From Page to Cinemas: The Wingfeather Saga

The Wingfeather Saga is a family friendly fantasy (😂) Christian book series that I began and finished reading last summer. I would definitely recommend it to middle schoolers (or even high schoolers) who are looking for something to read. 

The Books

Age Recommendation: 7+ (Because anyone younger may not fully understand what is going on)

Rating: 4 1/2 out of 5 stars

Whether it's squeeblins, cheesy chowder, toothy cows, or snickbuzzards, Andrew Peterson's writing is funny, family friendly, and full of heart. The series builds on themes like family, fantasy, identity, togetherness, bravery, and sacrifice. Each book is packed with humor-filled adventures, action, poems, and special songs.

The Author:

Andrew Peterson is a musician, songwriter, and author. In addition to The Wingfeather Saga he also wrote Pembricks' Creaturepedia, A Ranger's Guide to Glipwood Forest, The Garden of God: Thoughts on Creation, Culture, and the Kingdom, and many more. He and his wife Jamie live in Nashville, Tennessee.

The Characters:

Janner

Janner Igiby is the view-point character of all four books and one of the main characters. He is a twelve-year-old boy and oldest of the three children. He loves reading, writing, and adventures. Janner tries to think through situations before they happen but as most things go, nothing happens according to planned. 

Tink (Kalmar)

Tink is the second oldest Igiby and is eleven years old. He loves to eat and draw. He too loves adventure as well as fun but is much more reckless and less inclined to think before he acts. The causes him to have to learn some things the hard way. 

Leeli

Leeli Igiby is 9 years old and the only girl. When she isn't tagging along with her older brothers, she loves playing with her dog Nugget and play her whistleharp. Even though she uses a stick to help her get around it doesn't get in her way or stop her from going. Leeli is one of the characters who isn't expanded upon much, but she is one of the kindest and bravest of them all. 

Nia

Nia the mother of the three Igiby children, a widow of their father, and the daughter of Podo Helmer. She is sweet and strong at the same time, and always there for the kids. While she deals with the loss of her husband, she remains strong and leads her family with bravery. 

Podo

Podo is a former pirate, Strander, and dragon hunter who sailed across the Dark Sea and beyond. He past remains a mystery to his grandchildren and daughter. The only glimpse of his pirate life is through the stories he tells. He now resides in the small town of Glipwood with his daughter and her kids.  

Oskar

Oskar N. Reteep is the owner of the bookstore Books & Crannies. He is always quoting famous authors and loves reading about adventure. He is very knowledgeable in most subjects; his adventurous side comes alive as he travels with the Igibys to safety. 

The Story Line:

Without spoiling anything this is to what happens. 

The Igiby family lives in Glipwood; a town where they are oppressed by the lizard-like creatures and a nameless evil called Gnag. 

Janner Igiby is a 12-year-old boy who quickly finds himself in an adventure when the perilous Fangs of Dang are after him, his mother, grandpa, and siblings. The Igibys must stay hidden if they want to stay alive. Word goes round about the mysterious "Jewels of Anniera," but what are they? The Igibys learn secrets about themselves, discover their purpose and their power. 

Content: 

These books are family friendly. Mostly. As the stories go on, the themes of light and darkness or good and evil are more evident. Wars, kidnapping, and sacrifice are all included, but ultimately with redemption and good prevailing. A few parts throughout may be scary to younger readers. 

The short chapters are easy to read and are only a few pages long. The books themselves are over 200 pages each, the books' length increase as the series go on.

Favorite Character(s): 

My favorite characters have to be Kalmar, Artham, the Florid Sword, and Yurgen.

Favorite Book Cover: 

My favorite cover by far is the third book, The Monster in the Hollows, it just looks cool with the lighting and the colors. 

The Show

Age Recommendation: 7+

Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5

The Characters:

The characters pretty much the same as in the first book with the addition of a few minor people and some characters get more screen time than the book would have required. 

The Voice Actors:

The cast for the Angel Sudio's show The Wingfeather Saga has a great variety of actors from all different levels of experience. 

Some of the cast includes Jodi Benson (The Little Mermaid), Kevin McNally (Pirates of the Caribbean), Billy Boyd (Lord of the Rings), and Andrew Peterson (author of The Wingfeather Saga).

Content: 

While the show is a family friendly mostly a kid's show there are a few scenes that could be scary such as the Fangs, the Stone Keeper, creepy people trying to kidnap Janner, and the Fork Factory.

Most of the violence is tamer than as described in the books.

Accuracy to the Books

Overall, the show is very close to the books. A few changes were made such as a few characters get slightly more screen time, or a scene is a bit longer or there is a detour in the plot. So far, the show only has two seasons which means that they have only just arrived at the Fork Factory (iykyk).

Some things that may disappoint is that Sara Cobbler appears in town before she should. Janner is a bit cringey. The animation sometimes throws off the proportions of people's bodies so that heads and hands are too large lol. 

Favorite Character: 

My favorite character yet again is Tink. 

For more information about The Wingfeather Saga visit their website at wingfeathersaga.com!

Thanks for reading!

Comment below if you love The Wingfeather Saga!!!