Sil, a novel
by Jill Harris.
Longacre, 2005. Paperback. ISBN 1-877361-14-3.
Suitable for a 5-8 year old.
Sil: adolescent tui and rising star. His startling song compositions arouse admiration and
jealousy among his age-mates as he prepares for the annual competitions.
Bron: fearless, daredevil flier, a tomboy who tells it like it is. She's
Sil's best friend but Sil can see that handsome Tor is luring her away.
Tor, Bek, Jeb, Pip, Mem, Bel: the whole tui clan who sing in the dawn, hang
off flax bushes, build nests, play aerial games of 'floop', but whose very existence is under threat.
Magpies: an outcast gang beginning a campaign of devastation and annihilation in the valley.
Across the harbour at the competitions, Sil stuns his audience with his singing but, blinded by pride, he makes a fatal mistake. Can he rise from disgrace to help the
tuis strike back?