Book Descriptions
for Darkwing by Kenneth Oppel and Keith Thompson
From The United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY)
Set in the Paleocene period when dinosaurs were dying out, Oppel chroni cles the early life of Dusk, a chiropter who, unlike the others in his colony, is missing a digit and fur on his sails. Over time, Dusk realizes how different he is as he tries to fit in with his gliding relatives, suppressing his strong impulse to fly like birds. When the colony is threatened by carnivores, Dusk’s ability to echolocate and fly becomes important as the chiropters evade predators on their migration to a new and safer home. Oppel ably drops the reader into the fascinating and evolving world as it could have been sixty-five million years ago. Prequel to Oppel’s bat trilogy Silverwing, Sunwing, and Firewing. 2008 Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Award, 2008 CLA Book of the Year Award for Children (Shortlist). sc
From the Publisher
As the sun sets on the time of the dinosaurs, a new world is left in its wake. . . .
Dusk
He alone can fly and see in the dark, in a colony where being different means being shunned—or worse. As the leader's son, he is protected, but does his future lie among his kin?
Carnassial
He has the true instincts of a predator, and he is determined that his kind will not only survive but will dominate the world of beasts.
From the author of the internationally acclaimed Silverwing trilogy comes an extraordinary adventure set 65 million years ago. Kenneth Oppel, winner of a Michael L. Printz Honor for Airborn, has crafted a breathtaking animal tale that reaches out to the human in all of us.
