoyed the personality of Ken the bald eagle. And the fact it is based on Maori mythology was also a plus. Also, lots of action and a bit of humour.
There were a few (extremely minor) niggles though:
I'm not quite comfortable with present tense narration, especially third person present tense. It didn't sit well with me, although once I got used to it I barely noticed it.
Why was Ken's dialogue in italics? At first I thought it was birds-in-talics, humans-in-non but it was done consistently with Ken's and no bird else's.
Excessive use of exclamation marks. Some add to the tension, too many just look like a lack of editing.
The naming of the birds was inconsistent: some had Maori names (which is good), some had random made-up names (Mergus) and then there was Barty and Fantasia. It felt a little like the author was letting her children name her avian characters. At least the names of the human characters was consistent.
Birds can not really show facial emotions - at least not in the way that humans can, so what was with Te Hokioi smiling and grinning?
Also, the New Zealand goose was flightless. So what species was Mergus?
There is no way a bald eagle could lift and carry a person, unless they were an enormous bald eagle (although given he also flies her through time and drops her 1000 years and thousands of miles from her starting point, that can fit in the "fable" aspect).
So, in summary, a fun read but not exactly required reading.
PS: The cover is beautiful.
There were a few (extremely minor) niggles though:
I'm not quite comfortable with present tense narration, especially third person present tense. It didn't sit well with me, although once I got used to it I barely noticed it.
Why was Ken's dialogue in italics? At first I thought it was birds-in-talics, humans-in-non but it was done consistently with Ken's and no bird else's.
Excessive use of exclamation marks. Some add to the tension, too many just look like a lack of editing.
The naming of the birds was inconsistent: some had Maori names (which is good), some had random made-up names (Mergus) and then there was Barty and Fantasia. It felt a little like the author was letting her children name her avian characters. At least the names of the human characters was consistent.
Birds can not really show facial emotions - at least not in the way that humans can, so what was with Te Hokioi smiling and grinning?
Also, the New Zealand goose was flightless. So what species was Mergus?
There is no way a bald eagle could lift and carry a person, unless they were an enormous bald eagle (although given he also flies her through time and drops her 1000 years and thousands of miles from her starting point, that can fit in the "fable" aspect).
So, in summary, a fun read but not exactly required reading.
PS: The cover is beautiful.
January 8, 2012
Fantastic book that gave a great young reader some history and mythology wrapped up in one. Lee touched on very early New Zealand history with a balanced touch of historical mythology with a modern hero in the mix... throughly enjoyed and look forward to more of her work to come :)
January 6, 2014
A fantastic fantasy suitable for young readers.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews