What do you think?
Rate this book
Wings of Glory: An action-packed, funny adventure story from Dermot O'Leary
Can one tiny bird help to win a world war? A funny action-adventure story with a feathery twist, from bestselling children's author, Dermot O'Leary, with glorious illustrations throughout by Claire Powell.
It's 1940, and the world is at war. Linus, a swift, has always dreamed of flying with the Royal Bird Force and making a name for himself as a squadron leader. So when he and his sister, Ava, have the opportunity to volunteer, he jumps at the chance.
But it's a dangerous journey, and Ava goes missing before they manage to reach the airfield for training. Now, Linus has two help the war effort and find his sister.
Linus will face bomber planes, arrogant falcons, and a spy who's determined to take him down...
He is brave and fast and kind - but can Linus prove that helping win the war is more about the size of your heart than the size of your wings?
Featuring courageous loop-the-loops, top secret plans and more than a smattering of bird poo, this wartime tail will make you laugh and cry - and maybe teach you a thing or two as well.
It's 1940, and the world is at war. Linus, a swift, has always dreamed of flying with the Royal Bird Force and making a name for himself as a squadron leader. So when he and his sister, Ava, have the opportunity to volunteer, he jumps at the chance.
But it's a dangerous journey, and Ava goes missing before they manage to reach the airfield for training. Now, Linus has two help the war effort and find his sister.
Linus will face bomber planes, arrogant falcons, and a spy who's determined to take him down...
He is brave and fast and kind - but can Linus prove that helping win the war is more about the size of your heart than the size of your wings?
Featuring courageous loop-the-loops, top secret plans and more than a smattering of bird poo, this wartime tail will make you laugh and cry - and maybe teach you a thing or two as well.
224 pages, Paperback
Published April 25, 2024
3 people are currently reading
22 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 7, 2024
Woah what a book it was so great like the storyline and everything else was so intriguing and in the book a bird called Linus signs up for the rbf (royal bird force) and he loses his sister Ava on the way to the RBF HQ and he is bullied by this peregrine falcon called mamorduke and he goes to battle and gets lost and races a peregrine falcon called Marcus to prove he’s a better flyer than he is and ends up crashing into him then saving his life. Great book highly recommended.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟
November 27, 2023
Can one tiny bird help to win the war? It is 1940 and the world is at war. Linus, a swift, has always dreamed of flying with the Royal Bird Force and making a name for himself as a squadron leader. So when he and his sister, Ava, have the opportunity to volunteer, he jumps at the chance.
Gripping story from start to finish! Linus the swift was a heroic protagonist which the reader will immediately warm to. He has many setbacks in his life but is determined to follow his dreams.
The story is action packed with near death experiences with many characters and the theme of friendships (likely and unlikely!) running throughout.
The story was historically accurate and sensitively written about to ensure the younger reader could access the book.
The illustrations are perfect, already a big fan of Claire Powell and they really do the book and characters justice.
The passion the author has for this era really shines through in the writing. Highly recommend.
Gripping story from start to finish! Linus the swift was a heroic protagonist which the reader will immediately warm to. He has many setbacks in his life but is determined to follow his dreams.
The story is action packed with near death experiences with many characters and the theme of friendships (likely and unlikely!) running throughout.
The story was historically accurate and sensitively written about to ensure the younger reader could access the book.
The illustrations are perfect, already a big fan of Claire Powell and they really do the book and characters justice.
The passion the author has for this era really shines through in the writing. Highly recommend.
August 20, 2023
This is such a sweet, funny little book! Dermot obviously has a real love for WWII and the fighter planes, and for birds of all kinds, as his information is ... as far as I know, at least! ... spot on at all times. It's all disguised behind a fantastic story, though ... kids won't even realise they're learning things! (Sneaky.)
It's a really clever idea and Dermot does it justice. I hope this is the start of a series; I would love to see Linus and his ragtag group return for more adventures. There's still quite a bit of war to go, after all!
Special mention has to go to Claire Powell's amazing illustrations...the book wouldn't be half as good without them, as I'm sure Dermot will agree! They bring the characters to life and help to keep the story going, and they're brilliant.
Such a funny book...I think it's going to do well!
It's a really clever idea and Dermot does it justice. I hope this is the start of a series; I would love to see Linus and his ragtag group return for more adventures. There's still quite a bit of war to go, after all!
Special mention has to go to Claire Powell's amazing illustrations...the book wouldn't be half as good without them, as I'm sure Dermot will agree! They bring the characters to life and help to keep the story going, and they're brilliant.
Such a funny book...I think it's going to do well!
October 12, 2023
What a fantastic concept for a story and I really loved the characters in this! Without a doubt the illustrations throughout add a shine to the storytelling that truly brings it to life.
As this is a book aimed at younger children I can appreciate that it is very short and the writing is to the point but it missed some of the colour, description and depth that would really have allowed this book to soar. For me, the book moves at such a quick pace that some of the magic is lost as well as the character development and scene setting. It’s very plot driven.
As I say I loved all the characters and would have loved to see their story developed further and in more depth.
As this is a book aimed at younger children I can appreciate that it is very short and the writing is to the point but it missed some of the colour, description and depth that would really have allowed this book to soar. For me, the book moves at such a quick pace that some of the magic is lost as well as the character development and scene setting. It’s very plot driven.
As I say I loved all the characters and would have loved to see their story developed further and in more depth.
September 28, 2025
Honestly, this was a blast.
I didn't know what to expect from Wings of Glory but it's a thoroughly fun and well written book with a great cast of animl characters.
For anyone who has kids in the 8-12 range, this is a must read. It gets you thinking about WW2 in an entertaining but factual way told through the eyes of a particularly brave Swift.
I didn't know what to expect from Wings of Glory but it's a thoroughly fun and well written book with a great cast of animl characters.
For anyone who has kids in the 8-12 range, this is a must read. It gets you thinking about WW2 in an entertaining but factual way told through the eyes of a particularly brave Swift.
February 18, 2024
I really enjoyed this and I think it would really appeal to slightly older, less confident readers as it was easy to read but an engaging subject matter and funny but not overly-whacky, as some children’s books can be.
August 5, 2024
really funny
June 21, 2025
A really lovely short read. The story has a lot of heart and a simple but effective storyline. I love how this story is written from an animals perspective during WWII. A very unique take.
March 16, 2025
great book
December 22, 2024
“But, still unknown to most of us today, our animal friends also joined the war effort: helping humans in the skies, at sea and on the battlegrounds.
And in 1940, one small bird, barely the weight of an egg, was about to help shape the history of the world ...”
British TV veteran Dermot O’Leary reimagines the World War 2 effort from the point of view of Linus, a tiny swift who signs up for the Royal Bird Force, part of the human battle against the Germans.
All Linus ever wanted, was to join the
elite fighting unit of peregrine falcons, the fastest and most famous birds in the whole of the Royal Bird Force.
He gets relegated instead to a band of misfits, led by Atticus the Goshawk, who sees him for what he is: a swift even faster than the falcons, especially in making mid-air turns.
We are witness to a war effort involving pigeon carriers, spies and mid-air drama on Battle of Britain Day, in real life a key WW2 event from 1940.
And we watch Linus grow as he gains his wings leading mid-air sabotage of German planes, paving the way for Royal Air Force pilots to attack and protect the Allied air space.
I enjoyed this very much, and highly recommend this to our young readers curious about WW2 books — the storytelling is visual, but packs so much in so few pages. It’s perfect.
📚: @definitelybookskids
And in 1940, one small bird, barely the weight of an egg, was about to help shape the history of the world ...”
British TV veteran Dermot O’Leary reimagines the World War 2 effort from the point of view of Linus, a tiny swift who signs up for the Royal Bird Force, part of the human battle against the Germans.
All Linus ever wanted, was to join the
elite fighting unit of peregrine falcons, the fastest and most famous birds in the whole of the Royal Bird Force.
He gets relegated instead to a band of misfits, led by Atticus the Goshawk, who sees him for what he is: a swift even faster than the falcons, especially in making mid-air turns.
We are witness to a war effort involving pigeon carriers, spies and mid-air drama on Battle of Britain Day, in real life a key WW2 event from 1940.
And we watch Linus grow as he gains his wings leading mid-air sabotage of German planes, paving the way for Royal Air Force pilots to attack and protect the Allied air space.
I enjoyed this very much, and highly recommend this to our young readers curious about WW2 books — the storytelling is visual, but packs so much in so few pages. It’s perfect.
📚: @definitelybookskids
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews