The WindSinger

Peggy Harkins
AuthorHouse (2011)
ISBN 9781452080208
Reviewed by Marty Shaw for Reader Views (05/11)

Three-year-old James makes the discovery of a lifetime, but he’s only aware of making a new friend when he meets Z’Nia, the last of a race of WindSingers that watch over all living things. An accident, along with Z’Nia’s fear of humans, results in James staying with the WindSinger for three days. He is soon reunited with his family, but that chance encounter affects James’ whole life. From parents and a sister that constantly worry about him vanishing again to a new way of looking at the world, James isn’t the same boy he used to be. Years later, the tables are turned and the roles of savior and saved are reversed as James must rescue Z’Nia from the results of one careless moment.

“The WindSinger” is an enjoyable story that subtly reveals the varying shades of gray that exist between right and wrong. James and Z’Nia are friends but their points of view are worlds apart. These different ways of viewing the world provide insight for James that he probably wouldn’t have gotten from the ‘normal’ world as he learns about the WindSinger’s opinions concerning nature and the animals she cares for. He’s a likable kid that is unknowingly handed a responsibility that will shape him for the rest of his life, and the adventure he lives with Z’Nia opens his eyes to the world around him.

Z’Nia is a curious creature devoted to continuing the work of her people, but loneliness compels her to ignore the warnings of those before her and seek out humans that she can watch. The evil that humans can do is a hard lesson she’s forced to learn, but her chance encounter with James teaches her that humans can also be kind, although her far stricter views of right and wrong can occasionally strain her friendship with James, who’s doing the best he can at viewing the world through her eyes.

“The WindSinger” is a fun and easy read, with a solid plot that holds a steady pace from the first page to the last, and the two main characters provide both entertainment and insight as they each learn about responsibility, loyalty, and the true meaning of friendship.

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