Synopsis
Heart-stopping, tail-dropping adventure from award-winning children’s author WJ Scott.Blue Treat Award 2020 RRBC KCT In'l Book Awards.FINALIST in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards UK 2017 9-12 yrs.FINALIST Book Excellence Awards 2018 Pre-teen.Sometimes loss is the only thing that saves you. Last summer during the dreaded hunting season, Kywah lost his tail, his magic, and his value as a silvertail. Now the hunters have returned and he's terrified. Especially when he recognizes Samsa, the very hunter that cut off his tail and ruined his life. But when the pack becomes trapped in the foothills with no escape, Kywah realises he’s their only hope. Without a tail, he’s worthless to the hunters and their wizard masters. If he can escape, he can find help for his pack. All he has to do is locate the Wise One and retrieve the Deep Magic. Which would be hard enough even if he still had the magical tail sense his kind are born with. But what choice does he have? If he doesn’t take the risk, his pack will lose everything. And because Kywah knows exactly how that feels, he can’t let it happen. I woke. Heart beating too fast. Darkness smothering me. The same nightmare. I shifted and felt the familiar throb of pain along my stub, which always ached when I first awakened. For an instant, I tried to fool myself that it had only been a dream, but when I was brave enough to peek, I saw the empty space where my tail should be. Almost four seasons had passed, and I was still unaccustomed to its loss.
Review
5 * Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite Tails: Book One, Silver Wishes Series by W.J. Scott is a fantasy adventure story that introduces young readers to Akule and his pack that live in the Sacred Plateau. They are gripped with fear after the arrival of hunters in their plains. The hunters are in search of their silver tails and the pack realizes that they have nowhere to hide. Samsa, the hunter who chopped Kywah's tail off last summer, is there and Kywah remembers him very well. They have to retrieve the deep magic from the Wise One to help their pack survive the slaughter. Kywah volunteers to retrieve the deep magic as he has already lost what the hunters want to possess; his tail. As he leaves, he realizes how much the pack is depending on him for their survival. Will Kywah succeed in his mission? The story is filled with whimsy, fantasy, adventure, and action. The author weaves an entertaining and engaging story with interesting characters, magic, and illustrations that will keep young readers glued to the story till the very end. Kywah's journey in search of the Wise One is filled with excitement, and meeting Rotarn, the Wise One, and seeing the deep magic are fascinating moments for readers. I found the story magical and the words of wisdom from Rotarn are insightful, spiritual, and profound. Kywah's journey after meeting Rotarn is magical and the characters he meets give another twist to the plot. Readers see Kywah perceive things around him in a different manner. All the characters in the story add to the fantasy and whimsy angle. The spiritual undertones in the story give it another dimension and make it a worthy read. It is definitely a story that children will enjoy reading and the ending will make them long for Book Two.
Tails Review by Award Winning Author Belinda Mellor.
'Tails' is a classic 'hero's journey' story, a coming of age adventure for Kywah, a young silvertail on the cusp of maturity, whose hopes for taking his place among his pack's adult community have seemingly been dashed by the loss of his kind's most prized asset: his tail. A silvertail's tail is its connection to its environment and its fellow pack members. Sadly, the magic it contains is not only prized by the creatures but by human magicians, whose power is waning but whose ambition is not.
When fate intervenes and Kywah sets out on a mission to find the deep magic that will protect his pack from hunters eager to earn the wizard's bounty he finds help and friendship in the most unlikely places, and danger around every corner.
This is a rich and multi-layered story that will appeal to a wide age-range. Wendy Scott is an exciting author who has a real gift for storytelling and world building and Kywah is a delightful protagonist who will have readers rooting for his success and redemption every step of his arduous journey. The pastel hued world the silvertails inhabit is one that readers will look forward to revisiting in (hopefully) many books to follow.
Gold Quality Mark BooksGoSocial, "This is a beautifully written and edited story.This is an original, well written story and deserves its gold status, congratulations."
Review Tails by Red Headed Book Lover
Tails has to be one of the most adorable, incredible and entertaining middle-grade novels I have ever come across. As a mother who is keen on sharing astonishing books with fellow parents for their children, I am always on the lookout for the next best, upcoming read and it is safe to write book lovers that Tails is that read! Tails is an astounding, thrilling, action-packed adventure novel that will have your children entertained for many hours thanks to its host of fascinating beings such as wizards, fairies and many more mythical creatures that will alight not only young readers' minds but adults as well!
Tails follows the protagonist of the story Kywah, a silvertail who has been blessed with magical powers that lie within his tail. One day, during a hunting season Kywah was kidnapped, and his tail was cut off. Kywah was devastated, his tail was not only a part of him physically but also emotionally because it is a sense of pride and it holds his powers which he loved. Although Kywah was lucky to survive, he is broken and not feeling himself. One day he notices that the hunters have returned and it is safe to say that Kywah is terrified but despite this, he starts to uncover the plot of why his tail was taken from him and for whom. The reader will follow Kywah on his journey across a magical land to uncover the truth, and the result is an intriguing fantasy tale that is full of poignancy and delight!
The story of Tails is an outstanding one that is full of a host of poignant themes and messages courtesy of the exceptional author WJ Scott. WJ Scott explores many topics and themes throughout her book, themes such as friendship, commitment, courage and even disabilities are explored, and all of these topics are entirely weaved together by Scott to compliment the story. The story of Tails is a rich, vivid, and impeccable one that will surely captivate young minds with its vivid descriptions and engaging characters. The story is one that I adore for many reasons but the reason I love this book the most... besides the incredible literature courtesy of WJ Scott! Is the fact that poignant themes (such as the ones I briefly discussed) are laced throughout the book I admire that Scott has so flawlessly laced these profound themes throughout Tails as it will encourage readers to think about such topics and hopefully inspire young readers to be kind and be strong, no matter your circumstances. I personally love when a children's book has poignant themes as they can change the way young readers think and inspire them to act in a certain, positive way and so I really do admire WJ Scott for including this in her extraordinary tale!
WJ Scott is not only an excellent writer for the themes she explores throughout her story, but she is also brilliant thanks to her stunning literature. The vivid descriptions courtesy of Scott are beautiful and will dazzle and captivate young minds; the descriptions, especially of the magical creatures the reader encounters in this book are magnificent and will have young readers thinking vividly, and this is a hard talent to accomplish with a children's book.
Overall tails is an engaging, entertaining, adventure-filled novel that will take readers on a memorable and inspiring journey and so I have no choice but to award this stunning book a dazzling five stars!
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