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Wings
No one can explain why Ian has sprouted wings—or adjust to their huge batlike appearance. With family and friends hostile about his situation, only Anita Pickens provides Ian with the will to use his wings and to survive his ultimate decision. Ian "is worth getting to know, and his situation is one that has intrigued children and storytellers from the days of Icarus." —C. 1992 North Carolina Juvenile Literature Award (NC American Association of University Women)
120 pages, Library Binding
First published January 1, 1991
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141 people want to read
About the author
Bill Brittain
31 books19 followersWilliam E. Brittain was an American writer. He is best known for work set in the fictional New England village of Coven Tree, including The Wish Giver, a Newbery Honor Book.
Brittain was born in Rochester, New York. He decided he wanted to be a 5th-grade teacher, and in addition to teaching, used to read stories in mystery magazines. After some time, he decided he could do as good a job at writing as some of the authors he read; he got coaching on writing from Frederic Dannay of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine (in which, along with Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, most of his mystery stories were published). He wrote two serials from 1964 to 1983, as well as other stories, before moving on to the children's books for which he is better known.
Brittain is also the author of the popular book All the Money in the World, which was adapted as a 1983 movie.
Brittain was born in Rochester, New York. He decided he wanted to be a 5th-grade teacher, and in addition to teaching, used to read stories in mystery magazines. After some time, he decided he could do as good a job at writing as some of the authors he read; he got coaching on writing from Frederic Dannay of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine (in which, along with Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, most of his mystery stories were published). He wrote two serials from 1964 to 1983, as well as other stories, before moving on to the children's books for which he is better known.
Brittain is also the author of the popular book All the Money in the World, which was adapted as a 1983 movie.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
March 23, 2011
This book is the subject of my earliest memory of reading. It was a turning point in my life when I was realizing that I was intelligent and there were wonderful things in the world worth finding out about. I would even go so far as to say that this book was the first time I can recall my imagination ever taking flight :)
August 30, 2008
i love this book. it was one of the first books i ever "loved" and also one of the first to make me cry.
December 1, 2009
"Whichever way I went, there would be sadness and a sense of loss. Was this a part of growing up—the agony of making such choices?
If so, I wanted to stay a child forever."
—Ian Carras, Wings, P. 132
This book really is surprisingly powerful, and I would give it three and a half stars. I've read stories by Bill Brittain before that seemed to have lessons like those in Wings weaved into their text, but this book is another notch (or two, or three) above whatever else I have read by Bill Brittain.
Ian's crisis is completely palpable for the reader and draws the heart into its cataclysm with powerful immediacy. The pull of Ian's unique problem is unmistakably strong, and I felt very much as if I were in peril right alongside him, and as if I hurt whenever he did.
The most tangible question that the book asks lingers like a watermark beneath the text the entire time: is it better to be different from those around oneself in a very fundamental, important way, and thereby experience a depth of life that others will never hope to achieve, or to deny that difference and slip through the cracks, living a less wonderful but also less stressful existence? It's a question with no simple answer, and Bill Brittain broaches it with an understated beauty of thought that elevates this book onto a plateau that is rarely reached.
Wings is an intelligent story of depth and far-reaching potency, one that I think will capture the minds of readers young and old and continue to hold them for as long as any book can. It will cause young readers to think deeply, and to understand better the "wings" that mark their own lives.
If so, I wanted to stay a child forever."
—Ian Carras, Wings, P. 132
This book really is surprisingly powerful, and I would give it three and a half stars. I've read stories by Bill Brittain before that seemed to have lessons like those in Wings weaved into their text, but this book is another notch (or two, or three) above whatever else I have read by Bill Brittain.
Ian's crisis is completely palpable for the reader and draws the heart into its cataclysm with powerful immediacy. The pull of Ian's unique problem is unmistakably strong, and I felt very much as if I were in peril right alongside him, and as if I hurt whenever he did.
The most tangible question that the book asks lingers like a watermark beneath the text the entire time: is it better to be different from those around oneself in a very fundamental, important way, and thereby experience a depth of life that others will never hope to achieve, or to deny that difference and slip through the cracks, living a less wonderful but also less stressful existence? It's a question with no simple answer, and Bill Brittain broaches it with an understated beauty of thought that elevates this book onto a plateau that is rarely reached.
Wings is an intelligent story of depth and far-reaching potency, one that I think will capture the minds of readers young and old and continue to hold them for as long as any book can. It will cause young readers to think deeply, and to understand better the "wings" that mark their own lives.
June 2, 2009
One of the first books that made me cry.
July 25, 2009
I read this when I was like 7 and all I remember is that I'm in love with it.
September 22, 2013
I remember reading this book when I was in the third grade and I absolutely loved it. As a young kid, I was always mesmerized by flying and I truly think this book sparked that feeling. I believe that alone, this book can be a little odd, but the true meaning is much greater than just being a story about growing wings. I really believe that the morals of this story can be attributed to my growth from a shy kid who was afraid of being judged, to someone who is not afraid to be an individual and be different.
March 19, 2018
I liked the plot and concept behind this book, but Ian's relationship with his parents is very stereotypical and over the top. It was laughable how one-dimensional the father was and I'm personally tired of the children's book trope where adults are utterly useless or neglectful to children. So while the plot was interesting, the characters really felt flat.
September 13, 2023
Reads as if it's a metaphor in support of 'conversion therapy.' Such a wonderful idea for a story, but so poorly executed. The boy's family is over-the-top self-centered and abusive, and even the Pickens are controlling. Finally he makes his own decision, but I don't see why he would choose the way he did; everything that we had learned about him pointed to the other choice.
September 29, 2025
this book was pivotal to my childhood. I remember it being one of the first books I adored and the author coming to my school and getting my copy signed and personalized. i wish I still had it. I haven't read it since then, but I still think about this book every so often and remember how much it inspired me and bloomed my curiosity
April 7, 2019
5 star book- until the ending. The ending made it drop to a 3 for me. If you are reading with students, stop before the last chapter and ask them to create their own last chapter- it will be better than the real ending.
March 19, 2022
Read this with my 5th grade class. It is an interesting concept amid self acceptance, true colors, and boundaries. The kids really enjoyed the story and there are some fun colorful characters. There were a few holes at the end, but a great conversation starter.
October 15, 2021
Read this YEARS ago and LOVED it
October 23, 2025
childrens book but for some reason i vividly remember feeling pain in my back when reading about the wing growth. first time i felt truly immersed into a book
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 4, 2013
DARING TO BE DIFFERENT
Seventh-grader Ian Carrass suddenly finds himself an outcast by his classmates and even his own family, as his severe back pains develop into something inexplicable--possibly ominous. His parents seem to ignore him, his needs and youthful skills in favor of his over-achiever older sister, "Princess" Diane. Even his best buddy at school suddenly shuns him for being a freak; in junior high it's Conform or else! His unique diagnosis by the discreet family doctor is simply that Ian is sprouting wings! Not the soft feathery kind which adorn birds, but tough, leather appendages--making him feel like an unwilling Bat Boy.
Ah, but when it comes to feelings, his family acts as if he has disgraced them deliberately. His politically-ambitious father is horrified at the thought of losing votes because of his son's disgraceful growth; he endeavors for months to conceal this filial humiliation. Diane is caught up in her own social world as Miss Everything, while Mom just goes along with Dad. No one cares that Ian is confused and torn by his situation.
Finding himself ostracized by his own family, as well as by his peers, Ian resents being kept a virtual prisoner in his bedroom, until he forces Dad to let him attend school. Fortunately for him his class already has its resident freak: Anita, a poor girl with 6-fingers on one hand. But he and his huge wings become a target for school bullies his first day back. He soon realizes that the only people who take a sincere interest in his predicament, and do not shun him for being weird, are Anita and her mother--both local oddballs who live in a crude mountain cabin.
Anita and shotgun-toting Mz Pickens, although considered
rough-hewn hicks by townsfolk, demonstrate the only compassion Ian has received for months. But will his wings prove more than a curse; are they capable of lifting both his spirits and his body? Ian comes of age when he realizes the agony of a difficult choice, but there is no doubt in his heart about the value of true friendship. A serious but fascinating read about loyalty and family values.
(June 21, 2011. I welcome dialogue with teachers.)
Seventh-grader Ian Carrass suddenly finds himself an outcast by his classmates and even his own family, as his severe back pains develop into something inexplicable--possibly ominous. His parents seem to ignore him, his needs and youthful skills in favor of his over-achiever older sister, "Princess" Diane. Even his best buddy at school suddenly shuns him for being a freak; in junior high it's Conform or else! His unique diagnosis by the discreet family doctor is simply that Ian is sprouting wings! Not the soft feathery kind which adorn birds, but tough, leather appendages--making him feel like an unwilling Bat Boy.
Ah, but when it comes to feelings, his family acts as if he has disgraced them deliberately. His politically-ambitious father is horrified at the thought of losing votes because of his son's disgraceful growth; he endeavors for months to conceal this filial humiliation. Diane is caught up in her own social world as Miss Everything, while Mom just goes along with Dad. No one cares that Ian is confused and torn by his situation.
Finding himself ostracized by his own family, as well as by his peers, Ian resents being kept a virtual prisoner in his bedroom, until he forces Dad to let him attend school. Fortunately for him his class already has its resident freak: Anita, a poor girl with 6-fingers on one hand. But he and his huge wings become a target for school bullies his first day back. He soon realizes that the only people who take a sincere interest in his predicament, and do not shun him for being weird, are Anita and her mother--both local oddballs who live in a crude mountain cabin.
Anita and shotgun-toting Mz Pickens, although considered
rough-hewn hicks by townsfolk, demonstrate the only compassion Ian has received for months. But will his wings prove more than a curse; are they capable of lifting both his spirits and his body? Ian comes of age when he realizes the agony of a difficult choice, but there is no doubt in his heart about the value of true friendship. A serious but fascinating read about loyalty and family values.
(June 21, 2011. I welcome dialogue with teachers.)
December 12, 2008
God, this was awful! I'm so disappointed; I love books about flying, and I have fond memories of Brittain's The Wish Giver. But this was just not good at all.
The basic premise is that the main character, after a prolonged period of frightening unexplained back pain, suddenly sprouts huge batlike wings. His family has always viewed him as an inconvenience, and now he is even more so. His father is running for mayor and is concerned only with that, his mother is cowed and uncaring, and his sister is supposedly the favorite child, although she never really is a presence in the book. The main character is befriended by a six-fingered hillbilly girl and her mother (or maybe it was grandmother), and through them learns to accept and even find joy in his "deformity." The time comes, however, when he must decide whether he will keep his wings and remain ostracized by his family and society, or have them surgically removed and return to normal life.
This book just left a bad taste in my mouth. All of the characters were totally one-dimensional; the boy's family is just unremittingly, flatly awful. The six-fingered girl and her mother are completely good. The main character seems to have no will of his own, and the decision he makes at the end was enough to make me write off any enjoyment I'd previously had in the book. Definitely not recommended.
The basic premise is that the main character, after a prolonged period of frightening unexplained back pain, suddenly sprouts huge batlike wings. His family has always viewed him as an inconvenience, and now he is even more so. His father is running for mayor and is concerned only with that, his mother is cowed and uncaring, and his sister is supposedly the favorite child, although she never really is a presence in the book. The main character is befriended by a six-fingered hillbilly girl and her mother (or maybe it was grandmother), and through them learns to accept and even find joy in his "deformity." The time comes, however, when he must decide whether he will keep his wings and remain ostracized by his family and society, or have them surgically removed and return to normal life.
This book just left a bad taste in my mouth. All of the characters were totally one-dimensional; the boy's family is just unremittingly, flatly awful. The six-fingered girl and her mother are completely good. The main character seems to have no will of his own, and the decision he makes at the end was enough to make me write off any enjoyment I'd previously had in the book. Definitely not recommended.
February 8, 2012
Good book for 5th or 6th graders. However, the ending was a little abrupt, and left me wanting more. I wanted to know more, such as: What happened to Ian? What about his relationship with his parents? Did his dad ever become mayor? What happened to Anita? Why did Ian grow wings in the first place? Still, a good story for ages 10 - 13.
March 16, 2023
I had to go to summer school when I was a middle schooler, I remember my class having to read it. I remember being interested, but my ADHD wasn't diagnosed at the time and it was running rampant. Despite that, though, I do remember the ending and I was very disappointed. Maybe I'd have a different feeling about it as an adult.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 8, 2008
I read this book in 5th grade and it's taken me FOREVER to find it again. The story follows Ian, son of a mayor-hopeful, as he suddenly grows full-sized, batlike wings. Ian struggles in finding reliable friends, adjusting to his, uh, strange new anatomy, and his father's shame.
April 20, 2009
When 12-year-old Ian grows an unsightly pair of wings, he becomes an embarassment to his politiclly ambitious father and must look for help from class outcast, Anita, and her eccentric mother. Arizona Young Readers Choice nominee 1999.
October 8, 2011
So disappointing. The beginning itself was a wonderful read and was full of likable chracters- but the end was terrible. Simply a thrown away chance at being amazing. Made me resentful at the main character and want to pick up a different read.
July 27, 2012
This was one of my favorite books as a kid. It's about a kid who for no explainable reason, grows wings. I remember disliking the ending. It was clipped off pretty abruptly, and characters weren't terribly strong, but AWESOME concept.
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August 3, 2016I read this when I was a kid, and I was always dissatisfied with the ending. Definatly becomes something different than other books of its kind by the ending.
It might just be something that I'll have to re-read again.
It might just be something that I'll have to re-read again.
December 17, 2009
I made the mistake of reading Josiah's review before writing mine - and now I have nothing left to say..... except read Josiah's review - that says it all!
July 25, 2013
A mostly enjoyable read with an ending so infuriating I literally thew it across the room.
February 7, 2014
Such a fun story about a boy and his wings... and his six fingered friend.
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October 9, 2015One of my favorite books as a kid, but honestly the symbolic aspects of the ending were never enough to overcome my utter disgust at the ending.
November 22, 2016
NOT the happy ending I was hoping for....
December 28, 2016
The most popular of Bill Brittain's books it looks like. And for good reason. Brittain had a talent for childhood fantasy that he demonstrates with ease in Wings.
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February 27, 2014Very Good
Intresting
Can't stop READING!
Intresting
Can't stop READING!
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews