A Heart-To-Heart with Aissa from Wendy Orr’s Dragonfly Song

 The Children’s Book Review | October 25, 2017

Get to know Aissa from Wendy Orr’s Dragonfly Song, an intriguing mythological portrayal of the Bronze Age Minoan civilization.

The Children’s Book Review: What gets you out of bed in the morning?

Aissa: Milli-Cat rubbing her head under my chin.

I see you have a bag with you. Will you tell us what you keep inside of it?

My flint knife, the rope for my sling shot, and a little piece of honeycomb.

Are you hungry right now? Can we fix you anything to eat? Maybe we could make you your favorite dish?

I’m always hungry! Could I please have a honeycake, some goat cheese and grapes – oh, and some fried crickets? And a drink of goatmilk mixed with a little wine?

I’ve always wanted to try crickets, I heard they are a great source of protein. We don’t have any on hand, but we can definitely serve some goat cheese and grapes.

Do you like to read?

I have never seen a book, but I love listening to stories.

Do you have a favorite song?

I love the Lady’s snake song that has no words, but my other favorite is a game song Mama sang when I was little:

Here comes rabbit, hippity hop
See his ears flap and flop;

Here comes hedgehog, curled up small
Roll him over like a ball;
Here comes deer, fast and fleet,
Give a shout and make him leap.

Here comes wolf, with her pup,
If you don’t run she’ll eat you up!

Are you a rule follower or rule breaker?

I try to obey the rules, but I seem to keep on breaking them!

When was the last time you felt embarrassed?

When everyone stared at me and knew I was nothing.

If you weren’t answering the questions in this interview right now, what would you be doing?

Looking for food in the hills.

Do you have any secrets you would like to share with us before you go?

When it seems that everyone hates you and the world is a terrible place, be strong in yourself and remember that there are still good people around. Trust the true friends you find, and trust that life will get better.

Dragonfly Song

Written by Wendy Orr

Publisher’s Synopsis: The whispers say it’s not true that the Lady’s firstborn died at birth. They say it’s worse—the baby was born with an extra thumb dangling from each wrist. If she’s not perfect, she can never follow in her mother’s footsteps.

Nobody but the old wise-woman knows what truly happened to Aissa, the firstborn daughter of the priestess. If they saw the half-moon scars on the servant girl’s wrists they would find it out, but who would look twice at lowly, mute No-Name? Then the soldiers of Crete come to the island, demanding children as tribute for their god-king’s bull dances as they do every year. Aissa is determined to seize this chance to fight for her own worth and change her destiny once and for all.

Lyrically written and refreshingly unpredictable, Dragonfly Song is a compelling Bronze Age fantasy that suggests a fascinating origin for the legend of the Minotaur and his dark tribute.

Ages 10-14 | Publisher: Pajama Press | 2017 | ISBN-13: 978-1772780376

Available Here: 

About the Author

Wendy Orr was born in Edmonton, Canada, but grew up in various places across Canada, France, and the USA. She studied occupational therapy in the UK, married an Australian farmer, and moved to Australia. She’s the author of many award-winning books, including Nim’s Island, Nim at Sea, Rescue on Nim’s Island, Raven’s Mountain, and Peeling the Onion.

More information about Dragonfly Song: http://pajamapress.ca/book/dragonfly_song/

More information about Wendy Orr: http://www.wendyorr.com/