It’s hard to believe but the author was only 12 years old when she wrote this thrilling, beautifully crafted fantasy about evil Lord Turnatt, a hawk who has enslaved birds to build a fortress and has set the cardinals and bluejays to fighting each other.

She creates vivid characters with wonderful names (Flameback the cardinal, Dilby the loon) and other cool words like “nobird”, “somebird,” and “everybird.” There’s a hummingbird circus, birds dining on raspberry pie and fending off invaders with scalding bean soup. Best of all each chapter starts with a quotation from some book of bird lore, including the Book of Heresy which promises the terrible Turnatt eternal life – if he eats the egg of one woodbird every day.

Nancy Yi Fan is a talent to watch!

- Jean Westmoore, The Buffalo News

简直难以相信作者在写这本令人赞叹、精雕细琢的奇幻小说时只有12岁。这个故事描述了邪恶老鹰特耐特君主如何抓鸟为奴，为他建造堡垒，并挑拨红蓝鸟相互打仗。

她创作出许多栩栩如生的角色，并给他们起了绝妙的名字如红鸟火焰背，潜鸟迪比等，另外作者还自创了其他一些很酷的英文词语如“nobird”，”somebird”和 “everybird”。有一群剧团鸟，用红莓派和滚烫的豆子汤阻击入侵者。更精彩的是书的每章前都有一段引语，或者是引自充满鸟族古老传说的《古经》，或者是引自《邪经》。《邪经》让恶霸特耐特着迷的是里面的一句话：每天吃一只林鸟蛋，生命延续到永远。

范祎是令人值得注目的天才！

-琼.韦斯特莫尔 《布法罗新闻报》2007年2月4日

I am a 10 year old who has just devoured the book Swordbird by Nancy Yi Fan. I loved the book! I think it will be a hit and anxiously await a sequel.
Paul Carstens

我10岁了，我一口气读完了范祎的《剑鸟》。我太喜欢这本书了！我想它一定会受到大家喜欢的。我焦急地等待着她的下一本书。

- 保罗.卡斯腾斯

Turnatt takes control over the hawk population of Stone-Run Forest. He demands loyalty and will punish those who disobey though he can be fickle and inconsistent with his commands. His goal is become the Evil Conqueror and Slayer known as the “Tyrant of Fortress Glooming” that will eventually encompass the entire forest.

As his forces attack the other bird species, the blue jays and the cardinals think the other has attacked them. Their hostility is open and war seems imminent with the only winner being Turnatt whose minion caused the argument between the blue and the red. Unless a miracle occurs many will die and a free forest will become a vicious malevolent dictator’s realm. However, only the Swordbird, son of the Great Spirit, can prevent the tragedy and return the forest to domestic tranquility for all its creatures. The only problem is the Swordbird is a myth.

This is a fascinating well written personification fantasy aimed at the 8-12 years old crowd. Readers will see differing personalities especially between the various bird species. As the non Hawks pray for a hero especially Swordbird, fans will enjoy the confrontation between evil and good.

Harriet Klausner

老鹰特耐特试图占领石头跑森林。尽管他喜怒无常、朝令夕改，他还是强制他爪下的士兵听从他的命令，谁敢违抗就惩治谁。他的目标是成为征服者，杀戮者，“阴森堡垒的大王”，进而统治整个森林。

当他的士兵偷袭当地鸟族时，土著鸟红蓝鸟都误以为是当地鸟的一方洗劫了他们。他们之间由仇恨转为战争，情况十分紧急，而特耐特在由他爪下挑拨起来的这场战争中渔翁得利。除非有奇迹出现，不然许多当地鸟就会死亡，一片自由的森林就会落到暴君的魔爪中。然而，只有神的儿子剑鸟能阻止这场悲剧的发生，使这片森林恢复往日的平静。问题是剑鸟只是传说的鸟还是真的存在。

这是一本用拟人手法写成的迷人的、文笔隽秀的奇幻小说。它的目标读者群是8到12岁的孩子。读者会看到各种性格各异的鸟的角色。当林鸟呼唤剑鸟时，读者粉丝会被正义和邪恶的斗争场面所吸引。

美国在线著名评书人
哈丽雅特.克劳斯纳
《亚马逊网》
2007年2月10日

This was an engaging, amazing ,beautifully written book. I loved her first sentence and called my sister, a school librarian in California, who orders books for her district, right away.She is going to order it for her schools. I love birds and the cardinals and blue jays are here in New Jersey in abundance and peaked my interest. I am a retired teacher and if still teaching 3rd grade, would read this book to the class. We would do a unit, including the different birds, vocabulary, and theme. I gave the book to my daughter, who is a teacher and she is going to read it and do activities with her 5th graders. Good luck to Nancy with her writing career.

by: Mary Lou Neill
New Jersey
retired elem teacher

这是一本引人入胜、令人惊讶、刻画完美的小说。书中的第一个句子就迷上了我，我马上给我的妹妹打了电话，她是加州的一所学校的图书馆员，她为她学区负责定书。她准备为她学校定这本书。我喜欢鸟，我们新泽西州这儿有许多红鸟和蓝鸟，我对它们十分感兴趣。我是退休教师。若我还教三年级的话儿，我会把这本书读给学生听的。我可能安排一个课程单元，包括了解各种鸟，词汇和主题等。我把这本书给了我的女儿，她现在是老师。她打算给她5年级的学生读这本小说，并做些活动。

向范祎祝好，望她写出更好的小说来！

玛丽.卢.尼尔
新泽西州的退休小学教师
发表在《出版人周刊》的讨论区
2/19/2007

Most impressive! It will be interesting to see how Fan develops as an author as she matures. The next great American novelist just may be from China.

-Linda,
Manchester Center, VT

给我留下最深印象的小说！很有趣看着范祎今后如何发展。美国下一代的伟大小说家或许来自中国。

-琳达
曼切斯特中心，佛蒙特州
发表在《出版人周刊》的讨论区

This book is amazing, the characters and the plot were magical. This book is for people who like Warriors! I should know I am one. Yeah, overall the book was very great. I hope Nancy Yi Fan continues writing for the rest of her life!

- Mychajlo
Philadelphia, PA

这本小说写得太美妙了，书中的角色、情节充满了神奇。这本书会吸引爱读《勇士》的书迷的！至少我已成了它的书迷了。是的。总之，这本小说写得太棒了。我希望范祎今后一直写下去！

- 迈卡亚罗
费城，宾西法尼亚
发表于哈珀柯林斯读者书评区

Swordbird was an interesting look at war through the eyes of a child. Young writer Nancy Yi Fan transferred her 6th grade girl’s perception of war and resulting fears to a war situation in a forest inhabited by cardinals, blue jays, robins, assorted songbirds, and a terroristic hawk with his army of crows and ravens. The author gave human characteristics to the birds while keeping their birdlike qualities as well–which would keep the subject more approachable to children reading her book. I liked how the enslaved birds as well as the birds under attack fought back and thought of ways to join together to beat the evil dictator. This book may help children realize that although fighting a war is never pleasant, those under attack should unite, have faith, and work together to maintain freedom.
Thomas
Dover, DE

《剑鸟》是通过孩子眼睛看战争的一本很有趣的小说。小作者范祎把她6年级时对战争的认识和恐惧转换成了一片森林的鸟之间发生战争的故事，森林里有红鸟、蓝鸟、鸫鸟、各种剧团鸟、恐怖鸟老鹰和他的乌鸦和渡鸦士兵。作者赋予鸟了人性同时又保留了鸟的特征，使战争与和平这个主题更易被孩子读者所接受。我喜欢书中奴鸟和受进攻的林鸟如何反抗，如何想方设法联合起来反击恶霸的情节。这本书也许能帮助儿童认识到打仗永远是不好的。被进攻方应该团结起来，满怀信心，一同为争取自由而战。

-托马斯
多佛，特拉华州
发表于哈珀柯林斯读者书评区

I bought this book for my 10 year old grandson who read the book in 2 days. He said he really liked it and the fact the characters were birds really amazed him. I gave it a five star rating on his recommendation.

Evelyn R. Boyer

我给我10岁的孙子买了这本书，他用了两天就把它读完了。他说他真太喜欢它了，书中的鸟的角色让他开心。在我孙子的推荐下我给这本书五星的满分。

伊夫琳.博伊尔
发表于亚马逊网读者评论区

Your book is the best book ever. I read it in one day. You should make it into a movie. I’m making my mom read the book. Your book was featured in my TFK magazine. I love the book so much. – Mia

你写的书是我读过的最好的书。我用了一天的时间就把它读完了。你应该把它改编成电影。我正让我妈妈读这本书呢。你的书在《时代》杂志少年版上是特别推荐的书目。我特别喜爱这本书。
- 米娅

I saw an article in a children’s newspaper about a young girl called Nancy Yi Fan who had published a book. When I read Swordbird, I was amazed how the author described every character, event, and place with such detail, and how the plot worked out so well. I really enjoyed reding Swordbird, and cannot wait for the sequel to come out!
- Téa Kvetenadze

我在一个儿童报纸上读到了小女孩范祎出版小说的文章。当我读《剑鸟》时，我惊奇地发现作者把每个角色、事件和地点都描写那么详细、情节发展得那么流畅。我真的喜欢《剑鸟》啊，并迫不及待地盼望《剑鸟》的前传早日问世！
-提伊.克维特娜茨

Hi, Nancy.

I enjoyed your story. The best part is the way you write — crisp, clear, not a wasted word. The story as well is tidy, pleasant, and compelling.

I loved your use of language — your precise use of verbs such as ‘pinioned’, ‘scurry’, ‘bobbed’, ‘gurgles’, ‘rippled’, etc, the made-up pronouns with such clarity (e.g ‘anybird’) and the images like ‘a thick wall of pines’. The names and terms you used drew me into the story. ‘Slavebird’, ‘Flame-back’ for a cardinal, ‘Skylion’ for a blue jay, ‘Bone-squak’, and ‘Swordbird’ are all in a true fantasy fashion. The index of names at the end is kind of a treat. Actually all the extra stuff enhanced the book appropriately….

Your book is brilliant in all of its detail and craft.

Linda Leonard Lamme,
Professor of Children’s Literature, Ph.D.
University of Florida

范祎： 你好！

我喜欢你的故事。最好的部分是你的写作手法 — 干脆、明了、没有废话。故事结构也很合理，读起来令人愉悦，让人一口气读下去。我喜欢你使用的动词，如，“pinioned”（捆绑上翅膀），“scurry”（急跑），“bobbed”（上下点头），“gurgles”（发出潺潺声），“rippled”（泛起涟漪）等等，还有你自己创造的代词（如“anybird”每只鸟），挺有意思。再有一些景象的描写也很到位，如“a thick wall of pines”（松林的屏障）。你使用的名字很吸引我，如“火焰背”，“天狮”，“骨头喊”和“剑鸟”都带有奇幻小说的风格。结尾的名字目录给读者带来了方便。事实上，所有附加的东西都很得体。

你的小说在所有细节的处理上都近乎完美。

琳达.拉米
儿童文学教授，博士
佛罗里达大学

Dear Nancy, today I finished Swordbird. You are such an inspiring author!!! I think you should write a sequel or turn it into the first book of a series. It would be cool if we could see Miltin again!
－Valerie (Val)

亲爱的范祎：

今天我读完了《剑鸟》，你是一位多么鼓励人的小作者呀！！！我想你该写个后传或把写个系列什么的。若是再能读写有关米尔顿的故事，那该多好啊！

-瓦莱丽

今天一口气看完了后半本。这种书好像有个特点，看前半本时毫无感觉，但是看下去就会放不下来。而且也不能用故事梗概去预测它的精彩程度，就像福楼拜说的，一个故事在于怎么去写。我真料不到细节会那么生动和丰富，还读出点和平，信仰，牺牲之类的东西。

作者： ZDBNFXL001

Yi Fan’s tightly woven story delivers a manifest message promoting peace and freedom. Starring woodland bird characters, the saga pits the tyrannical hawk Turnatt, captor of “slavebirds” whom he shackles and puts to work building his fortress, against the cardinals and blue jays. Though once friendly, these two benign flocks are now at war: Turnatt’s soldiers have stolen eggs and food from each flock (the hawk eats a purloined egg daily, believing this will “keep death away”), and have led each camp to believe the other is responsible for the thefts. One of the slavebirds, a robin named Miltin, escapes to tell Aska, a brave young jay, about Turnatt’s evil doings and his plan to enslave all the local woodbirds. Blue jays and cardinals join forces to vanquish the despot, a mission that entails several diverting twists, including a search for the necessary elements to summon the Swordbird, the “mystical white bird, the son of the Great Spirit.” The author occasionally relieves the tale’s ample tension with snippets of humor. While feasting with a traveling troupe of winged thespians, for instance, the cardinals and blue jays drive away Turnatt’s marauding forces by bombarding them with bean soup and raspberry pies. Experienced readers will recognize the familiar allegory here, but the book will likely appeal to Redwall fans, and this young writer is worth watching.
- Publishers Weekly

范祎这本巧妙编织的故事传达了一个追求和平和自由的讯息。它以林鸟为正面角色，恶霸老鹰特耐特为反面角色，描写了特耐特如何抓鸟为奴，来建筑堡垒，并袭击红蓝鸟的故事。尽管红蓝鸟曾经是朋友，但他们现在却彼此打了起来，这是因为特耐特士兵偷蛋、偷食物 （特耐特老鹰每天吃只林鸟蛋，相信这样会长生不老的），让红蓝鸟彼此认为是对方干的。奴鸟中的一只鸫鸟米尔顿逃了出来，把特耐特的罪恶行径和要抓当地鸟为奴的真相告诉了一只勇敢的蓝鸟少女爱斯卡。红蓝鸟联合起来一起抵抗特耐特。这期间包括了一些有趣的曲折情节，如寻找呼唤剑鸟的宝物，剑鸟是只神秘的白鸟，神的儿子。作者在紧张的故事情节中穿插了些风趣、幽默的片段，红蓝鸟联合剧团鸟用豆子汤、草莓派反击进攻他们的特耐特士兵。有经验的读者会联想到《红墙》系列的一些场面。这本小说大概会吸引《红墙》系列书迷的。这位小作家值得注目。

-《出版人周刊》评论

我很佩服這麼一位年紀輕輕的小女孩，文筆出眾，思想成熟，這本書目前已經榮登紐約時報暢銷書排行榜，並於世界各地出版熱銷，中文版的則是由范禕親自翻譯。
-Shelly Chiu

I admire such a young girl. Her writing is so outstanding and her thoughts are so mature. This novel has appreared on the New York Times Bestseller List and sells hot worldwide. Its Chinese version was translated by Nancy Yi Fan herself.

- Shelly Chiu

Nancy Yi Fan was eleven when she began writing Swordbird. The story grew from a dream she had following class discussions of the Revolutionary War, terrorism, and 9/11. Wheeling freely through the viewpoints of multiple characters and beyond, this is the story of a society of birds in the grip of an ongoing feud. The blue jays and cardinals have been squabbling for generations, but now a tyrannical hawk is using slave-catchers to escalate the conflict in the pursuit of absolute power. When Aska of the Bluewingle tribe meets the slavebird Miltin, the resulting small steps toward freedom lead eventually to a great battle and the triumph of sacrifice and heroism. This writing has a youthful exuberance. The reach of the story is vast and courageous. Its precocious accomplishment is evident in the invention of “somebird” and “anybird” as pronouns, and in somber yet ingenuous revelations (”…every egg was bought with scars and bruises”) about the marauding hawk Turnatt’s past. Elsewhere, the writer’s age shows more plainly. Bean soup and raspberry pie overcome armed raiders. Aska exhorts the blue jays to take risks “with a determined tone in her voice.” Yet the same flat delivery renders sharply sinister the scene in which Turnatt wantonly kills a raven. Mark Zug’s black-and-white drawings repeat strategically, offering a visual underpinning to the characters and story line. In balance, even given the quirky and unpredictable nature of childhood writing, this young writer seems a natural word bird. With luck, despite her rise to early international fame, she will successfully negotiate the complex choreography of writing and life that would seem to be foreshadowed by this debut.
-Children’s Literature

Stone-Run Forest is home to the tribes of Sunrise and Bluewingle. The cardinals and blue jays have enjoyed living in peaceful harmony for many seasons. When supplies and eggs begin to go missing, however, suspicions arise from both tribes that their friends are stealing from them. Soon there is tension in the air, and random raids threaten to turn into a war between the tribes. Meanwhile, birds on either side sadly wonder what could have ended the long friendship.

One day, Aska from the Bluewingle tribe is chased by a murder of crows and stumbles across a young robin named Miltin. Miltin had escaped from a torturous place called Fortress Glooming where he was forced to work as a slavebird under a hawk tyrant, Turnatt. He is seeking the help of woodbirds to rescue the slavebirds and stop the hawk’s evil plans once and for all. When Aska relays the unpleasant discovery to the rest of Stone-Run, the old friends realize they have a common enemy who has been pitting the two tribes against each other.

As the tribes begin to heal their broken friendship, they are visited by the Flying Willowleaf Theater, minstrels who have stopped by to help celebrate the Bright Moon Festival. In the midst of these festivities, however, the tribes are attacked by an army of Turnatt’s followers. Sunrise and Bluewingle are aware that they need some extra help to accomplish the mission of restoring peace to Stone-Run Forest.

They hold faith in Swordbird, the legendary hero who fights evil and restores peace to those who seek him. But there are doubts as to whether or not Swordbird is real, and, if so, whether or not he can help Stone-Run Forest before evil has the chance to prevail.

Talented young author Nancy Yi Fan wrote SWORDBIRD when she was just 11 years old and will continue to be a notable writer for many years to come. While fans of the Redwall series especially will appreciate the story, I recommend this debut novel to anyone who believes in peace.

— Reviewed by Sarah Sawtelle

石头跑森林是红日头和蓝翅部落的家园。红、蓝鸟之间一直相处得和睦友好。当食物和蛋丢了的时候，他们开始怀疑是对方偷的。于是局势紧张起来，开始发动了战争。同时，双方的鸟都很悲伤地琢磨：这么长的友谊怎么就结束了呢？！
有一天，蓝翅部落的爱丝卡被一群乌鸦追赶时，巧遇米尔顿。他是从阴森堡垒逃出来的奴鸟。米尔顿正在寻找林鸟帮助来解救奴鸟并阻止恶鹰特耐特罪恶行经。当爱丝卡把这真相告诉石头跑森林时，红、蓝鸟们认识道是他们共同的敌人把他们搞分裂了。
当他们和好时，飞行柳叶剧团也到了，他们共同欢度明月节。正当欢庆时，遭到了特耐特部队的袭击。事后，他们认识道只靠他们自己不够，须求外来帮助才能使石头跑森林恢复往日的安宁。
他们相信剑鸟——传说中的英雄，能驱赶邪恶带来和平。但是，剑鸟真的存在吗？如果存在，他能及时解救石头跑森林吗？
才华横溢的小作者范祎写《剑鸟》时才11岁。相信在未来的岁月中，她能继续作为一个引人注目的作家写出很多作品。红墙的书迷们一定会喜欢这本书。我把这本书推荐给所有热爱和平的人。

- 萨拉.索特

“The Swordbird,” is especially notable because the author, Nancy Yi Fan, is only 12 years old; Nancy had a vivid dream one night about birds at war while she was also wrestling with her feelings about Sept. 11. She wrote the book to convey a message of peace, but she also succeeded in writing a remarkable piece of fantasy literature.
- Phyllis Peter

This book was absolutely amazing the story line, and characters.
-RainFiret

这本书不论是故事主线还是角色都绝对能给你带来惊喜。
-雷恩法莱特

I always knew there was greatness inside this English as a second language learner. I was her teacher. I wondered as I read Swordbird how the author would create an ending. I was not disappointed.
-Diane Goodwin

我一直认为这个把英语作为第二语言学习的小姑娘有非凡之处。我是她的老师。当我读《剑鸟》时，我在想作者怎么结尾呢。我没有失望。
-黛安娜.古德温

I am honored to make a statement about Swordbird and its remarkable 13 year-old author, Nancy Yi Fan. The more I learn about Nancy, the more I admire her. I was so impressed to find out that even though Nancy had to learn English when she moved to the US from China [at age 7], she studied so hard that she was able write an entire book in English just a few years after learning it! I am very happy that she has continued to study Chinese and was even able to translate Swordbird from English to Chinese. It always makes me sad to hear about Chinese who move overseas and leave behind their language and customs. I am so proud of Nancy for continuing to treasure our culture.

Swordbird is a story about peace, freedom, and tolerance. These are all things that are very close to my heart. When I travel throughout the world and see what happens to people because of war and violence – for example, the landmine victims in Cambodia – it breaks my heart. I know that Nancy wrote her story partly as a reaction to the events of 9/11. I’m happy that she found a way to express her desire for peace and freedom. I think that Nancy is an inspiration to a lot of people and she is proof that if you work hard and dream big, anything can happen!

- Jackie Chan
from Los Angeles, CA
March 22, 2007

我很荣幸为《剑鸟》和它的作者十三岁的天才小作家范祎写几句话。我对范祎了解得越多，就越佩服她。给我留下深刻印象的是：范祎七岁移居美国，她不得不学习英语，而她学习是多么刻苦，只经过几年学习就能用英语写出一本小说来。我非常高兴范祎能继续学习汉语并把《剑鸟》从英语翻译成了汉语。当我听见一些人移居海外就放弃了他们母语和文化传统时，我很伤心。我为范祎能珍视我们的文化和传统而感到骄傲。

《剑鸟》是讲述一个和平、自由和宽容的故事，这些都是我心里所崇尚的东西。我在世界各地旅行时，看到战争和暴力带给人民的灾难（比如在柬埔寨看到了一些地雷受害者）时很伤心。我知道范祎写这个故事，部分是对“９.１１”的反思，我很高兴她找到了一个能表达她向往和平和自由的方式。我认为范祎这个例子，对许多人都是个鼓励。它向人们证明：只要树立远大理想，努力奋斗，就会有奇迹发生。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　成龙
　　　　　　 　　　　　于美国洛杉矶
　　　　　　　　　　　　　二00七年三月二十二日

Having read the excerpt I just can’t help but want to buy one to read myself… It’s my favorite line of fiction…
-Sweet Grapes

在网上读了这本书的片段, 我不禁要买这本书……这是我最喜欢的小说的段子。
-甜葡萄

I first heard about Swordbird while reading a Discovery Girls magazine.
I read that article about Nancy Yi Fan over and over. In fact, the page has lost its glossy shine.
I was amazed that a girl my age had written a book- and gotten it published! You see, that has been my dream since 3rd grade.
Reading about Nancy’s sucess helped me realize that ‘I needed to write. Writing is my passion (one of them!) and I’ll never stop.’
A few weeks later, my mom was at her school’s bookfair. She called me and asked what book I wanted. Immediatly, I said ‘Swordbird, by Nancy Yi Fan.’
They didn’t have it, so my mother ordered it. There was a mix up at the place where she ordered it, so I didn’t get it. A while later, they called and said that they would mail it. So, I waited in anticipation.

About 4 days later, it came. I had just gotten home from a muddy trip to a park and museum, and was engrossed in the book ‘Troll Hill’.
Mom said to me ‘Your book is here!’ Almost at once, I sat the other book down and started Swordbird.
A couple pages in, my little neighbor came by with a care package, because I was sick at the time. (Actually, that was just a few hours ago- I’m still sick of course!)
Sitting down to some ginger tea with honey in it, I returned to the book.
It was better than I thought. In just about an hour and a half or two ,I finished Swordbird. “Wow.” All I could say was “Wow.”
Such a powerful story, with a powerful message, written by a girl not much older than myself. “Wow.”
And so, that is how I heard about, anticipated, read, and thought about Swordbird.

Best Wishes,
Emily H.
Age:12

Fan weaves a compelling tale whose intent is not only to entertain but to uplift, to inspire people into seeking peace and unity. She’s already working on a related novel, and I wish her the best of luck.

Recommended:
Yes

范祎编织了一个让人爱不释手的故事。这个故事不仅能给人们带来快乐，而且还能启发人们去寻求和平和团结。她现在还在写故事的前传。祝她好运。

我推荐这本书。

That was a great read. You can tell from her quotes that she has a gift.
- Sam Hranac
这是一本好书。从她的引语中你就能看出作者是个天才。
-萨姆.赫拉那克

这个十二岁女孩写的故事会成为你记忆中的一根金色的羽毛。
- 梅子涵 （著名儿童文学作家）

This 12-year-old girl’s story can become a golden feather in your memory.

Zihan Mei

Great book!

This is a great book of fiction and violence, very enjoyable.

-Animal lover

一本伟大的书！

这是一本描写幻境和暴力的好小说，读起来很过瘾。

-动物爱好者

I really like this book because it’s exciting and different because the characters are all birds. The blue jays are battling the cardinals because an evil hawk is tricking them by stealing their food and eggs. The hawk is trying to build a fortress so he can rule the bird world and he makes the other birds into slaves. Swordbird is the hero in the story because he saves the other birds. The story is exciting because there are many different places in the bird world and the hawk is trying to rule it all. I also like this book because the author wrote it when she was in the sixth grade.
- Dalton Booker, 3rd grade

今天的children’s literature课请来了Swordbird的作者Nancy做presentation。Nancy是个住在Floridad的中国女孩，今年12岁。年纪小小却已经是一本科幻小说的作者了，虽然真个演讲像极了中学女生的风格，但是大家都喜欢这个既聪明又谦虚的女孩，喜欢她手舞足蹈又自然亲切地讲她的写作过程。写这本书源于一个梦：喜欢观鸟的她梦见了拿着剑为自由和和平而战的鸟。因为我常身不由己夜夜做梦，再不断研究自己的梦，从她的梦我基本可以理解她的当时的心理状态，可喜的是随着这本书的出版，她的境况会大大不同往日，恐怕她是无缘再做同样的梦了，不过写作并不需要那么多梦，更多地需要勤奋和思考。谈到她正在构思的第二本书，她希望情节可以更复杂一点，读者群可以更广泛一点，而教授则认为像第一本书这样就很好了，贵在简单。我觉得只要跟自己年龄相称就好了，人在不断成熟，写作风格也会不断娴熟，作品就会水到渠成。
-lisa

Just wanted to say Swordbird by Nancy Yi Fan was quite impressive. Keep up the great books.
-Wendy

我就想说范祎著的《剑鸟》给读者留下的印象太深了。继续创作好书啊。

-温迪

Very impressive. Very reminiscient of the Redwall series by Brian Jacques. Cute.
-Eileeny Bileeny
ALBANY
NEW YORK

VOYA Review
April 2007
The cardinals and blue jays are at war. Strangely enough, they were friends a short while ago, but accusations of egg theft made them enemies. Little did they know that sinister, one-eyed hawk Turnatt stole and ate the eggs to feed his insatiable need for everlasting life. He enlisted an avian army and they enslaved other birds to do his bidding. When the sparring birds learn about the conspiracy behind their sudden animosity, they conclude that the mythical Swordbird might be their only hope for a truce. Swordbird, a white bird and guardian of peace, can be summoned with a song and a gem. The bird tribes send delegates Aska, a blue jay, and Miltin, a robin, across the dangerous White Cap Mountains on a quest for one of the eight known Leasorn gems in existence.
Now living in the U.S., Chinese-born, first-time author Fan began writing this novel when she was twelve years old. She conjures an intricate bird cosmology and hierarchy as a background to the overall plot. The book moves swiftly from chapter to chapter with help from sheer brevity, copious action scenes, and illustrations. Novice readers will enjoy the large text and generous spacing and margins. Advanced readers can muse over the novel’s allegorical nature and literary allusions. The author provides a list of major characters to help keep up with the sizeable cast. Aficionados of Jacques’ Redwall series should enjoy this new offering to the anthropomorphized animal genre.
— Angelica Delgado.

红鸟和蓝鸟相互之间打了起来，奇怪的是不久前他们还是朋友。他们怀疑是对方偷了他们的蛋。他们那里知道是阴险的独眼老鹰偷吃了这些蛋，梦想长生不老。他招募了一支部队并抓一些林鸟为奴为他建造堡垒。当红鸟和蓝鸟识破了这个阴谋以后，他们断定要获得和平唯一的希望是呼唤神秘的剑鸟。剑鸟是一只大白鸟，是和平卫士。呼唤他需要一首歌和一颗宝石。于是他们就派蓝鸟爱斯卡和鸫鸟米耳顿飞跃险恶的白头山去借丽桑宝石（在地球上这种宝石只有七颗）。
现在居住在美国，生于中国的范祎，是从十二岁开始写这本处女作的。她在小说中编制了一个错综复杂、等级分明的鸟的世界。这本书读起来扣人心弦，非常简练，能让人一章一章地读下去而不舍得放手。书中有大量格斗场面和插图。初级读者可以发现版面和空隙设计都很悦目，高级读者会对小说的寓言和哲理回味无穷。小说角色表能帮助读者理请众多角色的关系。红墙系列的书迷对这种拟人化动物题材有了新的视角描写也会很兴奋的。
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
-安杰.莉卡．德尔加多《沃亚书评》２００７年４月　　　　　　　

The book is an amazing tale filled with adventure, courageous characters and a message the whole world needs to hear: “Peace is wonderful; freedom is sacred.”
Nancy Yi Fan uses such imagination and vivid detail in the story that you begin to feel as if you’re in the book. Swordbird is perfect for any tween with a good imagination and hopes for a more peaceful world.
-Taylor Glogowski (15 years old)

Great book. I can’t believe that she is just a kid. Her message of freedom and peace are amazing. You can feel her thoughts come right off the pages. Great read!!!
-Arianna (Queen Creek, AZ)

Hi! Nancy, I am quite dilighted to read your book. That’s a great book. I’m really pround of you.
- Anddy (anddycao@163.com)

A book anybird could love

Apr 19, 2007 04:30 AM
Michael Laskaris
Planet reviewer. Toronto Star
Swordbird by Nancy Yi Fan

The most amazing thing about Swordbird is that it is written by a 12-year-old girl. Most people can’t really criticize this book because at that age, they were probably struggling just to crank out a couple of pages for a middle-school creative writing assignment.

For a book written by someone that young, Swordbird is incredibly creative and well done.

The book takes place at a time when the blue jays and cardinals of Stone-Run Forest are at war, and even more interestingly, BIRDS CAN TALK. As well, an evil, power-hungry lord named Turnatt is determined to enslave all of the birds and do whatever he can to rule the forest.

The slave birds are determined to obtain a magical gem which will then summon the great hero of the forest, Swordbird.

I liked the fact this fantasy novel didn’t feel like a ripoff of another series. It was quite creative how the book wasn’t centred on humans.

There were a lot of characters to keep track of here, so it’s a good thing that a short guide of who all the characters are and how they relate to each other is included. The characters were well described and seemed almost human – until, throughout the clever use of language, you were reminded they weren’t.

For example, the word “anybody” was changed to “anybird,” “nobody” to “nobird,” and “everybody” to “everybird.”

I think kids will like the fact that this story is different from most and always keeps moving, due to the fact it has multiple, overlapping plots. It also has some short excerpts from made-up books before the start of each chapter to hint at what the following chapter is about. I thought that was a really unique way to set up a plot.

Swordbird is terrific and I was amazed that someone that young was capable of writing a really original and different book that always kept you interested.

Michael Laskaris, 14, Grade 9, Toronto

Check out this story with young author Nancy Yi Fan and her debut novel, Swordbird. Gotta encourage young artists!
JC Blackwater, Brainripples

范祎同学：你好！

发布会前看了你写的书，觉得很有意思。发布会上听了你的发言和答问，觉得大方、睿智、有趣。

你毕竟是中国少年，我们因之也感到自豪。祝你保持良好心态，继续多学习、多观察、多思考、多锻炼身体，祝《剑鸟前传》早日问世！

刘伯根
中国出版集团公司副总裁

Dear Nancy,
I just finished reading Swordbird a few minutes ago. It was a very amazing book, that was full of emotion and pure genius. I loved it!!
-Charlotte

亲爱的范祎：
我几分钟前刚刚读完了《剑鸟》。这本书真是太好了，充满了情感和创造力。我喜爱它！！
－夏洛特

SWORDBIRD is a fantasy novel written by a twelve-year-old Chinese girl, Nancy Yi Fan, who received her elementary education in the United States. This story is distinct from other books about birds, especially the unforgettable, unique character of Swordbird, who wields a Leasorn sword and helps birds in need. Swordbird is a symbol of justice, peace and freedom, and is called “the Guardian of Peace”.

From the story’s dedication — “To all who love peace and freedom” we can tell that SWORDBIRD’s theme is mainly around war and peace. This universal, eternal subject is brought to the world of birds in Nancy’s debut novel. Birds are armed with weapons and can talk and think and pursue peace and freedom like humans. In this world, there are tyrants and heroes, slavebirds and warriors. The saying “Justice will eventually triumph over evil” once again rings true in this story. Readers will be moved by the way how the woodbirds bravely and unwaveringly struggle for peace.

The story is well-knit and full of suspense. The grand scenes of battlefield action are drastic and sweeping while the thoughts and deeds of the main characters are written with detail and care. Although the story is a thing from imagination, the story’s plots are very realistic and close to life. The beautiful forests and the happy laughter of the Willowleaf Theater against the background of war make readers unconsciously join the ranks of birds to call for peace and freedom.

It is no wonder that an internationally stationed American publisher’s CEO chooses to publish and advertise this book. It is believed that this novel could be in the shelf among the classics of children’s literature in the future.

-Qianli

Dear Nancy,

You have been a great inspiration to many young children as well as adults. I’ve written numorous poetries and outlined and started my short stories, but never have them publish, only in my journals. I love fantasy and thriller novels. I intended to read yours over this summer when school is out. Good luck on your upcoming book!

-Minnesotan.PDV

Dear Nancy,

I just finished your book and I thought it was GREAT!!
And I am sure I will read your second book i am sure!!!!!!!!!

-Brook

亲爱的范祎：

我刚读完你的书，我认为这本书太棒了！！
我当然要读你的第二本书，我一定要读！！！！！

-布鲁克

Swordbird is a fantasy by twelve-year-old author Nancy Yi Fan. It is the story of a war between the cardinals and the bluejays of Stone-Run Forest. Legend has it that only Wind-Voice, a dove with great powers and a flashing sword, can restore the peace. But can Wind-Voice come in time to save the forest’s birds?

I really liked this story! It was a fast read, but a really good one. The only problem that I had with the story was that it was woven together a little bit fast. Overall, I’d have to say that it was a really great story though.

I give this book a nine out of ten!

(This wasn’t for one of the reading challenges.)

-Annie
http://wordsbyannie.blogspot.com/2007/05/swordbird-book-review.html

由13岁旅美女孩的小说在美国畅销想到的

年仅13岁的中国旅美女孩儿范祎（yi）写作的英文小说《剑鸟》于2007年初在美国出版后连续七周登上《纽约时报》儿童文学畅销书排行榜前十名。日前，《剑鸟》中英文对照版由人民文学出版社出版。《剑鸟》出版后获得好评如潮。一些书评家预测这本小说很可能成为世界儿童文学中的一部经典作品。（新华网纽约5月2日电《13岁写小说畅销美国，专访中国旅美女孩范祎》）

13岁的孩子能写小说。也许，你会说：“这种小说未免太幼稚了吧？”是啊，13岁的孩子写出来的东西，能有大人拿出来的东西成熟吗？如果真的有大人那么成熟，那就不是孩子的作品，而是大人的手笔了。在幼稚的年龄写出来的东西，幼稚就对了。试想，没有今天的幼稚能有将来的成熟吗？谁不是从幼稚过来的呢！

就算《剑鸟》这部小说幼稚吧。但是，幼稚的小说居然畅销了，并且已连续七周登上《纽约时报》儿童文学畅销书排行榜前十名，说明什么呢？她符合孩子们的口味，满足了孩子们的需要。如果你把她加工一下，使她成为你眼中的成熟的作品，你能保证也能如此畅销吗？我看未必。

刚才谈到了“孩子们的需要”。孩子们的需要本来就是多方面的，阅读便是其中之一。范祎不就喜欢阅读吗。她虽然身在美国，除了读过很多英文版的外国文学名著外，还读了儿童版的中国四大名著。创作也是她的需要。下面这段话就是明证：“启发性、实践为主的教育培养了我的想象思维，课外大量的娱乐时间满足了我好玩的天性。我经常到家附近的森林里散步，采集植物标本，聆听鸟的歌唱，大自然给了我无穷无尽的灵感。”灵感催生了创作,也便催生了畅销书《剑鸟》。

孩子与孩子的心灵是相通的，他们的眼光，他们对事物的认识方式，他们的情感诉求，等第，基本上是共通的。所以，孩子写成的书，才真正属于孩子们自己的书，孩子们便爱读。
由此，我在想，叶圣陶的《稻草人》、冰心的《寄小读者》，为什么孩子们爱读了。可能他们在写作的时候，心中装着孩子，他们的心灵和孩子是相通的。
孩子的灵感，和孩子们是相通的，《剑鸟》是孩子为孩子们写的，如果不畅销，那就不符合常理了。

那么，时下，中国大陆的儿童文学创作怎么样呢？这里，我们从孩子们的读书状况来窥测一下。

据新华网提供的资料，孩子们除了阅读一点科幻类的图书以外，几乎没有多少时间进行课外阅读。这里面固然有多方面的原因，比如，中小学生每天上课与写作业就得花去10个小时；老师很少提倡阅读课外书籍，家长也一样。都要提高成绩嘛，谁不理解呢？积久之后，不但孩子们读书的概念没有养成，反而过多地依赖声像读物，尤其是看电视，玩游戏，甚至于沉醉于网络。

孩子们几乎没有阅读，还有一个很重要的原因，那就是：几乎没有什么书可供他们阅读。虽然，我国每年都出版大量的儿童读物，但是，大多对不上孩子们的口味。很多书是大人们写的，大人们编的，是成人的眼光、成人的思维、成人的语言，即使有部分图书在模仿孩子们的眼光，但仅限于模仿，并没有深入孩子们的内心深处；即便有少数作品模仿得比较成功，但是仅仅是少数而已，不能使孩子们受到心灵的触动，使孩子们真正地喜欢。

我经常收到一些中小学自己办的校报，上面也登了不少孩子们的创作，起初很感欣然。但是积久以后，细细读来，便不由生出淡淡的惋惜之情。上面所刊登的所谓创作，都是大人的语气、大人的思维。那么，是不是现在的孩子比我们那时候成熟得多了？这些文章即使交给大人们亲自去写，我看也未必就能达到如此完美、如此成熟、如此深刻的程度。思考良久，我才明白，为什么在每篇文章的后面都署上“指导老师”的名字了。这些所谓创作，都是指导老师精心地亲笔“加工”的产品，根本就不是孩子们的原创。孩子们的心灵和天性被老师的大笔给遏止住了。我在调查中发现，这些文章，都是老师像挤海绵里的水一样给挤出来的，孩子们根本就不喜欢，顶多能换来一点家长的奖赏罢了。弄不好，善良的孩子，拿着赏来的钱偷偷地钻进游戏机室里去打游戏，也未可知。

最后，我诚恳地建议，疼爱孩子的家长和以育人为本的教师们，把13岁女孩儿范祎创作的小说《剑鸟》，买下一本，和孩子们一道阅读，共同讨论，看是否能够从中得到一点启发。

-郁从宝

郁从宝,男,1962年出生,安徽凤台广播电视台总编室副主任,编辑、记者、一级播音员，在省市媒体上已刊发新闻、文学作品一千多篇，并有数十篇获奖。擅长于新闻通讯、报告文学、杂谈、评论的写作，也经常发表文艺作品，对哲学、社会学、历史学、逻辑学、语言学、文学等学有所获，对文化艺术类尤感兴趣。以此与同好们交流共勉。
联系方式：yucb1962@yahoo.com.cn

Some thoughts on SWORDBIRD written by a 13-year-old.

SWORDBIRD written by a 13-year-old girl Nancy Yi Fan appeared on the New York Times Bestseller List for seven weeks after it was published in the USA in early 2007. Recently the Chinese-English version was published by the People’s Literature Publishing House of China. It has been flooded with positive reviews. Some reviewers predicted that this novel could become one of the classics in the world of children’s literature (Source: Xinhua News Agency of May 2, 2007).

A 13-year-old kid has written a novel. Maybe you’d say, “Is the writing in the novel naïve?” Yes. Can a novel written by a 13-year-old be more mature than novels written by adult writers? If SWORDBIRD was as sophisticated as a book by an adult author, it would be an adult book. It seems logical that a child would write a novel that is less sophisticated. Think it over, if children can’t retain the sense of innocence and wonder that comes with their relative immaturity, how will they develop into mature persons? Everyone starts out with a less mature sensibiity.

Let’s assume that Swordbird retains a naïve sensibility. But this naïve novel has appeared on the New York Times Bestseller List. What does it indicate? It has met the tastes and needs of children. If you revise and change it into a more sophisticated one, it won’t necessarily guarantee that it will be a bestseller.

Just now I mentioned “the needs of children”. Children’s needs are varied: reading is a fundamental. Nancy Yi Fan likes reading. Although Nancy is in the USA and has read numerous novels in English, she has read the four Chinese classics (the children’s edition). Writing is another fundamental. This is how Nancy puts it: “The enlightening education has cultivated my imaginative thoughts; plenty of after-school leisure time has satisfied my impulse for fun. I often walk in the forest near my home, collecting plant specimens, listening to birds’ songs. Mother Nature gives me inexhaustible inspiration.” Inspiration has borne her creativity as well as her bestseller Swordbird.

Kids have so much in common: their vision of the world, their perception of reality and their reaction to their surroundings. So it makes perfect sense that children would embrace a novel written by one of their own, a child just like themselves.

Perhaps this is why SCARECROW written by Shengtao Ye and FOR LITTLE READERS by Xin Bing are so popular among kids. Both of these adult authors engage children by connecting directly to their hearts.

Kids share common hopes and aspirations. Swordbird is written by a kid for kids. It would be strange if the book didn’t sell well.

According to the Xinhua News Agency’s website report, Chinese kids have almost no opportunity to read for leisure after school. Some students try to find a little time to read science fiction. There are many reasons for this. For example, Chinese elementary and middle school students have to spend about 10 hours in class and doing homework every day. Teachers seldom recommend after-school reading. Neither do parents. Everyone wants to get high test scores; that is understandable. If this continues children will not be able to cultivate good reading habits. Instead, they are attracted to a video culture of television, electronic games, and Internet.

Another reason why Chinese children don’t like reading is that there are almost no children’s books that entice them to read. Although many children’s books are published in China, most of them don’t suit the tastes of kids. Nearly all the books are written by adults, polished by adults from their perspective. Even books that capture a child’s perspective are pale imitations of how kids really think. They don’t reach deeply enough into kids’ hearts and arouse truly childish feelings.

I often receive school journals published by elementary and middle schools, in which many kids’ essays are published. At first I was excited to see their essays. But after perusing them I felt disappointed. Almost all the articles written by kids had an adult sensibility. Are today’s children more mature than us when we were kids? Even if we asked some adults to write the essays in the school journals, I don’t think they could achieve such levels of perfection, maturity and depth. Pondering it over, I determined why the teacher advisors were included after the author credits. These so-called kids’ products are actually carefully “tailored and polished” by the “advising teachers”; they are not the kids’ original writings at all. Little is left of the kids’ heart and soul after a teacher’s edits. Through some investigation I found that these articles were carefully screened by teachers. The final text wasn’t even liked by the young authors themselves. I also learned that these young people wrote the articles in order to gain praise and rewards from their parents. So it is quite possible that some of the kids may use their reward to play electronic games afterwards. Who knows?

Finally, I sincerely suggest that caring parents and teachers buy a copy of Swordbird and read it together with kids and discuss with them about what inspiration they can gain from it.

Cong-bao, Yu

Email: yucb1962@yahoo.com.cn
Journalist, Editor of Anhui Fengtai TV and Broadcasting Station

Awesome book!!

Hi Nancy,

You may remember me, Sunghyun Kim, from the message box in your site.
I was probably one of your first fans, because I got your book the first day it came out…
I was also the first person to write in your message box at swordbird.com.
I just want to say, your book was very enjoyable, and I have recommended it
to all of my friends. I think you will be the most famous author in the world, next to Charles Dickens and J. K. Rowling. Well, it’ll be really cool if you can email me back along with your probably other thousands of fans. Please email me at friendsrnice@gmail.com. By the way, I’m a ten year old girl, who lives in California.
I’m not Chinese, but I’m Korean. Bye!!! ^^

-Sunghyun Kim

一本能打开我童年梦匣子的书 （近两个月在美国狂销）

我一个月前不知在什么地方听到过有关《剑鸟》的报道，什么美国纽约时报畅销书排行榜的前十名，由十三岁旅居美国的北京女孩所写，我当时没觉得书能写得怎么好。最近，人民文学出版社出版英汉双语版的《剑鸟》，五一期间我跑书店去找，没货。越得不到的东西，心里越痒痒，我开始google《剑鸟》，发现了小作者的网站， 是英文的，我英文还行，大都能读懂，上面有《剑鸟》英文版的片段，有英文版的朗读片段，真好啊！ 我看了网上有关作者的书评，哇！那么多人写了赞扬信（成龙还写了赞扬信，并把范祎在成龙官方网站独设了一个介绍页面，真不简单！）。网页上有的书评有汉语翻译。网站里还有作者上中央电视台，凤凰卫视，美国全国访谈节目的录像，上面还有作者的花絮和照片等等。我看了个够，完全被作者的故事所吸引了。网上还有一个中文链接，是转载中文报道的博客。

好了，我服了，没错。我前天又跑了书店，终于买到了《剑鸟》。我想看看为什么这本书在世界畅销。读起来，我放不下了，我傻了眼睛，不敢相信这13岁的女孩能写出这么好的书来，幽默，具体，情节一环扣一环的，把我带回了童年，让我记忆深处的东西不知不觉地涌了出来，生活难得有这样一寸的光阴，我甚至能回忆起我小时侯吃好东西的感觉，我能感到到林子里散步的心情。书中流露出童年的东西比《窗边的小豆豆》还真挚，可信。书中的哲理很深，爱，死，和平，自由…… 难怪美国的世界大出版集团的总裁力荐这本书。这决不是抄作，真是一本经典级的作品（这不是我说的，是评论家说的，我十分赞成）。
这样一本能给人心灵带来愉悦，带来的启迪的书，是个宝贝。读它就像摸着孩子细皮嫩肉的手，看着孩子清澈的眼睛。它的对象是孩子，当然孩子读了是与作者直接心灵沟通的了，但我觉得谁读了都会感到了一种放松，恬静的感觉。我从范祎的书中看到了她深厚的文学功底。她的英文原文，我读了几页感到吃力，但写得太美了，是学英文的好范例。

一本书能给我们带来快乐，带来文学享受，又能细细地学到英文的微妙之处，真是少见。有感而发，是想与大家分享好的东西。

一片天空
摘自《龙的天空讨论区》

I am her age actually and I write books. I could never write a story as captivating and well written as Nancy. Isn’t it just amazing to think that such an original story such as swordbird can come from someone of this age. She really captured a sense of freedom in this story and not many people can trully write from their hearts about how they feel about that kind of thing. Nancy will always remain a favorite author of mine and swordbird, a favorite book.

Oh and another thing! My favorite part of the whole book is the epilougue where Aska leaves swordbird’s feather on Milton’s grave and the grave seems to get brighter.

Long live Windvoice!!! Happy Writing!

- Emily Russell

What was so fascinating about this (and of course, I am sure that many here at the Noetic Institute have experienced some kind of synchronicity in their lives) is that this small child followed a hunch, so to speak, and look how it paid off for her!

Why did this happen and what does it tell us about synchronicity is the next question? I believe it takes place because Nancy got into the groove of a greater wheel outside the linear flow of her normal left-brain time-space sequencing.

What this means, is that she keyed into alternate reality just beyond the accustomed fringes of her conscious awareness. By doing this, she was able to tap into a probable reality that led her directly into a different time flow. In this new Whole, or time-space flow, she moved from the impossible to the possible.

See how it was just a mind-slip away? That’s how close the possible new you is too–just a nanno-second off from the cycle that you are in now. So stay aware for these probable ‘you’s’ waiting just beyond the visual range of your senses. Who knows–it could lead to a totally new world of possibilities!!

-Nahu Lanham

I was struck by the richness of your vocabulary, especially your descriptions of the forest and the names of the birds. When Turnatt appeared, your language became suitably ‘dark’. Your explanation of the way in which the Reds and Blues became enemies was believable – and meaningful for the world today. And you built up the suspense well near the end when Miltin was so brave.

- Betty Barr, Ph.D.

foreign expert from British Council
Shanghai International Studies University
The author of SHANGHAI BOY, SHANGHAI GIRL — LIVES IN PARALLEL

你那丰富的词汇，尤其是对森林的描写和给鸟起的名字，给我留下了深刻的印象。当特耐特出场时，你恰当地使用了“黑暗”的语言。你对红蓝鸟如何成为仇敌的原因解释得令人信服 — 这对当今世界很有意义。在小说的结尾，当米尔顿表现得那么勇敢时，你设计的悬念也特别好。

白丽诗博士
上海外国语大学外籍专家
《上海男孩，上海女孩》的作者

Your book was absolutely amazing. I have never had a book that I can read twice in a row and still love, but yours I can read multiple times and still not want to leave it. I hope one day my book will be as good as yours. Wonderful book, Nancy!

Many Blessings,
-Alex R. (12 years old)

The hawk, Turnatt, believes that he could never die if he eats an egg a day. He captures birds for slaves and gathers an army, killing, deceiving, and ultimately causing a war to reach his evil goal. The cardinals and blue jays must turn to the lengendary Swordbird for help!

Two wing-tips up for this awesome book! Swordbird’s delicious balance of poetry and prose, morals and fun stuff, can really make you soar!

I want to put in a good word for Swordbird by Nancy Yi Fan, a rather remarkable 13 year old author. The illustrations in the book are pretty amazing too.
- Jennifer, librarian of Temple Public Library, Temple, TX

Not far outside of Stone-Run Forest an evil bird, Lord Turnatt, is gaining power. He’s using slavebirds to build a fortress. And his thieving has caused the Cardinal and Blue Jay tribes to declare war on each other, even though they’ve been friends for a very long time. Little do the Cardinals and Blue Jays know that a much worse enemy is preparing an attack.

If the Cardinals and Blue Jays are going to survive, they’ll need to work together. With help from unexpected friends, escaped prisoners, and the mythical Swordbird, they just might make it through, and defeat Lord Turnatt. It will take the talents and abilities of many to overpower evil. But if they can discover how to call Swordbird, they know they can survive.

SWORDBIRD is an animal adventure that’s not just good versus evil, it’s about faith and friendship, too. This book is fun and easy for younger kids, especially since the author is (or was when she wrote it) a twelve-year-old girl!

Reviewed by: Carrie Spellman
From Amazon, reader review column

Oooooh, I LOVE Swordbird! But I just started it, so don’t give it away for me! Nancy Yi Fan; I’m very impressed by her! She’s my age, and she’s published a fantastic novel. (The pages practically turn themselves! ).

–HarryPotter, 13

Can you imagine being 13 years old and having a book published? If you want to know what it would feel like ask 13 year old Nancy Yi Fan. Nancy moved from China to U.S. when she was 7. She just published a novel, Swordbird. Nancy’s motivation for writing Swordbird is her passion for birds. Also, Nancy was trying to cope with her feelings about September 11 th (9/11) while writing the book. Nancy also wrote Swordbird as a way to convey her message of peace to the world.

Swordbird is about Blue Jays and cardinals of Can-Run forest. They are basically at war over supplies, food and even eggs. They are not fighting over who has more. They are fighting because they think each ‘clan’ is stealing those things. But the person who is really stealing from them is Turnatt. Find out who he is in the prologue of the book. The book is also about heroism, courage, and resourcefulness. You may wonder who in the world is Swordbird. Swordbird is a legendary bird. He is son of the Great Spirit.

You may wonder who would want to read Swordbird. Well people who think heroism, courage, and resourcefulness are good themes would like Swordbird. Swordbird is about birds, so people who like birds would like to read this book. Plus, if you think a 13 year old author would be interesting, you would like Swordbird as well. I read a little bit of swordbird and I did not want to stop it was so captivating.

-Makela

This book…. it really inspired me,wanting to write a book of my own,and it really amazed me that a 13 year old wrote this great book about peace and birds.

A little book with a big moral.
The story, simple as it might seem to be, contains something profound and meaningful to the world: it sows the seeds of peace and freedom in the hearts of children who read it. You can find volumes of bloody, gory battles for adults, yet you can hardly find such a story for children that, through an idyllic world of birds, so gently and yet so vividly illustrates the price of battle, the value of life, the weight of peace and freedom.

A book that’s great all the way.

I would give this story the best rating there is out there. Nancy Yi Fan truly captured the importance of peace and gave out the right idea about it. I found it amazing that she came to the USA only when she was 7, and before that she was from China. I’m from China myself (Although I came when I was 2), and even though I’m 12 now, I will never be able to write like her. I admire Nancy Yi Fan with all my heart, and I hope she will be able to keep weaving unbelievable tales from her own heart. Keep writing!

A compelling story of good and evil, joy and sadness, and many other aspects needed for a truly entrancing tale, Nancy Yi fan weaves her own beautiful world through her wonderful story.

Phenomenal!

Swordbird is a phenomenal book written by a seventh grade Chinese girl. Born in China, and raised in the United States, Nancy Yi Fan is now living in China again and has proved to be an talented author with her first astounding novel. Nancy’s story about war and peace will convey a message so powerful given that it was created by such a young girl. She has dreamed up an extremely creative plot and with her wonderful imagination and intelligence, has created a story that will stick with you forever. When you go back and look at it, you will be amazed at how powerful a book about birds at war could possibly be. This book made me think that if humans could fight so drastically, then really, why can’t birds? Though this book is about birds, it is a lot more about human beings, as it is quite symbolic and provides a perfect analogy of what our own brutal species is doing to the world.
-Alice

I’ve always wanted to be an author. Since second grade I have been writing mini stories in journals. Today when I heard a 13 year old author was going to be on TV I just had to watch! I’m glad I did too because it was really inspiring to me.

You have been a BIG inspiration to me. : )

Olivia

I’ve done a lot of waiting in my life. Waiting for that next phase, you know? When I’m in junior high, THEN I’ll be cool. When I’m in high school and have a car, THEN I’ll be happy. When I get a boyfriend life will be perfect. When I get that latest purse I will feel totally cute. When I’m Homecoming Queen then life will be complete.(Sadly, that one never happened. A moment of silence, if you will…) Then finally you wake up one day and realize you’ve accomplished nothing… but a whole bunch of waiting.

So what are you waiting for? Think you’re too young to make a difference? Not old enough to accomplish your dream?

In fifth grade, Nancy Yi Fan began writing a story about birds struggling for freedom. This story turned into the book Swordbird, Nancy was thirteen when the book debuted. Unbelievable!

And what about the author of Eragon and Eldest? Christopher Paolini wrote Eragon when he was fifteen! Do you know what I was doing at fifteen? Probably watching Saved by the Bell reruns or something.
…
Is God asking you to step out on faith and achieve something? Could he be asking you to step out of your comfort zone? What is that big goal pressing on your heart?

And most importantly…what are you waiting for?

- Jen

Ever since The Guardian remarked on 11-year-old Nancy Yi Fan’s book deal with HarperCollins, I’ve been noticing more and more new authors with ones at the start of their ages …

Super-kids are popping up all over the place—that means kids are reading, right? That means hope is not lost for a Generation Z Catcher in the Rye. It’s on the cards, I can feel it.

-Nikki Tranter

Dear Nancy,

I loved your book Swordbird and it is so cool that you got it published. I loved how you described the birds and their personalities. You’ve inspired me a bit on the book I am working on right now that I hope to get published in the future. Keep on working!

Aly

Out of the hands of 13-year-old Nancy Yi Fan, the fantasy novel SWORDBIRD was published worldwide in February 2007 by one of the international publishers, HarperCollins. Media from different countries are buzzing about this New York Times Children’s Bestseller. This March, PLP published the Chinese-English bilingual edition of SWORDBIRD, which had been translated by the author herself. Indeed, the book has captured the hearts of readers and the media.

Here’s why I think this book is so well received:

1. It has a timely message. In a world of fluttering birds, the theme that peace and freedom are sacred prevails. Undeniably we value and support these principles. Imagine what the devastation of nuclear war would do to your daily ritual of instant messaging on your laptop or reading under a tree.

2. It was written by a 13-year-old author. Its childish charm reminds you of those little stick figure doodles. It’s like them, simple and poignant. Reading the book may just bring out your childhood dreams.

3. It inspires other children. It’s astonishing how kids can be motivated by one another.

4. The 2008 Olympics is being held in Beijing. China is big news. It’s easy to see why the work written by a young writer of Chinese origin would receive so much attention. Even Jackie Chan recommends this book. HarperCollins’ plan to translate and publish 50 Chinese modern classics demonstrates how Chinese culture is now on display to the world.

5. It has won recognition. Since the book was published, experts in children’s literature have praised Nancy Yi Fan’s debut novel. The General Administration of Press and Publication in China placed SWORDBIRD in the 2007 List of 100 Best Children’s Books. SWORDBIRD ranked 3rd out of 30 novels and collections of short stories in the fiction and art genre and 1 st in the original chapter books category.

HarperCollins, in publishing books including SWORDBIRD, has encouraged children to read and think about fostering peace in the world. Jane Friedman not only has helped pave the way for reading and writing among American kids, but she has also planted the love for peace and freedom in the hearts of global kids. She is undoubtedly one of the greatest CEOs in the publishing industry worldwide.

Swordbird was a fantastic book for children and adults, it made you feel warm inside to know that such a little girl has gone this far to make such a wonderful book, many thanks to that little girl, Nancy Yi Fan.

I think that swordbird is a marvelous book; the discriptions of the scenes were amazing, the characters WERE described very well, especially Turnatt. It is filled with picture-like discriptions, and wonderful plot-lines. The theme of the book, peace, is a wonderful thing to write about, and I truly think that Nancy has a great heart. I also love animals, and she describes the forest and the appearance of the birds very, very well. There are so many literary elements in the world, and Swordbird has its own. It has a wonderful moral, and that really is the most important thing. We need to reach out to today’s youth, telling them the importance of some subjects, such as peace. Nancy has done just that. She has reached out to many the importance of peace in a language they understand, and I respect her for that. She really is one of the most amazing young women that I have ever heard about. She is an inspiration to me, and she gives me hope. Peace is a topic that everyone needs to know about, and more importantly understand.
I’d recommend Swordbird to anyone, even those not in the recommended age group. The story protrays its message very clearly.

–Vix

《把生命的体验还给学生》

杨剑萍

13岁的中国小姑娘范用英文写的寓言小说《剑鸟》，被全球第二大出版机构哈珀•柯林斯出版集团看中，在美国上市一周，引起了很大的反响。在写作过程中，范借阅了大量的书籍，并且上武术班学习，以保证描写格斗场面的精确性。
在为这个小姑娘的成功而高兴的同时，我想到了我们的作文教学。与范的写作经历相比，我们的训练带有很大程度上的投机取巧。
我们很清楚，一个人写作水平的提高，必须建立在思想感情逐步丰富的基础上。可是，考虑到学生紧张的学习生活，我们努力寻找一条捷径。于是，教师们便在茫茫书海中为学生挑选那些曾经引起过我们自己思想震撼的文字，以致不顾这种挑选是否割裂了文章的整体性。有时，我们还为学生在勾画好的段落句子处，加上我们的评点感悟。我们把精心挑选出的东西和我们的评点拿来给学生们做“开袋即食”的营养快餐。
我们没有引导学生走进柳永的词句，体味那萦绕作者心头的江湖飘零之苦，感受那挥之不去的离别之痛，而是将描写杨柳、晓风、残月、淡酒等意象的句子原装搬出来，然后勾勒出几种语境，让学生在写作文时备用。我们来不及启发学生去体味《赤壁赋》中的字句，只是告诉学生“桂掉轻摇”、“兰桨漫划”、“月下轻波”等情景可以表现一种失意的落寞。在这样的强化训练培养下，一部分学生的作文有了“起色”。有的学生引用的句子、套用的事例出现了错误，也往往因为考场作文的阅卷速度而被忽略，甚至学生用了“生命就是一袭华美的长袍，爬满了虱子”这个张爱玲用来比喻旧中国乱世罪恶的名句作为文章的题记，我们也大加赞赏。
接下来，我们便在自鸣得意之后，开始巩固我们的思想——摸索更多的“方法”，像题记总领法、情景营造法、名句点缀法、事例引用法、人物剖析法以及排比段的结构安排、排比句的递进顺序等。不摸索也行，市场上随处可见的“写作秘诀”之类的书籍可以随手拿来。学生们逐渐学会了这样的“技巧’，——他们懂得了如何引用，如何转化，如何改编。我们则心安理得地认为，自己所给予学生的未尝不是一种能力，是一种“以不变应万变”的能力。正因为我们对这种程序简单、操作方便的教学乐此不疲，我们的学生逐渐铸就了“盲从”的人格。
教育是一项公益性事业。学生接受教育，除了能够改善他们个人的生活、个人的命运，同时也会使受教育者提高服务社会的能力，从而促进社会的进步。就语文教学的美育功能来说，教育还是维护和发展一个人的精神体验和生命体验能力的重要途径。培养学生的写作能力，是语文教学的任务之一。一个民族的文化传承、人文精神和民族智慧，很多时候是在阅读与写作中慢慢形成并体现的。语言的巨大魅力和所给予人的幸福体验，必须在学生主动深入作品其中、进入作家思想深处而逐渐感受，越俎代庖和偷工减料都是行不通的。著名作家赵玫谈及自己创作的三篇表现唐朝女性作品时不无感慨地说：“那是我不曾真的亲历却可以真的想象和感受的一个空间。这空间的形成是因为我读的那些读不尽的书。”还给学生们那个“不曾真的亲历却可以真的想象和感受”的经历体验吧!在反思“我们的作文怎么了”之后，让我们都去回味我们自己阅读与写作过程中的心旷神怡抑或惊心动魄，让我们都去重温我们自己面对某些生活场景时的潸然泪下抑或欢欣鼓舞，那些都是每个人不可复制的生命体验。

《剑鸟》读后感

张沥引 安昌路小学五年级三班

暑假期间,我买了一本书,这本书的名字叫《剑鸟》。

这本书写了“石头跑”森林里的红日头部落的红鸟、蓝翅部落的蓝鸟、水荆部落的鸫鸟在一只爪持镶有“丽桑”宝石的剑鸟的帮助下，杀死了阴森堡垒里的老鹰特耐特，恢复了“石头跑”森林的安宁，并且救出了被特耐特抓走作奴鸟的鸫鸟们。

这个故事发人深思。鸟的世界和人的世界一样，有暴君，有奴隶，有勇士，还有神灵–那只爪持丽桑宝剑，为鸟除害的剑鸟，更是正义与自由的化身。鸟儿能够用爪子反抗压迫和奴役，而为什么在日本侵略中国时，会有那么多汉奸和卖国贼呢？

鸟儿们在老鹰特耐特的折磨、鞑挞、蹂躏下仍能顽强反抗，可人却为了不受苦，居然不顾国家，宁可做卖国贼。大家可能都知道，一位独有一身变脸绝活的中国人，在日本人重金买下他的变脸艺术，中国国粹就这样流传海外了。日本入侵中国，那些卖国贼见了鬼子就点头哈腰，遇贫穷百姓就又骂又抢，实在可恶！

所以，我们不能因小事屈服，即使被压迫不屈于困难。我们要像那些鸟儿一样，誓死捍卫家园！

读《剑鸟》有感

在我的的千言万语之下，妈妈终于同意给我买一本我盼望已久、梦寐以求的书——《剑鸟》。

一买回来我就迫不及待打开他那金光闪闪的包装，进入了作者那天马行空、天花乱坠的幻想世界：“可怜奴鸟们在未完工的阴森城堡默默的为邪恶的老鹰特耐特工作。邪恶的老鹰还偷红鸟蓝鸟的蛋，使红蓝鸟打了起来。后来，一个逃出来的奴鸟告诉红蓝鸟老鹰的阴谋和可以召唤剑鸟的宝石在他的家族，并愿意带他们去拿宝石。后来，老鹰开始袭击红蓝鸟。在经历千难万险后，红蓝鸟拿到了宝石，召唤出了剑鸟，打败了邪恶的老鹰，森林又恢复了往日自由、和平……”

是自由、和平这两个词让红蓝鸟能够不畏邪惡，反抗老鹰；是自由、和平这两个词让剑鸟能帮助红蓝鸟打败老鹰、除恶扬善；是自由、和平这两个词让《剑鸟》这个故事更有趣……

我突然觉得中国的蓝盔部队就像剑鸟，在有战争的地方维护和平、在有压迫的地方施方自由！

有一次一枚炸弹直接命中了位于镇中的观察员哨所，多人被埋在废墟下；有一次一枚空投炸弹直接命中了大楼和掩体，救援人员还不能完全清理废墟；有一次有14次以军炮火攻击落在哨所附近，而当哨所遇袭；有一次以色列飞机对黎巴嫩南部边界东段边镇进行袭击，造成包括中国籍观察员杜照宇在内的4名联合国观察员不幸身亡。

蓝盔部队不畏牺牲、不畏死亡，就是为了这两个神圣的词——自由、和平。

— Wang Ziming

读《剑鸟》

“一道耀眼的银色光芒从云端直射下来，云上出现了一只巨鸟。那纯白色的鸟儿，像雪，像云，像海浪溅起的泡沫花儿。这只鸟目光炯炯神采奕奕，乍一看，它像一只巨大的鸽子—— 黑眼珠，红喙，红爪，但仔细一看，又与鸽子不同。它有天鹅般高贵的风采，有大雕的雄姿和速度，而它的身长又是两者加起来的三倍。它的翅膀伸展开来像一片白云，在森林上空扇动着。”

“剑鸟爪子上的剑看上去想一条银龙，那颗镶嵌在剑柄上的丽桑宝石就是龙眼，照射出一道道光束。”

《剑鸟》这本书是献给热爱和平与自由的生灵，传说中的剑鸟是只神圣的鸟，在鸟中的战争时期出现，给大地带来和平。

本文有一只狡猾，凶残的老鹰，有许多部下，他让部下去抓林鸟，为他盖造堡垒。剑鸟帮助和老鹰同在一个森林的两个部落击败了这个暴君老鹰。

这中间有着热爱和平与自由的生灵的牺牲和汗水。他们的心灵救了自己，神圣的剑鸟注视着这些生灵，给予他们和平与自由。

正如剑鸟所说的：“和平是美好的；自由是神圣的！”

— 飞雪领航舰

Dear Nancy Yi Fan,

My name is Kristen. I am 10 years old. I read your book and really liked it. I have a few questions for you. How long did it take you to write? What is your favorite bird? Why? Thank you for reading my letter!

Sincerely,
Kristen S.

I enjoyed reading Swordbird. I liked when Turnatt died.

I love this book so much I can finish it in one day! Did you know that I have blue jays, cardinals, and crows in my back yard? My favorite characters are Aska, Cody, Miltin and Swordbird.

Dear Nancy Yi Fan,

My name is Mary and I loved your book. I hope someday we can meet.

Your friend,

Mary

Many of the students seemed inspired that a girl so young could do so much. Perhaps they too will be able to achieve such accomplishements. You truly are a role model for our youth.

- A. Brown

自从我的儿子从报纸上看到了这本书的内容介绍后，就喜欢上了，一直要我在当当网购买。收到书后迫不及待地阅读，简直是爱不释手。儿子与作者写书时同龄，看了这本书后，对作者赞叹不已，并受到很大的鼓舞和启发，不喜欢写作的他居然萌发了“我也要写书”的念头，班上的同学也纷纷想向他借阅。况且我认为，这本书为双语版，对加强孩子的英语阅读兴趣和能力有很大的帮助。

Hi Nancy,
My name is Jen and I’m 14, and I’m writing to say I absolutely loved Swordbird. The message behind it and the whole story captured me in this wonderful tale about courage and freedom.
I decided to read your book when I saw your interview on the Martha Stewart show, and I think it’s amazing how someone your age had a dream of writing a book.
I’ve always had a dream of writing a book but I never thought I could until I heard about you and read your book now I’m writing a book and I hope it will be published. Thank you for being a young inspiration to young readers and writers across the world, your one of my inspirations.

Jen G. 14
Canada

We enjoyed reading the book. Miss Fan did a wonderful job of creating a world that is truly different than anything I have read before. The birds are the only characters in the story and the war that is going on between them will have you choosing sides in short order. What amazed me was that this young lady doesn’t just weave a delightful story, but it is full of subtext and meanings for the adult and the moral of the story is one we all strive for…peace and love.

Jack and Katrina give this book 2 thumbs up!

— Melissa

I loved every thing about it even though it was sort a peace and mellow book you put in a food fight and i thought that that was so smart . Also i can’t wait for the next book Sword Quest ( I pre-ordered it) i also got my book signed by you which meant a lot to me because your book was so true ….. And i loved it

Your New Friend ,

Kathryn

Nancy Yi Fan is an incredibly talented kid, and we can look forward to seeing more work from her as her talent matures.
– matt

I love this book. I love everything about this book. The author was my age when she wrote this book. Fantastic. It’s a wonderfully created novel rich in volume and depth.

The story behind the publication of Nancy Yi Fan’s Swordbird is nearly as enthralling as the book itself. A Chinese-born preteen living in New York, Fan channeled her lifelong fascination with birds and her concerns over war and terrorism into an exuberant sword-and-sorcery-styled fantasy two years in the writing. She then emailed the completed manuscript to HarperCollins and the rest, as they say, is history. This allegorical tale of warring birds and their struggle for freedom has attracted an unusual measure of attention because of the author’s young age. But there is nothing childish about Fan’s innate gift for pacing, characterization, or storytelling. We predict many more successes for this talented prodigy.
— Barnes & Noble online

Read about this book in The Sun-Herald last week. I’ll have to check it out. Nancy Yi Fan was inspired by some great books – Gone with the Wind, Johnny Tremain -, and she’s used those ideas in interesting ways; more of a fantasy epic. What’s amazing is that she’s only 13, a real literary prodigy. She reminds me a bit of Christopher Paolini, of the Eragon series; definitely an author to keep an eye on.

She’s definitely got talent, so I’ll have to check out Swordbird. A lot of writers are getting published younger now, in their teens and 20s, so maybe this is a new wave we’re seeing; writers inspired by all media – books, movies, the web -, writing more visual stories. I don’t always like visual writing, but for fantasy it’s not a bad thing, so this’ll be interesting to read. And she’s only 13… suddenly I feel old!

Great book. Keep me up on my toes, wanting to read more. As I read the
reviews, the comment, ” at such a young age,” or something like that
popped out at me. At age 12 I am very, very disappointed that all
these big CEO people or other important people don’t realize that us
KID writers are going to be the J. K. Rolings of the future. Nancy, if
you read this, well I’ll see you in the future. Again great book.
—Brooke

《剑鸟》的可贵在于给了孩子们孩子般的梦想！

我们现在的教育缺少梦想！

Wonderful book! Very well-written and detailed. Young Fan has a thriving imagination that will take you to a place where the evil Turnatt is trying to enslave the birds of the forest and sets the cardinals and jays to fighting amongst themselves. Again, a great book for just about anyone.

Jenny found a review of Swordbird through the American Girl magazine which highlighted the young author, Nancy Yi Fan, in one of their articles. Nancy Yi Fan is a twelve year old girl who had a dream about birds going to war around the same time as 9/11. Grappling with the issue of war, she decided to work out some of her thoughts, ideas and imaginations in the form of a book. Enter: Swordbird.

Jenny was really interested in reading the book, I think especially as it was written by a twelve year old, and so we found a copy at our local library. I decided to read it as well. It seems like every so often a book receives recognition not so much because of the story, but because of some unique aspect and/or attribute of the author. In this case, fame is coming as a result of her age. However, I do think the story is worthy of some attention.

I think the book is fanciful, captivating (esp. for the age group it is directed at!), not to mention very well illustrated. I can very easily see them taking this story and making into a Pixar movie of some sort. The main theme of this book is that peace is better than war. In an age where everyone is crying for peace, this book hits the mark. Still, I am very satisfied with the irony presented in this book (and around the world) that would suggest that peace can come without war, while relating tales of conflict. Any good story comes through and out of conflict. Conflict inspires even though it might not be pleasant and/or welcomed. This is a convenient truth, given the fact that we are all humans and live in a fallen world. Conflict will always exists and thus, good stories are still waiting to be birthed. Nancy Yi Fan simplifies the “peace” message a bit for her audience. The message is strong and present and is there for discussion purposes. (Which is why I speculate that this book will be snatched up by a movie producer somewhere, sometime.) She is also, by the way, writing a prequel that is due out in January 2008 entitled, Sword Quest. You can be looking for that also.

From a Christian standpoint, my take on this book is that it would provide excellent oppertunity for anyone to talk to their teen about God’s omniscence and omnipresence. In this book, the bluejays and cardinals are calling out for Swordbird to come and save them from the villan, an evil hawk. In order to have their savior come and do the saving, they must find a magical stone as well as have two verses of a song. Gods (little “g”) have frequently been called upon throughout the ages to come and save people. This book reminded me of Elijah on the mountaintop, covering the alter with water and crying out to his God who instantly sent down fire from heaven to prove Himself and make Himself known among the people. I’m grateful for a God who is always there when I call on Him. Even when I do not call out, He is there. He never leaves me, nor does He forsake me. He does not demand that I accomplish various tasks before He will listen to me. He just does. Why? Because of love.

Nancy Yi Fan definitely brings Chinese culture and lore into her story. It is very understandable why the story talks about the great spirit and testaments. I wouldn’t let that stop me from reading the story, but I would make sure that anyone who is reading it understands the difference between a great spirit who needs some bribing in order to make an apperance and the God who is always there. There is a stunning difference between the two and I would merely suggest that you make that clear to your reader. Otherwise, this story is interesting, entertaining and it IS hard to tell that a twelve year old wrote it. It’s worthy of some attention is, I guess, what I am trying to say. I’ll let Jenny tell you her opinion now.

I liked the book SwordBird for a couple of reasons…

1. She is my age and it s very amazing for that kind of book
for a girl my age to write;

2. I really like fantasy books because they are not always just about people; they are about animals;

3. there were lots of “main” characters.

She (Nancy Yi Fan) did a very good job describing everything and made it feel that you were actually “there”. All though at some points it got a little gross at the battles (all battles are gross). One thing that bugged me is that it would say “Somebird” instead of “Someone” and “Nobird” instead of “nobody” and so on and so forth. But then again it does make sense.

(Jenny is very verbose, as you can see.)

Between the two of us, we would recommend this book as an enjoyable read.

— Carrie

You are truly carrying the wonderful tradition of story telling with your wonderful novel, Swordbird.
Story tellers come in many forms; writers, actors, artists, etc. I am both an actress and writer and have inspired me with your book. Thank you.
Swordbird is a beautiful piece sparking the meanings of peace and war. Birds are such lovely, unknown creatures and a wonderful animal to base your story upon. Nancy, your book weaves and twists a creation of moral incredibly amazing for your age. But I am too that age and your book says “Anyone can teach through words, no matter what age”. These are only a few reasons why Swordbird is so wonderful.
You are my inspiration!
-Megan

I just read Swordbird several weeks ago. I saw it first in the AG magazine. I checked it out because I was writing a novel myself and was hoping to publish it. It’s called “The Mystery Divers” but isn’t half as good as Swordbird! You really have talent, Nancy!

Dear Nancy Yi Fan,

I really enjoyed reading your book. It was a captivating tale. I felt like I was in the story, maybe even one of the birds! I am excited for your prequel SWORD-QUEST to come out. I enjoy writing stories myself. I want to write one but I don’ know what to write about so I’m going to wait for an idea. There is a blue jay outside at the birdfeeders at this moment. I understand why you wanted to write about birds because they are such beautiful creatures. Your story is all about peace and freedom, but I love how you put it into different context than using people. It’s so cool how you got this idea from a dream. I wish there were more people like you!

- Kleis

Swordbird was fun and exciting. I was suprised because the author of this book was only 13 years old. I suggest everybody read this book.

— Sean

Swordbird is a great read! It’s like the first air I breathe every morning when I open the windows: fresh and cool.

– Jasen

Hi Nancy. I just wanted to say that your book was really great!!!

I was very inspired by your book, too, because it not only encouraged peace, but also gave me hope that one day I could be a kid author too.

I was amazed when I read about you in Time For Kids or Scholastic News magazine (My elementary school used both, but I forgot which one I saw you in) and I admit that at first I was jealous, because I wanted to publish a book. But when I read your story, I was very inspired and I started working on my stories even harder than before. So I thank you for writing your book and helping me become a better author.

Finally, I’d like to say how excited I am to hear about your second book, SwordQuest. And Amazed! You wrote it in so little time. I can’t wait to read it.

– Erica

Swordbird is an awesome book. It really grabbed my attention.I can’t wait until Nancy Yi Fan’s new book comes out, I will buy it as soon as it comes out. Nancy inspired me to write a book that I am writing right now it’s called Avolen.
Your the best Nancy!
—Meghan

Would be a standout even if it wasn’t written by a 12-year-old.

— PEOPLE MAGAZINE

Very interesting read that makes me want to read other books in series. I liked the idea of the whole birdworld.

— James

成功取决于对待时间的态度。

这个冬天，我被一个十二岁女孩的故事感动着。女孩叫范祎，以一本中英文创作的魔幻小说《剑鸟》在中外出版界掀起了一场风暴，书写了文学创作的传奇。

创作缘自911事件发生后她连续几天做的奇特的梦——梦中两群鸟儿互相搏斗、互相厮杀。现实与梦境激起了她写作的欲望，希望以此表达对和平世界的向往。从九岁开始的整整三年，她都在做一件事——那就是如何写好这本书。她为了了解鸟的特征、习性，到树林里观察鸟，在家里养鸟，查阅了无数关于鸟的资料，画了很多鸟的素描；为了将格斗的场面描写得更逼真，她参加了击剑训练；为了使文章叙述更加生动，她沉迷图书馆，阅读大量的中外名著；她每天都沉醉在自己的故事中，写作到深夜却欣喜得忘情……她的痴迷，她的认真，她的专注，使她的作品叩开了哈珀·柯林斯儿童图书公司，并一举在全球拥有了无数“鸟迷”。

一开始，我对十二岁女孩的写作怀着深深的质疑，而随着阅读的展开，她在我眼前展现了一个想象的奇妙世界，巧妙的构思、曲折的情节、精辟的描写、诗兴的语言为我深深折服。更重要的，是我在成为“鸟迷”的同时，从她的三年经历中，明白了时间是有质量的——这是由专心致志的精神所赋予时间的特殊的属性。
—简简书

Dear Nancy,

I finished Swordbird not long ago and I absolutely love it! It was a great idea to use birds as the main characters. Even though I am more of a cat lover, I have come to like birds just as much because of your excellent book. Just like many other of your fans, I can’t wait for your prequel Swordquest to come out!!

Sincerely,

Sonia P.
Age 10

Sword Quest is an exciting adventure prequel to Swordbird. Nancy Yi Fan captures the readers in the first chapter with skillfully used personification and adept description. The excerpts from books at the beginning of every chapter add a nice touch to the novel. Yi Fan skillfully weaves a tale with powerful wording and an interesting plot. I highly recommend Sword Quest!
Molly (Mt. Airy, NC)

Sword Quest is now one of my favorite books!! I read the sequel, Swordbird, and Sword Quest was even better! I can hardly believe that the author is just a little older than me, because the plot was so well-developed, and the characters felt so real (even though they were birds). I especially like the names that the author gave each of the characters. If you LIKE the Warriors series, you will LOVE this book!!
Leighton (Staten Island, NY)

I loved how this book’s setting was before the time of the last book so I got to know what the whole story of how Swordbird came to save the bird world. Overall I thought this book was very entertaining and interesting.
Catherine (Lake Mary, FL)

This is such a wonderful book! I finished it today and I cried when Miltin died! I love the way she put it in other birds point of view instead of seeing the situation from one bird! Nancy Yi Fan is my idol! Whenever I’m writing and think that no one would ever publish a book by an eleven year old, I think of Nancy Yi Fan and it urges me on!

Ami

I finished Sword Quest and I love it!!!!! (I’m your #1 fan!!!) I can see your progress between Swordbird and Sword Quest. I’ll be waiting for your next book!!!!!!!!!!!!
— Sonia P.

And now, on to this week’s challenge. This one’s inspired by Nancy Yi Fan, the 12-year-old author of the New York Times bestseller “Swordbird” and its prequel, “Sword Quest.” Yeah, we’ll give you a moment to re-read that. Twelve. 12. A decade plus two. This action-packed, fantasy epic, written by what can only be described as a literary prodigy, is about the bird battles of Stone-Run Forest and the legendary Swordbird who can conquer evil and restore peace to the land. Young Nancy’s favorite book is “Charlotte’s Web,” which hit the silver screen last year in a charming re-make. We figure it’s just a matter of time before some Hollywood movie studio options “Swordbird” too.

— Jackie Burrell

《剑鸟》这本小说写得非常美妙，书中的角色、情节充满了神奇。在故事中你能够充分感受作者无拘无束的天性。更加难以相信的是作者在写这本令人赞叹、精雕细琢的奇幻小说时只有12岁，并且采用双语写作。还等什么呢？快来阅读吧！
— 钟樱（成都市金沙小学校长、语文特级教师）

Review of SWORD QUEST

The legend of Swordbird, who defeated the darkness that threatened to prevail over the Great Spirit, has been passed down by generations of birds. However, few know the story behind the myth and how a humble fledging became a hero.

For the wicked Emperor of the Archaeopteryxes, Hungrias II, there is no limit to his hunger for power and the lengths to which he would go to ensure it. For years, he has sought the Leasorn gems of the fabled Great Sword. His armies have wreaked havoc, destroying villages and families in order to meet the Ancient Wing’s demands. For those who become slaves, they face a life of relentless hard work with little chance of being released; a few are even confronted with the grim possibility of being the emperor’s latest delicacy.

On the first day of winter, during one of the emperor’s many banquets, a soldier takes kindness on a young bird slave referred to as 13-Unidentified. His origins are a mystery, and the soldier is baffled by the emperor’s insistence that he must be guarded at all times, when the visibly exhausted bird toils as a kitchen servant. The young captive is surprised but grateful for the respite. Unfortunately, he gets into trouble when another guard threatens him and then when he rescues a young woodpecker scribe named Ewingerale (Winger). The meeting prompts 13-Unidentified’s memory: his real name is Wind-voice.

Wind-voice is captured once again, but Winger manages to escape and get help from a small group of kingfishers and other species of bird. Meanwhile, Wind-voice is living every bird’s worst nightmare. Just when it looks as though this will be his last moment, however, he is transported into a shadowy world where a strange bird named Yin Soul agrees to save his life in exchange for Wind-voice’s help. Wind-voice is interested in the story of the magical sword but is rightfully suspicious of the offer and refuses. The seemingly sage bird reveals his monstrous true self, but Wind-voice is transported back just in time and makes a fiery grand escape. He is rescued by the woodpecker and taken to the unique community. There, Wind-voice and Winger meet a tough-looking myna named Stormac, and the three unlikely companions are told of the importance of the Leasorn gems.

Wind-voice becomes determined to find the sought-after relics and stop Hungrias’s evil empire once and for all. When the trio sneaks out of the emperor’s territory, they befriend a good-natured eagle named Fleydur. The traveling minstrel offers to join them as they seek to locate the knowledge of the remaining gems. The quest will be a difficult one, as the band must travel to various lands, while events have begun to take shape that may further endanger the future of the birds.

SWORD QUEST is a thrilling adventure brimming with equal amounts of suspense and hope. Nancy Yi Fan’s prose and creativity take flight in this exciting prequel to the 2007 bestseller SWORDBIRD. We hope that this is just the beginning of a long and fruitful career for this talented teenage author.

— Reviewed by Sarah Sawtelle at Kidsreads.com

I really like Nancy Yi Fan. She stood up for her dream, and proved that even a fourteen year old can publish a book.
— Giada

SWORD QUEST
An exciting and action-packed tale of birds at war, this novel shows how friendship and courage can overcome tyranny. Sworquest follows the life of Wind-Voice, the heroic dove of peace, and how he wins his magical sword. Wind-Voice and his companions, a woodpecker and a mynah bird, join the rebel bird forces to fight against their oppressors, the archaeopteryxes. Once again Nancy creates a richly imagined bird world full of fanciful characters, adventure and intrigue.
— Amazon, UK

这个故事发人深思。鸟的世界和人的世界一样，有暴君，有奴隶，有勇士，还有神灵–那只爪持丽桑宝剑，为鸟除害的剑鸟，更是正义与自由的化身。
是自由、和平这两个词让红蓝鸟能够不畏邪恶，反抗老鹰；是自由、和平这两个词让剑鸟能帮助红蓝鸟打败老鹰、除恶扬善；是自由、和平这两个词让《剑鸟》这个故事更有趣……

—李引

I went to Nancy’s booksigning at Barnes and Noble and got to meet her. My husband, Tom, and I read Swordbird and enjoyed it very much. He thinks she captures the tradition of fantasy wonderfully well for a person of her young years. She is also able to accept death as part of life and yet maintain optimism throughout her story. I like the images she evokes with phrases like “tip-clawing” and “but on the other wing.” Now on to Sword Quest!

Barb

Hi my name is kenny. your books are fanominal. sword bird and sword quest are the best books i have ever read in my life your a true inspiration and i want to ask you a favor. will you please make a third book. thank you.

Sincerely, kenny

Wow.
All I can say is wow.
It is a twist of war, peace, love and friendship, gathered in a journey to freedom.
How did you write this amazing an spectacular book?
You must read it!

~Emma

Teenager Nancy Yi Fan fleshes out more of her allegorical tale about good versus evil with a new cast of warrior/philosopher birds in Sword Quest, illus. by Jo-Anne Rioux, a prequel to last year’s Swordbird.

— Publishers Weekly

Dear Nancy Yi Fan,

I love your books. If I think someone I know would appreciate Swordbird and Sword Quest, I immediately recommend the books to them. Your stories fill me with so much emotion. When Irene died I was really upset, but when Wind-voice escaped I was filled with joy. Your books can really paint a picture in my mind, and as an aspiring author I admire you. I have written many stories, most of which have been left unfinished. I am always trying to find something to write about–something I am passionate about, and others will enjoy to read.

One major reason your books are so amazing for me is because I LOVE animals. You can imagine that because of this I love fiction about animals. Other books I enjoy are The Redwall Series, and The Mistmantle Chronicles. I am doing your 2nd book for a book report in school, but I have not yet finished it.

Sincerely,
Henry

dear Nancy I loved your books and can’t wait for the 3rd and I read that the 3rd is called Sword Mountain.
I’ve been writing my books before I read yours but you’ve inspired me to keep going on with them and making them the best books they can be.
I’m hoping that one day I’ll be as lucky as you and get my books published.

Dear Nancy Yi Fan,

I love your books. I read many books and I have to say that Swordbird and Sword Quest are the best books that I have read in a long time. You are one of my favorite two authors and your books are filled with wonderful imgages painted into the reader’s mind. You have inspired me to write my own book, and currently, I’ve written 60 pages of it. I have recommended your books to all of my friends.

How do you think of such vivid character names? I love the interesting names such as Fleydur and Stormac, and even Maldeor. My favorite character in Swordbird is Aska and my favorite character in Sword Quest is Ewingerale. I think that the idea of telling the story of how Swordbird came to be with Sword Quest was a creative idea. Are you going to write any more books? If you will, I’ll eagerly await their releases. Your Sword Quest gave me something to look forward to when I heard about it. I wonder how you picked what kind of birds to be in you book. My favorite bird is the Gouldian finch for its bright and vibrant coloration on the males.

I was very excited to find out that you were having a book tour. I was very sad to know that I missed the tour because I wanted to get your signature on my books. That would have been great. If you have another book tour, you can count on that fact that I will most definitely go to it. I loved reading the blogs that you wrote in for each day. I also enjoyed seeing the images about your biography. You have motivated me to write about my passions and speak up about issues that concern me.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and thank you for being my inspiration. I hope you like the picture included that I drew for you.

Your fan,

Amy C

Hi Nancy, it’s Jaclyn. You met me when you were on tour for Swordquest, at the Yellow Book Road bookstore. I brought my parrot Kiwi in to see you.
I just wanted to say thank you for writing such great books, and inspiring so many kids to follow their dreams.
— Jaclyn

Swordbird is AWESOME! Those of you who do not like it are boring! Swordbird had brilliant descriptions, cool pictures, and a message. It would be an outstanding work of art even if it wasn’t written by a fourteen year old girl. And I loved how she took an animal that really isn’t written about and made a story! Nancy is an inspiration for me! She’s given me the confidence to write -and hopefully publish- my book. Hurray for Nancy!

I love reading and writing about birds, Nancy’s masterpeice was my favorite fiction novel on birds. I picked up Swordbird out of random and i turned out falling in love with it. It inspired alot of my bird writings. I hope to be as great a writer as her. You are an inspiration for me! Good job! Keep on writing Nancy!

Hi Nancy,

I am one of your fans; I got your email address at the book signing in Ann Arbor, Michigan on February 9, 2008. My mom had asked for your email after getting both Swordbird, (which I have read completely) and SwordQuest, (which I have not yet read) signed.

When I was in 5th and 6th Grade, I had established a birders group at school! Around November of 2006, I was writing a story about birds, but then, in 2007, I suddenly stopped writing…(BUMMER!!!)

Soon, I was writing again, after reading the best book yet (in my opinion) Swordbird!

Swordbird is a great story, I would give the story a 99 out of 100!!!

Thank you for inspiring me to write again!

Brad D.
Age: 13

Hi Nancy, it’s Jaclyn. You met me when you were on tour for Swordquest, at the Yellow Book Road bookstore. I brought my parrot Kiwi in to see you.
I just wanted to say thank you for writing such great books, and inspiring so many kids to follow their dreams. It was really cool to see myself in the video on your website, and you even mentioned Kiwi and I in your blog!
How did the rest of your book tour go? Have you started writing Sword Mountain yet?

– Jaclyn

Dear Nancy,
I am reading Swordbird now, it is amazing! My name is Alyssa and I’m eleven years old. I think it is so cool that you’ve already written two books! I love writing stories, and my dream is to become an author. I wish your book signing would come to Illinois!

Alyssa

I really liked both the books SwordBird and Swordquest. They both are awe inspiring and great for any age. Im Cera and live in Kalamazoo, Michigan. I have two parakeets like yours. Thier names are Snowflake and Zoie. I love my birds very much. Both of your books are fantastic and with all the action packed fun. My favorite character of both books are Fleydur; the golden Eagle, Stormac; the hill myna, Wind-voice or SwordBird, Aska;the Blue-Jay and Correy, and Milton; the robin.

—Cera

今天，我看了一本 中英对照的书叫《剑鸟》。这次读这本书的心情和以往的很不一样。以往我总是只注重书的内容，我从不读作者的自我介绍。这次不知是意外还是巧合，我读了这个作者的自我介绍。我惊讶地发现原来这个作者是一个从中国移民去美国的12岁小女孩。我很意外因为她只是一个年纪小小的女孩，却能写得一本这么好的儿童小说。我不禁地替这位女孩感到骄傲。 玲娜

Dear Nancy-
I am a young author like you,and greatly admire your work.My book is about twin sisters Rio and India,who have to battle the elements when a massive hurricane sweeps their town into destruction,and they have to work together to save their friends and family.Thank you for your wonderful books,and please write more!

-Jamison

Great book for adults and children alike

My 7-year old son and I read Swordbird first before reading this prequel and I enjoyed both books every bit as much as he did if not more. To think a 12-year old girl imagined this wonderful story filled with rich characters is both humbling and fascinating. I dearly hope Nancy Yi Fan will continue writing this series. I would put her series in a league near Harry Potter.

— D’s mom “nanur”

Review on Sword Quest

This prequel to the “New York Times” bestseller “Swordbird” is a richly layered novel full of adventure, bravery, heroism, and a fascinating bird world created by teenage author Nancy Yi Fan.

Books-A-Million

Hi Nancy,

My fourth-grade son and I are in a book club with 3 other boys and their moms (in Sharon, MA – just outside of Boston). We just read Swordbird and they loved it. They’ve already selected Swordquest as their next book. With books like yours, the boys are learning to love reading. Thank you so much.
Regards,

–Joan A.

在一本杂志上，我看到了范祎的故事，她是一个和我同龄的中学生，她也是一个中国人，但她在七岁时就随父母搬到了美国读书，她用英文写的《剑鸟》畅销 全世界，同样都是十三岁，她便美名远扬，她的经历和名字便被人所熟知。同年我看了J.K罗琳的故事，她是一个出色的英国女作家，《哈利.波特》一个价值十亿美元的品牌使她由一个贫困的乡村女教师蜕变成为英国第三的富婆。我也希望写出一本小说来改变我的命运，改变我今后的道路。
–梦的青春

I read Swordbird earlier, and it was great, but I really liked Sword Quest, which I read and re-read recently. It’s a really great prequel to Swordbird and I love how it really covers so much about how Swordbird came to be. I also like how it seems like each of the characters represents something. Stormac represents the mistakes in life, Yin Soul represents evil, and Ewingerale represents hope in the face of despair. I loved Sword Quest!

Nancy Yi Fan is only 13 years old, but her fantasy novel, “Swordbird”, demonstrates a mature ability to create a page-turning plot focused on a war between birds.

— Staff from ScrippsNews

Soooooo Fun to read!!!

Dear Nancy,
I just love your book!
When I just read the first page(the prologue)
I said to my mom” Mom this is the best book
EVER!!!” So she said to keep reading it.
And I saw you on channal five!!!
Alsmost at the last minuete!
And when Miltin died you wrote it so detailing!!
I also cried on that part.
My mom said that a book that I cry on is a verry good book.
If a wishing star came out before I slept in my bed, I would say I wish Nancy kept on making books. And on those books I wish there was a sticker that said NEWBERY MEDAL.
Also if you wrote your name on my book, I would keep sooooo safe!!

Love,
Angela Lee

This fast-paced tale will draw in fans of Brian Jacques and the Warriors series with its realistic animal characters and action. Themes of peace and freedom play an important role in this story written in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11th. An amazing effort for such a young author. I’m sure we’ll see a lot more from Fan in the future.

– Book Dweeb

hello,
i know that you will be very surprised cause when i watched nancy yi fan on
oprah on may 12th that i believe and lucky i watch the young girl
who is the author of swordbird and i say oohh i wish i love to read the
book and guess what went to bookstore and got the book on swordbird
and snowquest now i am reading swordbird and i love it, love birds like
hawk, eagle, bluebird, bluejay, cardinal, dove and etc……
and i am middle 40 ish years of age and i don’t see why not to read the
book and i love it !! like i read harry potter…
nancy yi fan is a very bright girl and sweet and i hope she will continue
writing snow series !
one thing can’t image these birds holding the swords and that is cool and
you can picture them holding them and fighting !!!!……

thank you
barb

Nancy Yi Fan is awesome, I can honestly say Swordbird deserves many a praise.

—Natalia Sinisterra

Hi, swordbird is my favorite book, I read it because I love birds my favorite birds are the northern saw whet owl and red bellied woodpecker.
—alex marine

My third grade son claims Sword Bird as his favorite book and says that he liked this prequel “almost as much.” He reads constantly, so naming a book as a favorite is a big claim for him. He and a number of friends his age have reporting loving Sword Quest because the characters and action are so interesting. I think they also are intrigued that it was written by such a young person.

— K. A. Evans

Well, I’m amazed, absoultely shocked.
I’m a young writer myself and am absolutely amazed at what she did. Nancy Yi Fan has become my insparation in everything I have done. proof that no matter how young you are anything can happen!

Dear Nancy Yi Fan, you are awesome! i read your 1st book, and i was commmmmmmmpletely absorbed in it!!!!!!!!rock on!

—Farida K.

Dear Nancy Fan,

I love your book Swordbird. It’s awe inspiring! I liked how courageous the robin, Miltin, is. At first I though the hawk, Turnatt, was a bit confusing. His plan was well thought out. I didn’t know what his plan was at first! I’ve always taken an interst in birds, but Swordbird took my rate for birds soring.

— Anne O.

Swordbird is the best book ever!

— Mundahi

What an amazing job Nancy did today at Talbot!! She spoke directly to the children which made such an impact on them. Her words of inspiration and commitment were beautifully delivered. She has a wonderful gift.

Many 5th grade parents told me how grateful they were to be able to have Nancy as a speaker. Please let her know how honored we were to have her at our school. This event is something they will always remember and cherish.

— Ms. Newsom

Dear Nancy Yi Fan,
Hello! I read and like your books a lot, and I really like birds too. It’s really cool that you could use Archaeopteryx in your 2nd book. I researched the Archaeopteryx for my research fair. Your books are really good. I would like to write one too, but I still have to plan it out.

Sincerely,
Megan

Children’s Literature
Sword Quest

Birds form the unusual topic of this quest novel, which begins with a prophecy that foretells the coming of a great hero. The archaeopteryxes’ dark empire is growing, and they have turned even the strongest species of birds, such as the crows, into slaves. 013-Unidentified, a strange white bird, is held in their captivity at the start of the book. As he struggles to free a fellow prisoner, he suddenly recalls the name his mother gave him, Wind-Voice. He escapes and grows strong again, reclaiming his true identity as Wind-Voice. Throughout the novel, he journeys across the land to stop the evil Maldeor from reaching the Hero’s Sword. This is a novel about recognizing the hero within and understanding what is truly important in life—such as family, friends, and peace, rather than power or treasure. Yi Fan’s writing is outstanding given her young age. I also loved Rioux’s exceptional pencil-drawn illustrations, which bring charming life to the characters. Together, they make this book an entertaining flight of the imagination. Reviewer: Laura Ruttig

《儿童文学》期刊书评

《寻》作者范祎

在这本探寻类小说中，鸟演绎了不寻常的主题。小说从英雄即将到来的预言开始。一个始祖鸟的黑暗帝国在强大，他们甚至把很健壮鸟如乌鸦等都变成了奴隶。一个叫“013无类鸟”的奇怪白鸟，在故事的一开始也被抓为奴。当他试图放走一个俘虏时，他突然想起了母亲给他起的名字——风声。他也逃了，变得更坚强了，并以“风声”的真实身份重新开始了他的历险生活。小说跟着他的旅程，飞越了山山水水，围绕着他如何阻止邪恶的猫迪尔去拿英雄宝剑的线索展开。这本小说是关于如何发现自己内在的英雄潜能以及生活中最重要的东西—— 如家庭、朋友、和平，而不是权势和财宝。范祎这么小的年纪就写出了这么出色的小说，实在令我佩服。我也非常喜欢丽欧克丝很有特点的铅笔画插图，这些插图给角色增添了魅力。总之，文字和插图这两方面合在一起使得这本充满想象的小说变得那么有趣。
— 劳拉.卢迪格

勇敢无畏的鸟–读《剑鸟》有感

《剑鸟》这部小说我已经看了多遍了。这本书把红鸟和蓝鸟描写的出神入化，真是一本百读不厌的佳作。

书中介绍了红鸟和蓝鸟们本是朋友，由于双方经常失窃都怀疑是对方干的。于是，它们的关系破裂。最后双方开始互相攻打，可是它们都不忍心杀死自己昔日的朋友。有一次，一只红鸟无意间发现它们失窃的物品是被一只独眼大鸟的手下抢走的。回去后他报告了首领，然后红鸟和蓝鸟谈判后重归于好并一起讨论怎么打败以独眼为首的恶棍们。当天晚上那些坏蛋来袭，原来是因为独眼大鸟发现红鸟和蓝鸟没有像它们预计的那样互相残杀，就派自己的精锐部队来偷袭。红、蓝鸟机智应对，双方伤亡惨重。那只红鸟发现在独眼大王的碉堡里还有很多鸟，就制定了一个精密的计划。……

读了这篇文章，我知道了面临大敌的时候不要孤军作战，大家要抱成团。同心协力才能胜利。更不能受敌人的挑拨打内战,这样敌人会从中受益。战国时期六国合纵不成，大家都只顾自己的利益，互相攻打。让秦国有机可乘，从而逐步地灭掉了六国。

我们要吸取前人的教训，要一起消灭大敌。比如我们的台湾问题归根结底是我们中国人内部的问题。奥运在即，我们要万众一心团结起来共同努力。让全世界人民看到一个强大的中国！

— albert

写得太经典了！想象力非常丰富，文笔流畅。我要向作者学习！

－－－ 山坡上的落日

Swordbird was fantastic! I am hungry for more!!! I love Nancy’s books!!!

~Mimi

It was fantastic! The moment we finished reading the first chapter, we were hooked.

As we dug deeper into the story, we could not put it down. We loved the chapter about the fight on the Appleby Hills. It was hilarious! We liked how Skylion describes the sticky grass. Glenagh was our favorite character in the story. He was the one who urged the cardinals and the blue jays to unite and arise to face the enemies. It was a great story of courage and a struggle for peace. We can’t wait to read the sequel!
When my teacher told me that you wrote Swordbird at the age of twelve, we couldn’t believe it. Your inspire us to become writers one day.

— Landon L., Jacob M. and Zoya P.

In the last two days I’ve read one full novel and half of a second. Granted the novels were written by a teenager and intended for children and have pictures on about every other page. But they are rollicking good stories and I’m enjoying them as much for the astonishment that the first was conceived by a ten year old and written, submitted and published before she was thirteen. And English wasn’t her first language!

I am speaking of :

Swordbird and Sword Quest

by Nancy Yi Fan

I was enthralled enough that I failed to notice the sky going dark as I read in the back yard this evening. I had expected to notice when I could not longer read but as the sun’s light faded the sodium vapor light guarding the trailer park’s pool behind us took over and I never noticed. If it hadn’t been for the mosquitoes making a banquet of me I might still be out there.

These epic quest fantasies may not be the absolute best I’ve ever read but they are plenty charming enough and they showcase a budding talent that bears watching. The fresh spirit of their author informs every line. She is most definitely one for whom the audacity of hope comes as natural as breath.

You will excuse me as I pick up Sword Quest to find out how Wind-voice and his companions get out of their latest scrape with the minions of the tyrant Maldeor who is intent on finding the mythical sword before they do. For whoever wields this sword would be invincible. Maldeor wishes to rule the world with it. Wind-voice wishes only to free the enslaved and ensure freedom for everybird. Of course I know Wind-voice’s quest succeeds because Sword Quest is a story from the ancient legends of the birds whose quest for freedom from tyranny was the focus of Swordbird.

— Joy Renee

A good vs. evil, fantasy action-epic set in a world of birdfolk who enslave, trash-talk and go to war with each other. Fan has such a lively, sharp imagination, evident in charming touches like the hot-air ballooning vaudeville troupe, or the way the good guys speak in quaint, spiffy wartime British.
— Mimi Lok

《剑鸟》以优美流畅的语言、扣人心弦的故事情节
以及对各种鸟儿栩栩如生的描写为动物小说系列带来了一股清新的风遥。

—钟华

Swordbird

The characterizations of Aska, Miltin, and Turnatt were the best; how I laughed at Turnatt’s eating mannerisms and Slime-beak’s frightfulness! The movements of the birds were all true to life, bringing out just the right details to enhance the story. The alternations between narrators was clear and effective, and added depth to the story.

—dangelo

世界文坛挥一笔那丫儿真帅

一个12岁的孩子发初稿邮件到哈波柯林斯公司,并在一年后看到自己的书被印刷出版,这事确实少见.但这种事却恰恰就发生在了的作者,一个年仅13岁的女孩范祎身上.是一个奇幻故事,讲的是长期对立的蓝鸟和红鸟在白色神鸟的帮助下,一同打败凶残老鹰的故事.

杨俪秋

I just read a new book called Swordbird by Nancy Yi Fan who was fourteen when the story was written! It is about cardinals and blue jays that fight but then make peace when they find a hawk is stealing all of their food and eggs. They had thought that it was each other that was the enemy. The hawk’s name is Turnatt and the hero’s name is Swordbird. A robin and blue jay work together to get a gem to call Swordbird. I really liked the book because it was an exciting adventure.

eatwiss

Hello! I am a 13 year old who lives in alaska! I love your books! I cant begin to describe how much i love them!

I have just finished Sword Quest and it really inspired me to write. I’m now writing a book that I hope to get published at 11 years old! I can’t wait to read Sword Bird!!

Nancy Yi Fan

At age 13, Nancy Yi Fan published her first novel, “Swordbird.” In the blink of an eye, she rose to the top 10 of the New York Times. With this accomplishment, she is currently the youngest top-selling author at HarperCollins Children’s Books, and even received recognition by Oprah Winfrey on her uber-popular national television show.

–iloveflash

琛借了一本书《Swordbird》，我见封底的照片显然是一个华人女孩，遂好奇的翻看起扉页的作者简介来。

不看不知道，一看吓一跳。作者 Nancy Yi，Fan 果然是华人女孩！！我惊异不已，上网一查，她就是华裔神童作家范祎，与琛儿同时代的孩子。

范祎 1993 年生于北京，7 岁随父母移民美国，13 岁创作小说《剑鸟》(Swordbird)，并在美国一举冲上畅销小说排行榜前十名，作品的中文版也是她自己翻译的。

“wow~~”我和琛瞠目结舌，小小年纪，精通中英文，还写出影响巨大的小说。琛无意借得如此神奇的小说，琛满怀敬佩地读起来，如饥似渴。

我也长了见识，得遇神童。晚间，范祎成了我们桌上的新闻人物。这倒令 MIN 想起令当年的另一个神奇女孩—-田晓菲，与我同时代的人。田晓菲，1971年生，5岁写诗，14岁直升北大，1991年在美国内布拉斯加州立大学获英国文学硕士，1998年获哈佛大学比较文学博士学位，现在哈佛任教。

一并记下，收获一份激动，同时刺激一下我们僵化的神经。

–乔楠

The novel Swordbird is an awesome literary work! I read it about a few days ago, and I really like the way the action in this novel, and there are extremely interesting characters!

— Elda

I absolutelty LOVE Sword Bird and Sword Quest.
They are SO good! And the fact that they were written by a twelve-year-old means a lot to me since I’m eleven and pursuing my passion for writing.
– Christa

You are one of my favorite authors, along with Mrs. J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, and Rick Riordan, author of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. Your book, Swordbird, is very entertaining and a bit depressing (Miltin’s tragic demise), but I loved it. I agree, peace is essential. You are my inspiration, and I thank you for writing an amusing and entertaining book, which I read for about the fifth time so far.

—Your most devoted fan, Olivia

Swordbird is my favorite book, I read it because I love birds my favorite birds are the northern saw whet owl and red bellied woodpecker. I have two questions: what is your favorite bird and would you please wright a third book??
– Alex

Hi, I really enjoyed the story. My favorite character was Miltin. He sacrificed himself for his friends. I’m in fifth grade I hope other people enjoy this book. We have asked my librarian to put it in the library next year. We hope that next book will be just as good as the first one. Sincerely, Katelynn

Nancy Yi Fan was inspired by some great books – Gone with the Wind, Johnny Tremain -, and she’s used those ideas in interesting ways; more of a fantasy epic. What’s amazing is that she’s only 13, a real literary prodigy. She reminds me a bit of Christopher Paolini, of the Eragon series; definitely an author to keep an eye on.
–cjwriter

读《剑鸟》有感

聂希聃

四（12）班

“有和平就有爱，有和平就有友谊。有自由就有幸福，有自由就有欢乐。”你知道这美妙的歌声是从那里飘来的吗?这是来自我寒假中读的一本畅销书——《剑鸟》！

这本书描写的是林鸟利用它们的爪子、翅膀反抗压迫和奴役的故事。小说一开始，红鸟与蓝鸟展开了激烈的斗争，尔后从一只名为爱丝卡的鸟儿口中得知它们被老鹰特耐特骗了，致使红鸟与蓝鸟之间产生了误会。特耐特无恶不作，它将林鸟抓起来，让他们干又苦又累的活，还把林鸟的蛋夺走，残忍地吃掉，让林鸟无法繁衍下去。剑鸟弄瞎了他的一只眼睛，警告他，让他改邪归正，可他屡教不改，卷土重来，继续扰乱林鸟，使他们不得安宁。红、蓝鸟与其他林鸟奋起反抗，用丽桑宝石召唤出了神圣之鸟——剑鸟，他是和平与自由的使者。在他的帮助下，林鸟战胜了特耐特，维护了正义与和平。

从这个小说中我明白了：战争会带来仇恨、死亡、恐惧，所以要维护和平，甚至不惜流血牺牲。而且在我们得到和平后，还不能忘记防备，因为总有一些别有用心的人为了自己的利益而侵略别人，或者让另外两方争斗，坐收渔翁之利。

啊！难道和平对我们···对所有生灵，只是个未知数吗？不！我相信，只要我们团结起来，手拉手，心连心，自由与和平就离我们不远了！

Swordbird is an epic new fantasy from twelve-year-old child prodigy Nancy Yi Fan, which will be published globally by HarperCollins. An exciting and action-packed tale of birds at war, this novel shows how friendship and courage can overcome tyranny. Stone-run Forest was once a peaceful place, but suddenly the local woodbird tribes, the Cardinals and Blue Jays, find themselves at odds — precious food supplies have been stolen and fighting has broken out. Unbeknown to the woodbirds, the evil hawk Turnatt has been turning the tribes against one another as part of his evil strategy to take over the forest. He has already enslaved many captives from the surrounding tribes, who he’s been forcing to build an evil fortress in which he plans to confine all the woodbirds. And the Cardinals and Blue Jays are to be his next victims. Thanks to an escaped slavebird Miltin, the woodbirds learn of Turnatt’s strategy. But the only way to save the forest is to call on the legendary Swordbird — the heroic bird of peace. Young birds Aska and Miltin fly off on a dangerous mission to find the Leasone gem — paired with an ancient song from the Old Scripture, this is the only way to conjure Swordbird’s help. But will they return in time to save the forest, or even make it back at all…When Nancy Yi Fan was in sixth grade she learned about terrorism and September 11th. That night she had a startling dream about birds at war. And the next day she started writing Swordbird to convey her message of peace to the world.
– FantasticFiction

Sword Quest
By Nancy Yi Fan
2008, HarperCollins
Young author, Nancy Yi Fan, introduces the prequel to the New York Times best-selling “Swordbird.” An enchanting story of the quest for a magical sword that will restore justice and freedom to the world is sure to entertain. This book serves as a great read for tweens and an inspiration to those with big dreams.

–charlotteparent.com

Swordbird

The problem with young writers is that they generally think they have to be adults. Nancy Yi Fan does not have this problem. Her debut novel is poignant, touching, well-crafted and, above all else, written in a child’s voice. Her voice was what drew me into the story. I felt as if I were listening to a prodigy bard telling a tale. I could almost hear the inflections of her voice. Yes, she sounds like a child, but therein lies the book’s excellence. The complex problems of good and evil, beauty and ugliness, freedom and slavery, suffering and happiness, are all seen through the honest eyes of a child and told in a simple story. If she had tried to write like an adult, she would have lost this fragile beauty of her tale. After all, she has most of her life to be an adult, and she has wisely chosen to write as a child while she has the chance. To find a book by a child that comes so purely from the child’s soul is rarer than gemstones. Therefore, I would say that Swordbird is the finest example of a child’s writing that is in the market today. I look forward to reading more of her work and watching her mature in her craft.

–Chloe

Sword Quest

Nancy Yi Fan is the author of New York Times Bestseller Swordbird, and she is also only 15 years old! Sword Quest, the prequel to her first book is as exciting as it is lyrical. Join fantastical characters such as Ewingerale the woodpecker scribe and Fleydur the musical eagle as they try to save their world.

—Jessica Teel

I liked this book. Although it seems simplistic, I think the author’s idealismis what gives us hope for better things, and it is an accurate reflection of what we can accomplish within our own communities. It helps to keep in mind that the book was probably not written for an audience of middle-aged cynics, but youth readers whose idealism and hopefulness and belief in goodness is still intact.

The writing itself is fantastic–I’ve read many college papers and books by much older authors that can’t hold a candle to Ms. Fan’s style, variety, and readability.

–Tracy

Swordbird

I was intrigued by the story of Nancy Yi Fan, who wrote Swordbird in response to class discussions about war and terrorism. Reading Swordbird reminded me of my own writings in childhood. They ranged from wild to earnest, and stamped me in a deep and personal way. For many years I lost writing as a tool for making sense of the world. When I found it again in my thirties it was like coming home. There was something about the process of writing as a child, something both tactile and visceral, that grew to be part of my structure of self.

–Uma Krishnaswami

Dear Miss Yi Fan

Goodluck with your books. I really liked Swordbird. My teacher read it to us at school.

Yours sincerely,
Ben (7 years)

Hello! I am 10. I wish to be a writer like you!

Swordbird was amazing. The words that wove it were very profound, and every time I read it I get lost in it and it is as if I’m right there, next to Flame-back, Cody, Aska, Miltin, and all the other characters!

Can’t wait to get Sword Quest.

See you later in the sky!
gia

Swordbird

If you read sword quest, then this book will make more sense. Just thought you might want to know.

Sword Quest

Although the beginning was a little confusing, this is a really good book.

–Alan

Dear Nancy,

I think your hard-work and wisdom really payed off. It is a best selling hit . Your two heartwarming stories are spectacular. I think you are correct if you have a dream you want to acheive you can acheive it. I really love the stories. You should have great pride to be one of the youngest authors.
Sincerely,

A fan of yours, Sadia A. , age 9

P.S. I think your books have inspired many readers.

E H R：

Hi everyone! Hope you all are fairing well! I want to share something with you guys that really sparked my inspiration in a major way! It makes me want to go after my dream of being a children’s writer even more. I had some free time Friday evening and I watched Oprah, it was a good show, the program was about the most talented kids in the world. There was this young 14 year old Asian girl named Nancy Yi Fan who’s a writer. She has 2 of her books on the New York Times Bestseller list, Sword Bird and Sword Quest. She is a very talented young girl! She really inspired me! To be that young with that kind of talent! It amazes me! She was amazing! I plan on buying her 2 books and reading them for myself. I know they will be a great inspiration to me and give me the kick I need to keep going!

To know there are kids out there putting their God given talents to work in such positive ways is so wonderful! What they do will hopefully inspire others to do the same! I know I will! Well, I just wanted to share that with you all. I wish everyone of you all the best and many blessings, successes, and happy writing to you always! And hats off to Nancy Yi Fan for her success!

Ann：

Thanks for a great suggestion. I am also always looking for new work to read and inspire me. Watching and listening to children has always been helpful, but actually reading the work of a young person, that will be amazing!

chippy：

Thank you for sharing that E H R. It really is inspiration when you read things like that.

Kate：

I think it’s so cool, too, that she herself actually queried publishers and submitted her work in the normal way, when she was only 12. It’s not like her parents sent her manuscript to a vanity publisher or anything like that–Harper Collins really picked her out of the slush! (Well, not slush, exactly, since Harper Collins doesn’t accept unsolicited submissions; but whoever read her email saw the promise in her writing, anyway.)

E H R：

I agree with you guys! She is truly an exceptional young lady with a whole lot of promise, and tremendous talent, and I wish her all the best! I would love to be able to interview her and hear what inspires her to write. That would definately be an inspiration to me!

Blessings, successes, and happy writing to you all!

Kate：

Well, I don’t know if you could interview her, but you might check out her website; it has lots of interviews and articles, and a link to her tips for writers:

http://www.swordbird.googlepages.com/index.htm

llewisdolphins：

That is awesome, I think the best thing about her books, especially for me, would be to see what the 12-14 year old mind thinks and wants to read. Inspiration is right and also works as research and just simply a good read. Thanks for sharing the info E H R, I didn’t hear that until today.

chippy：

Thank you for the link to her website, Kate. Looks like it is well worth checking out.

Evelyn：

E.H.R.,

That is so inspirational to see such a young girl publish not one but two best sellers. Thank you for posting that. Kate thank you for posting the web link. The story she wrote in fifth grade is quite good.

My 9 year old son LOVED this book. He thought it was so good that he convinced me to read it. It is very creative and an exciting story.

–Michelle

I’ve just finished reading Sword Quest. I LOVE it!!!
It’s even better than my favorite Swordbird.

– Dk

Swordbird by Nancy Yi Fan

Who’s stealing from the Bluewingle and Sunrise tribes? The blue jays and cardinals of Stone-Run suspect each other and are ready to go to war together of the loss of berries, nuts, and worst of all, their own eggs. But what these former friends don’t know is that their troubles are actually the fault of the evil hawk Turnatt and his band of crow and raven soldiers, who want to capture the woodland birds and make them into slaves. Will the birds of Stone-Run realize what’s going on in time?
Recommended for: Readers of the Redwall and Guardian of Ga’Hoole series
Comment: Did you know that Nancy Yi Fan wrote this book when she was 12?! That really makes this book an interesting one to read. Maybe you, too, could write a story so fascinating.

—Nancy H. Wood

Sword Quest

Nancy, I really like your book, but when I read SwordQuest I thought it was very intertaining but It did take a long time for Wind-voice to find the sword. I was on the last page until he realy became swordbird, why did you wait until the last page to make the birds finish there quest? Shouldn’t you write a few pages after it to give the reader a bit of understanding about what swordbird really does with his knew rank?

– Celipsow Waters

Sword Quest

It’s an epic tail of Wind-voice, half dove. He realizes that there is more in life than just freedom but do also have love, companionship and to defeat greed. He gets the sword ad brings peace to the world. Nancy Yi Fan was spreading Buddha’s message, saying that greed is not the answer and it will only lead to trouble.

—Pavani A

Swordbird

This is a really good book-you should read it!!!!!!
– kelsey w

Good book! like how big birds trick little birds!
– daniel l

Swordbird

This book was very violent, which i liked. What I didn’t like was the fact that some of my favorite characters died. This book was written by a 12 year old girl.She did a very good job.

— chandler t

Sword Quest

Sword Quest was an amazing prequel to your charming debut. The story wove through hard times; but glory came with it, and the courage of Windvoice when he had fearless allies, and despite all hardship, he became the hero Swordbird in the end. A splendid work altogether.

–Elda

我真的没有想到,一个12岁中国女孩的作品能对孩子有如次大的触动。当老公从孩子奶奶家把她接回来的时候，她非常激动地敲打着门，大声喊到“妈妈！妈妈！快开门，快开门，看我的书已经写到第三章了！”我急忙打开门，只见她又蹦又跳，从书袋里拿出了她的书稿，兴高采烈地朗读给我听。
顷刻间 ，我才明白了为什么孩子那么喜欢到书店，对课外书有那么浓厚的兴趣。明天，我准备把孩子的书发表在我的博客上，希望专家给予指教。

—廷廷

Whew, you’ve given me some inspiration for my book. I’m currently in 5th grade and preparing to write one, thanks a lot for writing your story. It’s really given me something to elaborate on. Thanks again

–Richard L.

Sword Quest

i learned to respect our elders and never argue with them.i recommend this book to be better than sword bird.
–Ryan

Sword Quest

Great prequel to her first book, Swordbird. Written by a 14 year old!!

– Mozzarella L

Swordbird

Imagine you live in a world of birds, of flight, of complete freedom. Imagine an evil hawk comes along and tries to steal your freedom and make you his slave. Imagine being caught up in a pointless, bloody war, for which your family and loved ones are sacrificing their lives.

Well, that’s a lot of imagining to do, but with the help of Nancy Yi Fan, the amazing twelve-year-old author of Swordbird, it becomes an enthralling learning experience. Fan makes you laugh and cry with the birds and you feel like your life depends on bringing this war to an end.

Swordbird is a very important book. All too often books about war for kids are gruesome and depressing or silly and shallow. Not because the subject of war has to be incomprehensible, but because making the subject of war accessible to kids is not at all easy. Fan does it perfectly. Not only that, she brings it all together in a moral in the front flap: “What does fighting bring us? Fear, hatred, misery and death.” By the time you finish the book you completely understand and agree with that statement.

The book tells the tale of two flocks of birds, the Cardinals and the Blue Jays. They have been peaceful friends for decades. Suddenly they see their eggs being stolen by what they identify as each other. After a bloody war ensues, they realize that it is an evil hawk, Slimebeak, who is stealing. He is hoping they will fight each other so that he can capture them without them standing up for one another. Then he plans to enslave all of them and become king of the forest. The two flocks become friends again and join in a fight for freedom. Soon they realize that all that can save them is the mythical hero and king of peace, Swordbird. United, the Blue Jays and Cardinals send two birds, Aska and Miltin, on a quest for the stone that must be present to summon Swordbird.

The gentle blue jay, Aska, was my favorite character. She was living in a war-torn world and yet she was the heroine of the story, she was strong and resolute, she went on the key mission and saved the day. I really felt for her and cried for her when the brave robin, her love, Miltin, died, and it was because of her that I was really engaged in the book. I think Aska is a perfect role model because she is so good and kind in all ways.

I, however, found it confusing how new characters just kept coming. I thought that only half of them really needed to be there and I thought the extras just made it more complicated for me. I think the book would have been better with only the main characters and a few extras.

Swordbird is a magical book, a real page-turner, and though I won’t spoil the end I’ll tell you it’s really satisfying. Fan says that the book is supposed to convey her feelings about terrorism and September 11. She says that she was in the towers of the World Trade Center a month before they were destroyed and that it made a very big impression on her. You can definitely see that in the book, though it is set in a fantasy world.

As Fan is a not a native English speaker and she is only twelve years old, it has inspired me, and I think it will inspire more kids, to see that anything is possible if you put your mind to it.

by Emily Gordis, age 10,
Berkeley, California

Swordbird

As the work of a truly gifted child it is extraordinary — any middle-school teacher would be thrilled to have a student do work like this.

– Matt Berman

Swordbird

Inspirational !

This book was one of the first books I read in no time flat. best book I say.

–teenreader

Hi Nancy.

I am an eight year old girl living in Elmore, Ohio. You are my favorite author. I read every single bit of Swordbird twice, and was sad when I finished your book because it was so good. It was hard to put down. You inspired me to write a book.
I look forward to reading Sword Quest and Sword Mountain!

Sincerely,
Bree

与《剑鸟》一起飞翔的女孩

信丰县西牛中学八（1）班 张 鹏 指导老师：张小云

主持人：Hi! 大家好！欢迎收看《魅力少年》，我是非著名主持人豆豆。今天，我看到台下同学几乎人人都拿了一本书，是什么书啊？

观众：（异口同声）《剑鸟》！

主持人：那看来台下的观众都是《剑鸟》的粉丝，是吗？

观众：是！

主持人：那看来大家都对《剑鸟》看不释手，那你们想亲眼看看《剑鸟》的作者吗？想听她叙述她的心路历程吗？那么，别走开。广告之后，马上回来！······

主持人：好，让我们请出《剑鸟》的作者范祎和王教授！（音乐起）你好，范 ，你好，王教授。

范祎：主持人好，观众朋友们好，我是范祎。

主使人：看起范祎来，我并不觉得有什么很特别。和平常的初中生没什么两样，但却写出了《剑鸟》那么优秀的书，真是太不可思议了。范祎，你能跟我们说说你是怎么想到要写这样一本书呢？

范祎：嗯—，我是一次做梦，梦见了许许多多的鸟，然后就产生了灵感，就写下了《剑鸟》。

主持人：真的有这么神奇？！我们一般人做梦之后，谁会去到头来看看自己做了什么梦，更别说去从中挖掘灵感了。王教授，你对此怎么看？

王教授：我首先想说范祎同学可真是一个既漂亮又细心的女孩，能在做梦这件微小又奇妙的事中发现乐趣，找到灵感。其实我们生活中有许多值得一写，值得品味的事，就看大家能不能去发现了。怎么说呢；我就举一个简单的例子。比如说，我们可以从一颗花生因为人们的不小心而仍在野外，却还长出了小幼苗，当中发现：悟到花生的生命力是多么的可贵、顽强，人世间的一切生命是多么可贵，世间不是缺少美，而是缺少发现美的眼睛。（台下同学纷纷点头，并且掌声如雷）

主持人：王教授真是说的太好了，王教授，你能从范祎“灵感来源于梦”当中发觉哲理，你也真是细心啊！

王教授：还是范祎同学细心。

主持人：范祎，听说你在写这本书的时候还下了不少功夫，是吧？

范祎：嗯——应该可以这样说吧，我钻研了许多鸟类的学术著作，还养了鸟，查了许多资料，为了写好书中的打斗场面，我还参加了武术班。

主持人：看来范祎还是真是一个非常认真，而且非常勤奋的女孩子呀。王教授，您对此又怎么看？

王教授：我现在从范祎身上发现了太多的优点了，我们在学习上，只有以一丝不苟，以认真的态度去对待，才可能学好。爱迪生说过：“天才是百分之一的灵感加上百分之九十九的汗水。”看来，只有付出汗水才能收获幸福和成功。我听说范祎的这本《剑鸟》一出版，当周就冲上了《纽约时报》畅销儿童小说排行榜。大家看，这就是认真、细致、勤劳灌溉的成功果实呀。所以我们不论是在学习上，还是在将来的工作上，都要以认真、勤奋的态度对待每一件事······

······

主持人：范祎、王教授，再次感谢你们在百忙之中抽出时间来我们这儿做客。我们从范祎身上感受到了一个当代中学生太多优秀、珍贵的品质了。范祎，在节目的最后，你最想跟大家说一句什么话？

范祎：我希望广大家长们能够让孩子有足够的自由发展空间，希望广大同学们不要吝啬自己的想象力，共同为祖国喝彩、作贡献！

主持人：观众朋友们，今天的节目到此就结束了，谢谢大家的收看，谢谢。下周见，拜拜！

最近看了一位美国小女孩写的小说《剑鸟》，觉得还不错，因为富有想象力，很好，而且是中英文同步的，所以对我学习英文有好处啊。

– 龙女之声

Nancy Yi Fan is a wonderful inspiration!!!

I loved Swordbird, and I especially was impressed with the author. She inspired me to write my own fantasy book, so I’m working on it. If she can do it, I can do it!

Reader from Barnes and Noble

An interview with Nancy Yi Fan

Q. In your essay for Secrets of the Dragon Riders you write about the use of anthropomorphic animals in fiction, like dragons in Paolini’s books and birds in your own. If you could have an anthropomorphic pet what would it be? What human characteristics would it have?

A: I would have a miniature griffin-like creature, who’d canter around on my desk as I write. He’d have white fur and feathers, with black letters of the alphabet speckled over it, and because he’d eat wood he’d keep my pencils sharp. My pet would speak, of course, and wear little reading glasses. “What happens next in the story?” he would often say.

Q. What is your all-time favorite anthropomorphic character?

A: I love Charlotte the spider, from Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White.

Q. The average ten-year-old isn’t sitting at home starting a novel. How did you end up starting on such a big project?

A: The idea for Swordbird came from a number of places. I was inspired by the woods near my home and my love for birds. I had also been learning about different wars in my history classes. I had visited the World Trade Center several months before 9/11, so that experience affected me as well. One night when I was in fifth grade, all of these things whirled into a strange dream, of birds in old-fashioned clothing battling one another, and of a huge white bird with a sword. When I woke up, I wanted to write about the dream as a story, as a way of expressing the importance of peace and freedom.

Q. How did the teachers and kids at school react to you becoming a bestselling author?

A: They congratulated me. My classmates asked me to sign their copies of my books after class. People kept coming up to me in the hallway to exclaim, “You’re the one who wrote the book!”

Q. Have your parents always been supportive of your writing?

A: They are always very supportive, and they make sure I get enough rest. They help me find a balance between schoolwork, writing, and extracurricular activities.

Q. What are your plans after high school? Do you want to continue writing?

A: I plan to attend a university and study literature. No matter what I will do or become when I’m older, I’ll always write!

Q. Your Web site mentions that you practice martial arts and love birds. Obviously, your interest in birds shows in your writing. Do you think your martial arts background is reflected in your writing as well?

A: Yes. In fact, I started practicing martial arts because of writing Swordbird. I became a disciple of a martial arts master for a few weeks to find out what it is like to wield a sword, so I could describe scenes of battle better. From this, I learned that the ultimate meaning of martial arts is to prevent violence and to keep peace. This is a recurring theme in my books.

Q. What are you working on right now?

A: I am working on Sword Mountain, a sequel to Sword Quest. It’s about a royal family of eagles and what happens when the disowned son of the eagle king returns from exile.

Q. If you could tell us to read one book this year (other than yours, of course!), what would it be?

A: Brisingr!

— Teen Libris

Let me start off by saying that I love the work in Swordbird! I am an aspiring author.

I originally saw you on the Today show when I was twelve-years-old. The interview was concerning Swordbird. I thought that it was absolutely amazing how you’d drawn all of the pictures within the book, and then gotten it published as well! Truth be told, when I saw the interview I was amazingly inspired to write my own novels.

–Zach

Sword Quest

This is a prequel to “Swordbird”. This first book was written by a young 12 year old girl. Excellent!! She is now 14 and now has this second book. I came across a couple sentences that sounded like a young girl, but the adventure was wonderful and a great fantasy for those that love them. It has been check out by several students that have asked if she has written other books.
The story takes place in the forest. Several species of birds have lived in peace for many generations until now. One group wants to rule the world. Can Wind-voice and his valiant companions save the future of their world? Read and see.
— Pat

FLIGHTS OF FANTASY

Who knew birds had their own Arthurian legend to speak of? At least that is what SWORD QUEST by Nancy Yi Fan seems to be. Wind-Voice leaves slavery through a number of miraculous escapes in search of a magical sword, one that can only be wielded by a great hero. He meets many good friends along the way, and narrowly evades capture and death at the “wing” of his enemies. Encrypted jewels throughout the world lead Wind-Voice and his companions to the island where the sword is kept. Hopefully, he will make it in time to save the sword before the evil Maldeor gets to it first! This is a prequel to Swordbird, and great for 4th grade and up.

—Lyda

dear nancy I love your book so much. It has so much meaning and i too was super sad when 9 11 happened. I was personally hurt for my uncle richy died that day for our country as a firefighter and i miss him very much. now my cousins arre in the air force and just got back from the war. I miss them so much. They are home and save but i dont get to see them that much. I hope you have a blessed thanksgiving and again i love your book. your fan Shannon

网球书评——剑鸟的童话
《剑鸟》是一本童话故事，但它本身也是一个童话，因为它是一部童心飞扬的小说。它的主题是战争与和平，也是一面反映了善与恶的魔镜。
作者创造了一个奇特的鸟类世界，这个世界与我们人类世界一样，有着高低贵贱的等级——暴君、奴隶、勇士、神灵、等等。而小说的主人公剑鸟——它手持丽桑宝剑，为民除害，被誉为“和平卫士”，它是正义、和平与自由的化身！小说中的另一些情节更反映出了主角们对战争与奴役的唾弃以及对和平与自己的渴望，比如，米尔敦为了奴鸟的自由，勇于冒险，甚至不顾生命的安危作了自我牺牲的选择；爱丝卡年少志高，为了自己部落的和平与安全，甘愿做任何事。
书中带着孩子气的丰富想象和善良愿望，引起了我的共鸣。没有说教的话语，字里行间满满的净化心灵的感觉，具有教育意义。《剑鸟》这本优秀的小说几乎风靡了全美国的少年读者，国内外的许多文学家也给予了高度品价。
我想，《剑鸟》之所以如此受欢迎，是因为它唤起了成年人对童年的回忆，也引起了少年的共鸣，更因为它的字里行间显出了全世界人民永远的心声——呼唤世界和平。既然剑鸟已经为我们作出了榜样，也给了我们启示，就让我们拾起橄榄枝，放飞白鸽，为国家乃至世界的和平贡献出自己的力量！

七（7）范煜群

Dear Nancy Yi Fan,

I love your book “Swordbird”. It’s awesome. I’m going to read the sequel because it was so good.

I have two questions for you. First, in the sequel, does it say why Cody and Aska are getting married? An if not, why are they getting married? And second, what is your favorite bird? Mine is a bluejay.

I can’t wait to read “Sword Quest”. I know it is going to be good.

Your #1 fan,

Spencer

Dear Ms. Fan,

I loved your book Swordbird. I thought it was neat how you saw peace through birds. I learned that people weren’t the only living things that fight. I also liked the names of all the characters. I’m going to get Sword Quest. I just know it will be great.

Your number 1 fan,

Benjamin Z.

Sword Quest

This is a prequel to “Swordbird”. This first book was written by a young 12 year old girl. Excellent!! She is now 14 and now has this second book. I came across a couple sentences that sounded like a young girl, but the adventure was wonderful and a great fantasy for those that love them. It has been check out by several students that have asked if she has written other books.
The story takes place in the forest. Several species of birds have lived in peace for many generations until now. One group wants to rule the world. Can Wind-voice and his valiant companions save the future of their world? Read and see. Written on a 4/5 reading level.

– Pat