范祎的《剑鸟》被美国出版集团以10万美元购买，全球出版

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这本出自中国13岁少女之手的《剑鸟》是我读过的最清新、最细腻、最热闹、最富有哲理的小说。小说是奇幻小说的体裁，但读起来真实、富有感情。鸟拿起了剑，捍卫和平，争取自由，这独特的形象让读者飞翔。这本书刚出版就在世界各地热卖，成为多少作家盼望的美国纽约时报畅销小说前十名的排行榜的入围小说。这可能是因为它给读者，特别是小读者带来了愉悦、带来心灵的净化、带来了童趣。整个小说写得简洁，结构完整，悬念迭起，环环相扣，没有一句废话，就像早上推开窗户吸到的第一口空气：清爽、怡神（引自国外评论家的话），难怪不少评论家预言这本小说能成为世界经典儿童小说。
人民文学出版社出版了英汉对照版，给国内读者学英语也带来了方便。
欲了解《剑鸟》作者范祎（音同“一”）如何写成这本优秀小说的，世界出版集团哈珀柯林斯如何以10万美元购下这本书的书稿，并决定在全球出版的，可以到范祎的网站上了解：
中文：http://swordbird.blog.phoenixtv.com/?uid_798702
英文：http://www.swordbird.googlepages.com/index.htm

汉语封面：
英文封面： http://www.swordbird.googlepages.com/swordbird.jpg/swordbird-full.jpg
书中插图： http://www.swordbird.googlepages.com/AskaandMiltin.jpg/AskaandMiltin-full.jpg
书中插图：http://www.swordbird.googlepages.com/Flame-back.jpg/Flame-back-full.jpg

新华社记者有关范祎《剑鸟》的报道

【转载】专访中国旅美女孩范祎：13岁写小说畅销美国

http://www.sina.com.cn 2007年05月03日16:21 新华网

新华网纽约5月2日电 (记者李博) 年仅13岁的中国旅美女孩范祎写作的英文小说《剑鸟》于2007年初在美国出版后连续七周登上《纽约时报》儿童文学畅销书排行榜前十名。日前，《剑鸟》中英文对照版由人民文学出版社出版。《剑鸟》出版后获得好评如潮。一些书评家预测这本小说很可能成为世界儿童文学中的一部经典作品。

继《剑鸟》之后，范祎正在创作前传《寻》，目前已经进入最后两章的收尾阶段。哈珀柯林斯出版公司已经与范祎签约，将于2008年底出版《寻》。此后，范祎还计划创作第三部有关鸟的小说，把《剑鸟》写成三部曲。

日前，范祎通过电子邮件的方式接受了新华社记者的专访。

记者：范祎，最近你在忙什么？                        

范祎：我现在正忙着做的一件事是完成《剑鸟》的前传《寻》的最后两章，收了尾，我还要一遍又一遍地修改，直到满意为止。英文稿完成后我还要把它翻译成中文，争取明年与国内读者见面。

记者：你七岁随父母移居美国，13岁出版英文小说《剑鸟》。能谈谈你学外语的体会吗？

范祎：学一门外语不单单是学习词汇和语法，而且是学习一种文化。我在小学阶段就在美国学习英语。我读了很多英文原版小说。小说是文化的缩影，是不同历史阶段的镜子。我从阅读小说中了解到了很多西方文化。同时，我还坚持读汉语小说，如中国四大古典文学名著的少儿版等，从中汲取了不少中国文化的营养。所以在我写小说《剑鸟》时，我已经是一个中西文化营养兼备的小书虫子了。

记者：你都读过哪些书？

范祎：各种类型的书我都读，这些书对我写作有很大影响。我很喜欢读获奖作品，特别是纽伯瑞获奖作品。那些书无论是故事结构、人物塑造、内在含义都近乎完美。我经常读纽伯瑞系列丛书，反复琢磨故事为什么写得这么好。以后，我自己写东西的时候，就把这些好的特色融入我的写作风格中。中国的四大文学名著、英文小说《简爱》、《飘》，我都读过。不久前，我刚刚读完中文版的《唐吉珂德》。

记者：除了阅读，你的灵感还源于什么？

范祎：我住在美国佛罗里达州，在这儿能看到各种鸟，我家周围有老鹰、红鸟、蓝鸟、鸫鸟，这些都是我《剑鸟》中主角，还能见到另外一些鸟，如啄木鸟、雀鸟，它们将成为我第二本书中的主角。我家里养了三只长尾鹦鹉，他们的颜色分别是黄色、蓝色和绿色的。他们的名字分别叫"琥珀金"、"蓝恩"和"老虎"。启发式、实践为主的教育培养了我的想像思维。课外大量的娱乐时间满足了我好玩的天性。我经常到家附近的森林里散步，采集植物标本，聆听鸟的歌唱。大自然给了我无穷无尽的灵感。

记者：写作给你带来什么益处？

范祎：写作培养了我的想像思维和逻辑思维。一个作者是创造者，一张白纸或一个空白的打字屏，任你的想像在上面驰骋。一个作者又是一个主人，不管小说中发生了多么宏大的事件，作者必须把样样事都安排得井井有条。这需要逻辑严谨。我写了小说，这在我同龄人当中是算做了一个最大的作业了，现在日常作业对我来说都写得很轻松。

记者：《剑鸟》的主题是什么？

范祎：从小说扉页的献词──"献给所有热爱和平和自由的生灵"那里，读者可以推断《剑鸟》的主题大概是战争与和平。是的，这个千古吟颂的主题由人类社会移到了我小说中的鸟的世界。鸟拿起了武器，像人一样思维和讲话，像人一样追求和平与自由。在这个鸟的世界里，有暴君，有神鸟，有奴隶，也有勇士。"正义终将战胜邪恶"这个道理又一次在这个奇幻的鸟的世界中得到了验证。

记者：你怎样看待中美文化？

范祎：在家里我跟父母说汉语，到学校我跟老师、同学讲英语，我在两种语言代码和文化思维中转换，挺有意思的。即使在家里父母让我背唐诗、宋词，我从来没有感到枯燥无味过，我总把学习当作娱乐，一个个形状各异的汉字在我看来是神奇的图画。我敬畏中国的悠久的历史和优秀的文化遗产，同时，我赞叹美国求新的精神。最近我被中央电视台儿童节目组邀请，作为特邀小记者准备制作一套《范祎看美国》的连续节目，我在节目中将用我的视角向国内小朋友介绍我身边发生的事，介绍我对美国文化的认识。

记者：你现在最快乐的事是什么？

范祎：我现在感到最快乐的一件事就是每天都可以看到很多从世界各地小朋友们那里寄来的电子邮件，说他们如何喜欢《剑鸟》，这本书如何鼓励他们去写作等等。我虽然不能一一给他们回信，但我相信他们会理解我的。在这里，如果你能把我的歉意转达给读者，我是很感激的。我相信喜欢《剑鸟》的读者会急切盼望着第二本书的。

记者手记：

范祎是到目前为止我采访过的年龄最小的一位名人。年仅13岁的范祎写作的英文小说《剑鸟》出版后连续七周登上《纽约时报》儿童文学畅销书排行榜前十名。过早的成名为她带来了荣誉和赞美，光环背后，她幼小的心灵也承受着许多始料不及的压力。在联系到范祎的经纪人后，我被告知：范祎最近的日程很忙，除了日常学业以外，还要应对中国、美国各方媒体的采访。对于我的采访要求，她的经纪人没有回绝，而是建议采取电子邮件采访的方式进行。

按照过去的习惯，我会在电子邮件采访前准备至少十几个问题，每个问题又由几个小问题组成。然而，面对一个13岁的孩子，我实在不忍心采取记者常规的"轰炸式"提问方式。为了尽量少占用她的时间，不让她感觉到压力，我在信件中只提了几个非常简单的问题，比如：你现在上几年级，喜欢什么课程啊，读了哪些书等等。

令我吃惊的是，就在我把采访提问发出去的第二天，我收到了范祎的回信。范祎不但认认真真地回答了我提出的每一个问题，而且还用中英文双语作答。在我提出的简短问题后面，她写下了她本人的详细情况。她生动而流畅的语言表达能力令我由衷赞叹，她待人待事的态度更让我看到了一位中国女孩的淳朴和真诚。

香港明报专访华裔神童作家范祎

明报报导/北京13岁作家范祎的英文小说《剑鸟》在美国热卖，本报记者透过电邮专访了范祎，了解这位才华洋溢华裔神童的创作心路历程。年纪轻轻的范祎没有因成名而畄昏头脑，她表示很感激小书迷的支持，称「书迷的赞许增加其创作动力」。范祎还透露有亲属居於香港，未来一定会来港，届时香港的小书迷有望与她交流。重踏北京抽空往书城范祎早前为宣传《剑鸟》，重返阔别7年的故乡北京，发现新建了许多高楼大厦，但这无碍她寻找童年回忆。她道：「虽然到北京参加新书发布会只有一两天行程，但我还是抽空和妈妈去了一趟图书城，那是我小时候常去的地方。」接踵而来的宣传活动令范祎，应接不暇，使得这位只有13岁的女孩一夜间成了大忙人。但《剑鸟》的空前成功没有令范祎畄昏头脑。她表示，读者和评论家的称赞，更成为她增强创作的动力。敬畏华文化赞美国求真精神范祎自言之所以迷上阅读和写作，全因美国充满创作空间的教育方式。她向本报道：「我整天在儿童文学的海洋遨游，不但令我开阔眼界，还练得一身『畅游』的本领。书读多了，手就痒，索性每天写起日记来。日记写久了，又感到不够劲，於是尝试写小说。」对於中美文化的差异，范祎觉得「中国的文化传统令人敬畏，美国的求新精神令人赞叹」。佩服港同学英语佳多看美小说谈到香港时，她表示香港是个国际大都会、世界文化的交汇处，她在美国学校认识许多来自香港的同学，他们刚到美国就能说一口流利英语，并曾阅读很多英美原着小说，令她非常钦佩。她笑道：「看来香港的小朋友读英文版《剑鸟》不会有任何问题。」由於有亲属居港，范祎表示将来一定会来香港游览。习剑术体会中国「止戈为武」为了写好《剑鸟》中的打斗场面，范祎特意报读武术班。她直言由於练基本功太辛苦，所以请教练直接教授国际剑术套路。她表示，虽然自己武功底子不太深，但透过学习武术，她体会到中华武术的精神：为和平而习武。回想刚到美国时，同学常问范祎：「你能像Jackie Chan(成龙)那样耍功夫吗？」那时她一点都不晓，但也为成龙而感自豪；对於成龙读《剑鸟》后撰信赞许她，她自言感到十分高兴。范祎透过自荐而获出版商赏识出书，她形容这是个「传奇的经历」。她还藉此鼓励读者：「只要努力就能成功。」与角色同忧同喜写作如过节近期到北京上海宣传新书和出席签名会，令范祎非常开心。她向本报称：「看到读者一张张灿烂的笑脸，我都忘记手酸了。」范祎形容，《剑鸟》刚写到头几章时，每天都像过年似的，就如活在自己编织的奇幻世界中，与小说中的角色同忧同乐。「写到高兴处，我会在房间又蹦又跳，像快乐的小鸟」。她更试图把熟悉的人都变成鸟，把他们的个性揉进小说的角色。对於父母的栽培，范祎说：「他们为我投入的心血太多了，我非常感激。」要数《剑鸟》背后的功臣，原来还得数在范祎家外筑巢的鸫鸟。她表示，当时她正为小说构思主角，适逢窗外阳台的吊兰招来一对北美的鸫鸟来筑巢。就这样，小说的主角米尔廷就定了。「吊兰上的鸫鸟从筑巢、生蛋、孵蛋、幼鸟出生，到幼鸟飞走都在我观察之中，这些小生命为我的馀暇增添了色彩。」阅读和写作虽然都属静态活动，但范祎认为无损其社交生活。「在写作中，我导演覑一切，安排覑各种事件发生，在各种角色之间转换，思考在什麽场合他们应该说什麽话，当我走到社会时，我感到我的社交能力还真不逊色。我与老师和同学的关系都很好。在与媒体打交道时，无论是在美国还是在中国，记者们都很喜欢我。」科科获A盼入哈佛在众多科目中，范祎最喜欢语文，其次是数学。目前为止，范祎各科成绩都获得A，更被当地重点高中取录。范祎长大后最想入读哈佛大学，以了解「名校那些古老的故事和优秀传统」。

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Darkness nourishes power.
—from the Book of Heresy

Prologue

Shadows

Beams of light fell through the trees, creating shadows that flecked the thick, moist undergrowth. Hidden in a patch of those shadows, a fortress was under construction. Many woodbirds had been captured and pinioned for this, and they worked wordlessly, carrying stones, clay, and sticks day after day. Usually a coal black crow could be found strutting among them. Whenever possible, he would spring on an unsuspecting victim with curses, yells, and a sound lashing. He was Bug-eye, the driver of the slavebirds, who carried a black leather whip the color of his feathers.

Through one sly golden eye, a red-brown hawk in dark robes observed the construction of his fortress. His name was Turnatt. Large for his kind, he towered over his captain and soldiers. With sharp claws for battling, a loud, commanding voice, and foul breath, he was a bird to be feared. His nasty habit of tapping an eye patch over his left eye while glaring with his right made the other birds shiver.

Turnatt had raided countless nests, camps, and homes, capturing woodbirds as slaves and bringing them to this secret, gloomy corner. Now the time had finally come: the building of Fortress Glooming. Sitting on a temporary throne, the hawk let thoughts of evil pleasure pass through his mind. As Turnatt watched the thin, helpless slavebirds' every movement, he tore into a roasted fish so messily that juices ran down his beak.

Slime-beak, Turnatt's captain, was hopping about, glancing at the trees bordering the half-built fortress. He dreaded Turnatt, for he worried about being made into a scapegoat.

Displeased, Turnatt stared down his beak at his ner-vous captain, his bright eye burning a hole into the bothersome crow's face.

"Stop hopping, Slimey—you're getting on my nerves. I'll demote you if you keep on doing that." A fish scale hung from the edge of Turnatt's beak.

Slime-beak shivered like a leaf, partly because of fear and partly because of the hawk's bad breath.

"Y-yes, milord. But it has been three days since Flea-screech and the soldiers went to look for new slaves. They still haven't returned!"

The hawk lord guffawed. The tail of the roasted fish fell from his beak and disappeared down the collar of his robe.

"Fool, who has ever heard of little woodbirds killing a crow? If you don't stop with that nonsense, I'll send you to get slaves! Now go and check the progress on my fortress. Then come back and report your news!" Turnatt waved the long, embroidered sleeve of his robe at the captain.

Slime-beak thought himself lucky that the hawk was in a good mood. Knowing Turnatt was fickle, Slime-beak dashed away.

Seeing the crow scurry off, dizzy and awkward, Turnatt tapped his covered eye in satisfaction. He chuckled, his glossy feathers shaking. His fierce yellow eye narrowed wickedly, becoming a slit. He was Lord Turnatt—the Evil, the Conqueror, the Slayer, and the Tyrant of soon-to-be Glooming. He thought about torturing woodbirds, killing others that got in his way. Nobird—nobird—could stop the mighty Turnatt. It would be as he had dreamed for seasons. He would rule the entire forest, with millions of slavebirds to bow down before him. Turnatt tilted his head back and let out a bloodcurdling screech that echoed throughout the forest. Slime-beak and the soldiers followed suit, their loud chants drowning out every other sound.

"Long live Lord Turnatt, long live the Tyrant of Fortress Glooming, long live the lord!"

Over the shouts, the sun rose above the treetops.

A forest split in two cannot stand.
—from the Old Scripture

Chapter One

The Red and the Blue

Just north of Stone-Run Forest, a war party of cardinals glided in and out of the shadows as the light of dawn slowly slipped into the sky. They traveled swiftly and low, each grimly wielding a sword in one claw. The leader, Flame-back, a sturdy cardinal distinguished by his larger and more powerful wings, reviewed their plan of attack.

"Circle the camp, wait for my signal, attack. Simple.

Everybird understand?" Crested heads bobbed in answer.

The idea of violence frightened a young cardinal, who wrapped his claw tightly around his sword hilt. "Flame-back, are the blue jays awake? If they are, we'll die! I don't want to die!"

Flame-back looked at the blurred land in the distance and, flapping his strong wings a couple of times, tried to reassure his band.

"The blue jays don't wake up so early, and nobird's going to die. Nobird's going to kill. Hear? We just scare and attack. No hurting." Pausing, Flame-back added in a more comforting tone, "And we must find our eggs. We can't let anybird, anybird at all, steal our unhatched offspring." The speech calmed his band, especially the youngster, whose wail dwindled to a sniff and a sob.

The cardinals were deep in thought. They all knew that Flame-back was right. There were no sounds except their wings, whooshing and rustling against the wind as they flew—red figures against a blue sky. They soared over the Appleby Hills and across the Silver Creek. Dewdrops trembled on delicate blades of grass; dandelions and daisies peeped over their leaves to greet the sun. Near the fringe of the forest, beech trees stood still, and only the morning breeze occasionally disturbed them. Those trees were ancient ones, covered with moss and vines, leaning over to touch branches with one another. Small creeks gurgled gently as they rippled along, under mists that covered the ground. But the cardinals were in no mood to enjoy such things. They were on a mission. The war party made a sharp turn along a boulder and flew over the Line, the border between the territories of the blue jays and the cardinals.

As they crossed, a twinge of uneasiness ran along every cardinal's spine. They were entering forbidden territory. But about a month before, it hadn't been. A month before, the cardinals and blue jays had been good friends. Their hatchlings had played with one another; they had fished for shrimp and hunted for crickets together. But things were different now. With a brisk flap of his wings Flame-back led his cardinals through a twist in a gap in the tangled trees.

"Lively now, lads. You all know what we're here for, so get ready. Fleet-tail, branch off with a third of our forces and go around to the left. You, take another third and go to the right. The rest, follow me. Swift and silent, good and low, friends."

In a flash the cardinals separated into three groups and departed into the shadows. After flying through a ghostly fog, the cardinals saw their destination. Eyes glistened and heartbeats quickened. With a few hushed words, the cardinals swiftly got into positions surrounding the blue jay camp. No feathers rustled. They sat as silent and rigid as statues, waiting for Flame-back's signal to attack.

The cardinals' target was ten budding oak trees hidden behind a tall, thick wall of pines. The oaks grew in a small meadow of early spring flowers and clover sparkling with dew. The pine tree border was so dense that one might fly right past it and not see the oak trees inside. It was indeed cleverly hidden. Those oaks were the home of the Bluewingle tribe.

It was very quiet. Occasionally a swish of feathers and breathing broke the silence. A strange long-limbed tree protruded from the center of the grove. In the branches of this tree a hushed exchange was taking place.

An elderly blue jay, Glenagh, shifted on his perch, his thin gray shoulders hunched up. Peering through the oak leaves, he could see a dim ray of light climbing up the ancient mountains.

How long can we go on fighting our old friends? the old blue jay wondered.

He turned abruptly to face his companion, Skylion. "How are you going to keep this ‘war' up?" Glenagh asked. "Ever since you became the leader of the Bluewingles, we've been fighting the cardinals constantly." The old blue jay sighed. His feathers drooped. "You definitely do make your mind up faster than a falling acorn hits the ground."

Skylion turned his gaze toward the elder, Glenagh. "They used to be our friends—our family, almost," he said. The younger blue jay poured a cup of acorn tea for the elder with disbelief.

Shaking his graying head sadly, Glenagh accepted the tea with a worn claw. He gazed at his reflection in his cup with a dreary look. "Remember Fleet-tail? The cardinal who's always so quiet? Just last week I saw him with a raiding party, hollering and yelling like the rest."

"Well," Skylion replied hoarsely, "we have to regard the cardinals as enemies. Stealing and robbing—that's what they do now."

Leaves rustled as the wind changed direction.

"True, the cardinals have robbed us bare to our feathers, but we have done our share as well." Glenagh glanced again at the light outside. "The sack of pine seeds, the raisins, the bundles of roots, the apples . . . We've taken back more than what was stolen from us. We cannot say we aren't thieves."

Skylion hastily dismissed the idea. "Yes, but they stole our blueberries, our walnuts and honey! They stole the raspberries, the mushrooms, and more!" the blue jay leader argued. "We only took back food because we needed to survive. It's just spring. There's hardly any food you can gather outside. And what about our eggs? Our offspring. The next generation. Is there an explanation for that?"

"Peace is more important, Skylion." Glenagh shook his head and took a sip of acorn tea. "You do have a point about our eggs, but the cardinals declared that we stole their eggs and they didn't steal ours. I cannot believe that having been friends for so long, we have suddenly become enemies. Maybe they didn't steal from us; maybe somebird else did. We should go and talk with them about this."

"No, Glenagh. It would be a waste of time! We tried to talk before, but they only accused us of stealing from them first. You know that isn't true!" Skylion snorted.

"But Skylion, don't you—"

Skylion leaned forward. "Glenagh, can you stay calm and aloof when our eggs are snatched and stolen right from under our beaks? Of course not. We are fighting to get them back!"

Glenagh calmly looked at the leader, the steam of the tea brushing his face. He was silent for a few moments and then said, quite slowly, "Does fighting solve the problem?"

Skylion sighed deeply and shifted his glance to the wall, where there hung a painting of a white bird holding a sword. Though the painting was worn and the color faded, the picture still was as magnificent as ever. The bird seemed to smile at Skylion. Skylion almost imagined that the bird mouthed something to him.

Skylion whispered, "I wish Swordbird could come here to solve this."

"Ah, Swordbird . . ." Glenagh toyed with the name as a smile slowly lit up his face. "The mystical white bird, the son of the Great Spirit . . . He is a myth, but I know he exists. I know in my bones. Do you remember the story in the Old Scripture about a tribe of birds attacked by a python? They took out their Leasorn gem and performed a ritual to summon Swordbird. Immediately he came in a halo of light, and with a single flap of his great wings the python vanished into thin air." Glenagh paused. "Well," he said, "to call for Swordbird, we need a Leasorn gem. It's said to be a crystallized tear of the Great Spirit. But we don't have one. We have no idea where to find one either. So, it's what's in you and me that counts." Glenagh drained his cup, savoring the last drops.

Skylion opened his beak to reply, but he was interrupted by a frantic rustle of leaves. A young blue jay's head poked through, and in a high, nervous voice the youngster gave the message: "The cardinals! We are being attacked! We are being attacked!"

The foregoing is excerpted from Swordbird by Nancy Fan, and Mark Zug. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced without written permission from HarperCollins Publishers, 10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022

海外游子UID: 2339893

《剑鸟》是目前国际儿童图书市场最热的一本书。既是学英语的好范本，又是节日娱乐的好书。
这里我收集了一些读者评论，大多数有地道的英语原文，大家读的时候还能学学英语。

It’s hard to believe but the author was only 12 years old when she wrote this thrilling, beautifully crafted fantasy about evil Lord Turnatt, a hawk who has enslaved birds to build a fortress and has set the cardinals and bluejays to fighting each other.
She creates vivid characters with wonderful names (Flameback the cardinal, Dilby the loon) and other cool words like “nobird”, “somebird,” and “everybird.” There’s a hummingbird circus, birds dining on raspberry pie and fending off invaders with scalding bean soup. Best of all each chapter starts with a quotation from some book of bird lore, including the Book of Heresy which promises the terrible Turnatt eternal life - if he eats the egg of one woodbird every day.
Nancy Yi Fan is a talent to watch!
- Jean Westmoore, The Buffalo News
简直难以相信作者在写这本令人赞叹、精雕细琢的奇幻小说时只有12岁。这个故事描述了邪恶老鹰特耐特君主如何抓鸟为奴，为他建造堡垒，并挑拨红蓝鸟相互打仗。
她创作出许多栩栩如生的角色，并给他们起了绝妙的名字如红鸟火焰背，潜鸟迪比等，另外作者还自创了其他一些很酷的英文词语如“nobird”，”somebird”和 “everybird”。有一群剧团鸟，用红莓派和滚烫的豆子汤阻击入侵者。更精彩的是书的每章前都有一段引语，或者是引自充满鸟族古老传说的《古经》，或者是引自《邪经》。《邪经》让恶霸特耐特着迷的是里面的一句话：每天吃一只林鸟蛋，生命延续到永远。
范祎是令人值得注目的天才！
-琼.韦斯特莫尔 《布法罗新闻报》2007年2月4日

I read Swordbird last weekend and was amazed. It’s an extraordinary work, and would be an accomplishment for an adult author. That the writer was so young really makes this work remarkable. The bird characters, the juxtaposition of the Book of Heresy and Old Scripture sayings, and the almost allegorical tone give it a solid fantasy feel. In short, I loved it, and I think kids
will really enjoy it, both as a great story and as a phenomenal work by one of their peers.
We’ll be adding the book to the reading program and including it in our book fair offerings!
Congrats!
Kevin Washburn, Ed.D.
Clerestory Learning/Make Way for Books
Pelham, AL
上周末我读了《剑鸟》，感到很惊讶。它是一本非凡的小说，就是成人作家若写成这样也是很大成就了。作家的小小年纪更使这本小说令人瞩目。鸟的角色，《邪经》和《古经》的穿插引语，以及那带着寓言似的的语气都给小说增添了十足的奇幻色彩。我喜爱它，我想孩子们一定会由衷地喜欢它，这不仅因为它是一个伟大的故事，而且因为它是由同龄人写出的杰出的作品。
我们将把这本书列为读书活动的必读小说，并把它放到我们书市的展台上。
祝贺范祎的成就！
凯文.沃什泊恩，教育学博士
《学习窗》/《读书之路》
2007年3月9日于美国亚拉巴马州

I was struck by the richness of your vocabulary, especially your descriptions of the forest and the names of the birds. When Turnatt appeared, your language became suitably ‘dark’. Your explanation of the way in which the Reds and Blues became enemies was believable - and meaningful for the world today. And you built up the suspense well near the end when Miltin was so brave.
- Betty Barr
foreign expert from British Council
Shanghai International Studies University
The author of SHANGHAI BOY, SHANGHAI GIRL — LIVES IN PARALLEL
你那丰富的词汇，尤其是对森林的描写和给鸟起的名字，给我留下了深刻的印象。当特耐特出场时，你恰当地使用了“黑暗”的语言。你对红蓝鸟如何成为仇敌的原因解释得令人信服 — 这对当今世界很有意义。在小说的结尾，当米尔顿表现得那么勇敢时，你设计的悬念也特别好。
白丽诗
上海外国语大学外籍专家
《上海男孩，上海女孩》的作者

I am a 10 year old who has just devoured the book Swordbird by Nancy Yi Fan. I loved the book! I think it will be a hit and anxiously await a sequel.
Paul Carstens
我10岁了，我一口气读完了范祎的《剑鸟》。我太喜欢这本书了！我想它一定会受到大家喜欢的。我焦急地等待着她的下一本书。
- 保罗.卡斯腾斯

Be sure to read Swordbird by Nancy Yi Fan. It is not only a wonderful story about the birds of Stone-Run Forest, it is a lesson in what fighting can do to a community and the heroism and courage needed to find peace.
- Mrs. Chenique
一定要读范祎的《剑鸟》哟！这本书不但写了一个石头跑森林鸟族的奇妙的故事，而且它阐述了战争带来恶果，寻求和平需要勇敢和胆量这个道理。
- 琴尼克夫人

Turnatt takes control over the hawk population of Stone-Run Forest. He demands loyalty and will punish those who disobey though he can be fickle and inconsistent with his commands. His goal is become the Evil Conqueror and Slayer known as the “Tyrant of Fortress Glooming” that will eventually encompass the entire forest.
As his forces attack the other bird species, the blue jays and the cardinals think the other has attacked them. Their hostility is open and war seems imminent with the only winner being Turnatt whose minion caused the argument between the blue and the red. Unless a miracle occurs many will die and a free forest will become a vicious malevolent dictator’s realm. However, only the Swordbird, son of the Great Spirit, can prevent the tragedy and return the forest to domestic tranquility for all its creatures. The only problem is the Swordbird is a myth.
This is a fascinating well written personification fantasy aimed at the 8-12 years old crowd. Readers will see differing personalities especially between the various bird species. As the non Hawks pray for a hero especially Swordbird, fans will enjoy the confrontation between evil and good.
Harriet Klausner
老鹰特耐特试图占领石头跑森林。尽管他喜怒无常、朝令夕改，他还是强制他爪下的士兵听从他的命令，谁敢违抗就惩治谁。他的目标是成为征服者，杀戮者，“阴森堡垒的大王”，进而统治整个森林。
当他的士兵偷袭当地鸟族时，土著鸟红蓝鸟都误以为是当地鸟的一方洗劫了他们。他们之间由仇恨转为战争，情况十分紧急，而特耐特在由他爪下挑拨起来的这场战争中渔翁得利。除非有奇迹出现，不然许多当地鸟就会死亡，一片自由的森林就会落到暴君的魔爪中。然而，只有神的儿子剑鸟能阻止这场悲剧的发生，使这片森林恢复往日的平静。问题是剑鸟只是传说的鸟还是真的存在。
这是一本用拟人手法写成的迷人的、文笔隽秀的奇幻小说。它的目标读者群是8到12岁的孩子。读者会看到各种性格各异的鸟的角色。当林鸟呼唤剑鸟时，读者粉丝会被正义和邪恶的斗争场面所吸引。
美国在线著名评书人
哈丽雅特.克劳斯纳
《亚马逊网》
2007年2月10日

This book is the best book ever!
I think this book should be made a best seller, it has what all books need, a great story, adventure, and a great writer to write. Nancy Yi Fan should continue writing!
Catherine M Newman
这是我看过的最好的书！
我认为这本小说会成为畅销书，它具备所有书需要具备的东西，好故事，历险，由天才作家所写等。范祎应该继续写下去！
-凯瑟琳.纽曼
《亚马逊网》书评讨论区
2007年3月2日

This was an engaging, amazing ,beautifully written book. I loved her first sentence and called my sister, a school librarian in California, who orders books for her district, right away.She is going to order it for her schools. I love birds and the cardinals and blue jays are here in New Jersey in abundance and peaked my interest. I am a retired teacher and if still teaching 3rd grade, would read this book to the class. We would do a unit, including the different birds, vocabulary, and theme. I gave the book to my daughter, who is a teacher and she is going to read it and do activities with her 5th graders. Good luck to Nancy with her writing career.
by: Mary Lou Neill
New Jersey
retired elem teacher
这是一本引人入胜、令人惊讶、刻画完美的小说。书中的第一个句子就迷上了我，我马上给我的妹妹打了电话，她是加州的一所学校的图书馆员，她为她学区负责定书。她准备为她学校定这本书。我喜欢鸟，我们新泽西州这儿有许多红鸟和蓝鸟，我对它们十分感兴趣。我是退休教师。若我还教三年级的话儿，我会把这本书读给学生听的。我可能安排一个课程单元，包括了解各种鸟，词汇和主题等。我把这本书给了我的女儿，她现在是老师。她打算给她5年级的学生读这本小说，并做些活动。
向范祎祝好，望她写出更好的小说来！
玛丽.卢.尼尔
新泽西州的退休小学教师
发表在《出版人周刊》的讨论区
2/19/2007

I just finished Swordbird and it’s an excellent book. I thought it was nice that I’m not the only one who has thoughts about peace and war. It was a powerful book. If the book becomes a movie, I think it would win an award. Great job. It gave me inspiration to turn my story into a book.
- Megan Cahill, 14 years old, Long Island, NY
我刚刚读完了《剑鸟》，这是一本很棒的书。我认为它写得好，看来不只是我在关注战争与和平了。这本小说很有感召力。如果把这个故事拍成电影，我认为一定能获奖的。故事写得完美。受这本书的启发，我也想把我的故事也写成一本书了。
-梅甘.卡希尔, 14岁, 于纽约州,长岛, 2007年3月20日

Most impressive! It will be interesting to see how Fan develops as an author as she matures. The next great American novelist just may be from China.
-Linda,
Manchester Center, VT
给我留下最深印象的小说！很有趣看着范祎今后如何发展。美国下一代的伟大小说家或许来自中国。
-琳达
曼切斯特中心，佛蒙特州
发表在《出版人周刊》的讨论区

What an incredible story! It’s exciting, adventurous, and magnificent. It has fabulous characters in a captivating world that really sucked me in. Loved it!
Linh (San Jose, CA)
简直写出了一个令人难以置信的故事！扣人心弦、充满冒险、场面宏大。在她描画出的那个迷人世界中那一个个神奇的角色完全把我吸引住了。太爱读这本书了！
-琳
圣何塞，加利福尼亚州
发表于哈珀柯林斯读者书评区

This book is amazing, the characters and the plot were magical. This book is for people who like Warriors! I should know I am one. Yeah, overall the book was very great. I hope Nancy Yi Fan continues writing for the rest of her life!
- Mychajlo
Philadelphia, PA
这本小说写得太美妙了，书中的角色、情节充满了神奇。这本书会吸引爱读《勇士》的书迷的！至少我已成了它的书迷了。是的。总之，这本小说写得太棒了。我希望范祎今后一直写下去！
- 迈卡亚罗
费城，宾西法尼亚
发表于哈珀柯林斯读者书评区

I don’t like fantasy books, but I thought Swordbird was marvelous! Nancy Yi Fan is an incredible young writer. She cleverly uses personification to show how war hurts both sides and the strong feelings that evolve from it. In fact, her characters become so life-like that at times I cried along beside them, laughed at them, or became angry with them. I look forward to Nancy’s next creation!
-Toni
Onalaska, WI
我一般不太喜欢奇幻小说的，但是我认为《剑鸟》写得太好了！范祎是个天才小作家。她巧妙地运用拟人的手法向读者展示战争如何伤害双方，以及从中衍生的强烈的感情。事实上，她描写的角色栩栩如生，我不时地跟着他们一起哭，一起笑，并跟角色生气。我盼望早日读到范祎的下一本书。
-托尼
欧那拉斯卡，威斯康星州
发表于哈珀柯林斯读者书评区

Swordbird was an interesting look at war through the eyes of a child. Young writer Nancy Yi Fan transferred her 6th grade girl’s perception of war and resulting fears to a war situation in a forest inhabited by cardinals, blue jays, robins, assorted songbirds, and a terroristic hawk with his army of crows and ravens. The author gave human characteristics to the birds while keeping their birdlike qualities as well–which would keep the subject more approachable to children reading her book. I liked how the enslaved birds as well as the birds under attack fought back and thought of ways to join together to beat the evil dictator. This book may help children realize that although fighting a war is never pleasant, those under attack should unite, have faith, and work together to maintain freedom.
Thomas
Dover, DE
《剑鸟》是通过孩子眼睛看战争的一本很有趣的小说。小作者范祎把她6年级时对战争的认识和恐惧转换成了一片森林的鸟之间发生战争的故事，森林里有红鸟、蓝鸟、鸫鸟、各种剧团鸟、恐怖鸟老鹰和他的乌鸦和渡鸦士兵。作者赋予鸟了人性同时又保留了鸟的特征，使战争与和平这个主题更易被孩子读者所接受。我喜欢书中奴鸟和受进攻的林鸟如何反抗，如何想方设法联合起来反击恶霸的情节。这本书也许能帮助儿童认识到打仗永远是不好的。被进攻方应该团结起来，满怀信心，一同为争取自由而战。
-托马斯
多佛，特拉华州
发表于哈珀柯林斯读者书评区

I think Swordbird is amazing. It is the kind of book that I love to read, and the author is around my age. I bought it and read it in one night. I only hope that someday I will write that well.
by Emily Anderson
我认为《剑鸟》写得太棒了。这种书是我喜爱读的那种，作者跟我的年龄差不多。我买了这本书，一晚上就把它读完了。我希望将来我也能写出这么好的书。
埃米莉.安德森

I bought this book for my 10 year old grandson who read the book in 2 days. He said he really liked it and the fact the characters were birds really amazed him. I gave it a five star rating on his recommendation.
Evelyn R. Boyer
我给我10岁的孙子买了这本书，他用了两天就把它读完了。他说他真太喜欢它了，书中的鸟的角色让他开心。在我孙子的推荐下我给这本书五星的满分。
伊夫琳.博伊尔
发表于亚马逊网读者评论区

Nancy, you are an insparation to me. Not only did you write an amazingly fun book, but you showed me that if you follow your dreams and never give up, you can accomplish anything!!!
Willow (12 years old)
范祎, 你给我的鼓励太大了。你不仅写出了一本非常有趣的书，而且你的成绩告诉大家如果你追求你的梦想，你就能成功的！！！
薇洛，12岁

Your book is the best book ever. I read it in one day. You should make it into a movie. I’m making my mom read the book. Your book was featured in my TFK magazine. I love the book so much. - Mia
你写的书是我读过的最好的书。我用了一天的时间就把它读完了。你应该把它改编成电影。我正让我妈妈读这本书呢。你的书在《时代》杂志少年版上是特别推荐的书目。我特别喜爱这本书。
- 米娅

Swordbird
Nancy Yi Fan, read by Colleen Delaney. HarperChildren’s Audio, unabridged, four CDs, four hours, $25.95 ISBN 978-0-06-123398-2
As any fan of Brian Jacques’s Redwall saga knows, the forest is teeming with societies of animals that have complicated dynamics. Thirteen-year-old author Yi Fan’s debut novel joins the genre with her tale told from the birds’ vantage point, translated handily to audio by Delaney. The narrator’s steady, assured delivery paints a captivating fantasy world for listeners, replete with feathered heroes and villains. Turnatt, the tyrant hawk, forces his enslaved woodbird subjects to steal eggs and food from both the blue jays and the cardinals, causing the two bird tribes to blame each other and go to war. But when a neutral party reveals Turnatt’s plan, the warring factions join forces to seek out the Swordbird, Son of the Great Spirit, the only true hope to help them restore peace. Though listeners may have trouble differentiating Delaney’s bird character voices, adventure, action and allegory abound here, helping this recording to take wing. A bonus interview with the author is included. Ages 10-up. (Feb.)
Staff of Publishers Weekly
布赖恩.雅克写的《红墙》系列的书迷都知道，森林里的动物世界纷繁复杂。13岁作者范祎的处女作也加入了这个体裁，讲述了鸟的世界的故事，并由德莱尼把它朗读成了有声读物。朗读者稳重、可信的语气为听众描画了一个神奇迷人的世界。这个世界有各种各样的长着羽毛的英雄和恶棍。暴君特耐特老鹰命令手下士兵到红鸟、蓝鸟营地偷蛋，偷食物，使双方互相指责。当爱丝卡发现特耐特的诡计后，双方联合起来，共同寻找伸的儿子剑鸟，这是他们寻求和平的唯一希望。故事充满了历险、格斗和传说，使得这个有声故事长上了翅膀。有声CD中还包括了采访作者的录音。
-《出版人周刊》的评论员

I saw an article in a children’s newspaper about a young girl called Nancy Yi Fan who had published a book. When I read Swordbird, I was amazed how the author described every character, event, and place with such detail, and how the plot worked out so well. I really enjoyed reding Swordbird, and cannot wait for the sequel to come out!
- Téa Kvetenadze
我在一个儿童报纸上读到了小女孩范祎出版小说的文章。当我读《剑鸟》时，我惊奇地发现作者把每个角色、事件和地点都描写那么详细、情节发展得那么流畅。我真的喜欢《剑鸟》啊，并迫不及待地盼望《剑鸟》的前传早日问世！
-提伊.克维特娜茨

I think your book is awesome. We read it at school but I wanted to read it again because it was so good. You have encouraged me to write. I liked seeing you at my school too. Thank you!
-Jessica
我认为你的小说太酷了。我在学校读了它，可我还想读一遍，因为书写太好了。你鼓励我写作，我盼望你能到学校来访问。谢谢你！
-杰茜卡

Hi, Nancy.
I enjoyed your story. The best part is the way you write — crisp, clear, not a wasted word. The story as well is tidy, pleasant, and compelling.
I loved your use of language — your precise use of verbs such as ‘pinioned’, ‘scurry’, ‘bobbed’, ‘gurgles’, ‘rippled’, etc, the made-up pronouns with such clarity (e.g ‘anybird’) and the images like ‘a thick wall of pines’. The names and terms you used drew me into the story. ‘Slavebird’, ‘Flame-back’ for a cardinal, ‘Skylion’ for a blue jay, ‘Bone-squak’, and ‘Swordbird’ are all in a true fantasy fashion. The index of names at the end is kind of a treat. Actually all the extra stuff enhanced the book appropriately….
Your book is brilliant in all of its detail and craft.
Linda Leonard Lamme,
Professor of Children’s Literature, Ph.D.
University of Florida
范祎： 你好！
我喜欢你的故事。最好的部分是你的写作手法 — 干脆、明了、没有废话。故事结构也很合理，读起来令人愉悦，让人一口气读下去。我喜欢你使用的动词，如，“pinioned”（捆绑上翅膀），“scurry”（急跑），“bobbed”（上下点头），“gurgles”（发出潺潺声），“rippled”（泛起涟漪）等等，还有你自己创造的代词（如“anybird”每只鸟），挺有有意思。再有一些景象的描写也很到位，如“a thick wall of pines”（松林的屏障）。你使用的名字很吸引我，如“火焰背”，“天狮”，“骨头喊”和“剑鸟”都带有奇幻小说的风格。结尾的名字目录给读者带来了方便。事实上，所有附加的东西都很得体。
你的小说在所有细节的处理上都近乎完美。
琳达.拉米
儿童文学教授，博士
佛罗里达大学

Swordbird is the most inspirational book for kids wanting to write their own books. It has everything an important book should have, and you may not even believe that a 12/13 year old wrote this. When I write my books and I get stuck, I find myself thinking “What would Nancy do?” It’s real great.-Erin G.
《剑鸟》这本书最能给自己想写小说的 孩子带来启发和鼓励。它具有所有好书所具备的特征。你也许不相信一个十二、三岁的孩子能写出这样的书。当我写书时，常常写不下去，这时，我就问自己“范祎怎么做的呢？”这本书真好啊！
-埃琳

Dear Nancy, today I finished Swordbird. You are such an inspiring author!!! I think you should write a sequel or turn it into the first book of a series. It would be cool if we could see Miltin again!
－Valerie (Val)
亲爱的范祎：
今天我读完了《剑鸟》，你是一位多么鼓励人的小作者呀！！！我想你该写个后传或把写个系列什么的。若是再能读写有关米尔顿的故事，那该多好啊！
-瓦莱丽

听作者的演讲有所得
今天她来我们学校做了一个全英语的讲座。还送了中英对照的《剑鸟》，到场的几乎人手一本。
虽然只有十三岁，但是看上去相当成熟。她对文学的理解远远超过中国的同龄人，她对很多知识比如文学的整体有OUTLOOK；懂得鉴赏；以及写作过程中一些很实际的问题，总之，十分清楚怎样去做这件事。而我们总是半途而废，就是视野不开阔，因而不知道怎么做的问题。
她解决问题的能力也相当强，她知道怎么动脑筋，并且始终用享受和乐观的态度对待。我们没有美国文化熏陶出的PASSION，中国的环境里，更多的声音是：得过且过。
她知道怎样把握分寸，她为什么写。她对故事有怎样的期待，然后怎样倾听不同的声音。
我想，如此成熟的心态，也许我们的古人有，但是在当今的中国真的很难见到。我希望以后日子好过了，在中国长大的小孩也能像她一样，那么明澈，那样充满热忱。
这就是文化。
也许是我英语的表达能力太臭了，她没有能听懂我的意思，以为是写作技巧方面的问题。后来和同去的人讲了，他以为我说的“我们之间的区别”指社会宽容度。其实我也已经说过PASSION了，一方没有切身的体会，一方身在庐山中，都想不到“文化”的方面。
作者： ZDBNFXL001

今天一口气看完了后半本。这种书好像有个特点，看前半本时毫无感觉，但是看下去就会放不下来。而且也不能用故事梗概去预测它的精彩程度，就像福楼拜说的，一个故事在于怎么去写。我真料不到细节会那么生动和丰富，还读出点和平，信仰，牺牲之类的东西。
作者： ZDBNFXL001

I want to be cautious to not undermine the author’s skill level and potential because of her age. It’s undeniably a remarkable book considering the author’s age. Truth be told, many adult authors neglect to proofread their work. So, it’s admirable and inspiring to see someone who isn’t even a teenager yet to publish such a successful book. Admittedly, the storyline is targeted for the younger audience, as it was written by a younger person, so I wouldn’t recommend this to the average adult, but it’s a great book for children whose curiosity and interest in animals are at their peak. This book is engaging for them and offers a sense of mysticism that they can connect to. It’s like the Disney movie version of a book with an underlying political and moral compass. It’s best for young children whose reading level is advancing. It’ll also be so encouraging for children to know that someone their age accomplished such a goal.
With that said a well-written book by such an accomplished and dedicated writer more than deserves our support.
- Erik Espinoza
我要小心，不能因为作者的年龄而低估了她的写作技巧和潜能。考虑到她的年龄，这真是一本杰出的书。实际上，许多成人作家忽略改正和润色他们的作品。看到一个少女作家出版这本优秀的书的确令人鼓舞。这本小说是小作家写给孩子的书，所以我不推荐给成人读，因为孩子们对动物的兴趣和好奇处在人生的顶峰阶段。这本书的对象是孩子，它对孩子具有神秘的吸引力。这本小说就像迪斯尼影片的剧本那样蕴涵教育意义。它最适合阅读水平较高的儿童读者阅读。它能给作者的同龄人带来鼓励。
总之，这是一本由杰出小作者写出的一本很好的书，值得我们支持和鼓励。
- 埃里克.埃斯皮诺萨

Yi Fan’s tightly woven story delivers a manifest message promoting peace and freedom. Starring woodland bird characters, the saga pits the tyrannical hawk Turnatt, captor of “slavebirds” whom he shackles and puts to work building his fortress, against the cardinals and blue jays. Though once friendly, these two benign flocks are now at war: Turnatt’s soldiers have stolen eggs and food from each flock (the hawk eats a purloined egg daily, believing this will “keep death away”), and have led each camp to believe the other is responsible for the thefts. One of the slavebirds, a robin named Miltin, escapes to tell Aska, a brave young jay, about Turnatt’s evil doings and his plan to enslave all the local woodbirds. Blue jays and cardinals join forces to vanquish the despot, a mission that entails several diverting twists, including a search for the necessary elements to summon the Swordbird, the “mystical white bird, the son of the Great Spirit.” The author occasionally relieves the tale’s ample tension with snippets of humor. While feasting with a traveling troupe of winged thespians, for instance, the cardinals and blue jays drive away Turnatt’s marauding forces by bombarding them with bean soup and raspberry pies. Experienced readers will recognize the familiar allegory here, but the book will likely appeal to Redwall fans, and this young writer is worth watching.
- Publishers Weekly
范祎这本巧妙编织的故事传达了一个追求和平和自由的讯息。它以林鸟为正面角色，恶霸老鹰特耐特为反面角色，描写了特耐特如何抓鸟为奴，来建筑堡垒，并袭击红蓝鸟的故事。尽管红蓝鸟曾经是朋友，但他们现在却彼此打了起来，这是因为特耐特士兵偷蛋、偷食物 （特耐特老鹰每天吃只林鸟蛋，相信这样会长生不老的），让红蓝鸟彼此认为是对方干的。奴鸟中的一只鸫鸟米尔顿逃了出来，把特耐特的罪恶行径和要抓当地鸟为奴的真相告诉了一只勇敢的蓝鸟少女爱斯卡。红蓝鸟联合起来一起抵抗特耐特。这期间包括了一些有趣的曲折情节，如寻找呼唤剑鸟的宝物，剑鸟是只神秘的白鸟，神的儿子。作者在紧张的故事情节中穿插了些风趣、幽默的片段，红蓝鸟联合剧团鸟用豆子汤、草莓派反击进攻他们的特耐特士兵。有经验的读者会联想到《红墙》系列的一些场面。这本小说大概会吸引《红墙》系列书迷的。这位小作家值得注目。
-《出版人周刊》评论

Dear Nancy, When is your next book going to come? Just to tell you, your book is great!
- Alex
亲爱的范祎：
你下一本小说什么时候出版啊？只想说，你的书写得太酷了！
-亚历克丝

我很佩服這麼一位年紀輕輕的小女孩，文筆出眾，思想成熟，這本書目前已經榮登紐約時報暢銷書排行榜，並於世界各地出版熱銷，中文版的則是由范禕親自翻譯。
-Shelly Chiu
I admire such a young girl. Her writing is so outstanding and her thoughts are so mature. This novel has appreared on the New York Times Bestseller LIst and sells hot worldwide. Its Chinese version was translated by Nancy Yi Fan herself.
- Shelly Chiu

海外游子UID: 2339893

续：
First “Eragon”, Now “Swordbird”
Another young author is hitting the big time with a published book. Nancy Yi Fan dreamt of her story when she was 11. At 13, her first book - Swordbird - is due out in February from Harper Collins - with a first printing of 50,000 copies. That is HUGE. What a great story.
Permalink
先是《伊拉龙》，如今是《剑鸟》
又一个少年作家出版了轰动市场的书。范祎11岁时梦见了这个故事。13岁时《剑鸟》由哈珀柯林斯出版集团出版在今年2月出版，第一版印了50，000册。印数可真大啊！故事写得太棒了。
-珀玛林克

Nancy Yi Fan was eleven when she began writing Swordbird. The story grew from a dream she had following class discussions of the Revolutionary War, terrorism, and 9/11. Wheeling freely through the viewpoints of multiple characters and beyond, this is the story of a society of birds in the grip of an ongoing feud. The blue jays and cardinals have been squabbling for generations, but now a tyrannical hawk is using slave-catchers to escalate the conflict in the pursuit of absolute power. When Aska of the Bluewingle tribe meets the slavebird Miltin, the resulting small steps toward freedom lead eventually to a great battle and the triumph of sacrifice and heroism. This writing has a youthful exuberance. The reach of the story is vast and courageous. Its precocious accomplishment is evident in the invention of “somebird” and “anybird” as pronouns, and in somber yet ingenuous revelations (”…every egg was bought with scars and bruises”) about the marauding hawk Turnatt’s past. Elsewhere, the writer’s age shows more plainly. Bean soup and raspberry pie overcome armed raiders. Aska exhorts the blue jays to take risks “with a determined tone in her voice.” Yet the same flat delivery renders sharply sinister the scene in which Turnatt wantonly kills a raven. Mark Zug’s black-and-white drawings repeat strategically, offering a visual underpinning to the characters and story line. In balance, even given the quirky and unpredictable nature of childhood writing, this young writer seems a natural word bird. With luck, despite her rise to early international fame, she will successfully negotiate the complex choreography of writing and life that would seem to be foreshadowed by this debut.
-Children’s Literature

This young author has a very Tolkien-esque storytelling style. Her book shows the power of friendship to overcome difficulties and portrays a desire for peace that I think every reader will be able to relate with. The characters are endearing and their struggles seem like my own as I read this creative fantasy.
- Kirsten (Great Meadows, NJ)

Stone-Run Forest is home to the tribes of Sunrise and Bluewingle. The cardinals and blue jays have enjoyed living in peaceful harmony for many seasons. When supplies and eggs begin to go missing, however, suspicions arise from both tribes that their friends are stealing from them. Soon there is tension in the air, and random raids threaten to turn into a war between the tribes. Meanwhile, birds on either side sadly wonder what could have ended the long friendship.
One day, Aska from the Bluewingle tribe is chased by a murder of crows and stumbles across a young robin named Miltin. Miltin had escaped from a torturous place called Fortress Glooming where he was forced to work as a slavebird under a hawk tyrant, Turnatt. He is seeking the help of woodbirds to rescue the slavebirds and stop the hawk’s evil plans once and for all. When Aska relays the unpleasant discovery to the rest of Stone-Run, the old friends realize they have a common enemy who has been pitting the two tribes against each other.
As the tribes begin to heal their broken friendship, they are visited by the Flying Willowleaf Theater, minstrels who have stopped by to help celebrate the Bright Moon Festival. In the midst of these festivities, however, the tribes are attacked by an army of Turnatt’s followers. Sunrise and Bluewingle are aware that they need some extra help to accomplish the mission of restoring peace to Stone-Run Forest.
They hold faith in Swordbird, the legendary hero who fights evil and restores peace to those who seek him. But there are doubts as to whether or not Swordbird is real, and, if so, whether or not he can help Stone-Run Forest before evil has the chance to prevail.
Talented young author Nancy Yi Fan wrote SWORDBIRD when she was just 11 years old and will continue to be a notable writer for many years to come. While fans of the Redwall series especially will appreciate the story, I recommend this debut novel to anyone who believes in peace.
— Reviewed by Sarah Sawtelle

范姐姐,我是芳草地小学的一名学生(本部),叫高语含.我给你书中的剑鸟之歌的第一段词写了谱子呢!
-高语含

“The Swordbird,” is especially notable because the author, Nancy Yi Fan, is only 12 years old; Nancy had a vivid dream one night about birds at war while she was also wrestling with her feelings about Sept. 11. She wrote the book to convey a message of peace, but she also succeeded in writing a remarkable piece of fantasy literature.
- Phyllis Peter

“Nancy Yi Fan has done a lot in 13 years.”
— Time for Kids
范祎十三年里做了很多。
-《时代》少年版

This book was absolutely amazing the story line, and characters.
-RainFiret
这本书不论是故事主线还是角色都绝对能给你带来惊喜。
-雷恩法莱特

SWORDBIRD is a great read! It’s like the air I breathe every morning when I open the windows: fresh and cool. The 12-year-old young writer, Nancy Yi Fan, drew me completely into her imaginative world with “freshly brewed acorn and dandelion tea” and the hawk Turnatt’s attitude “a woodbird egg a day will keep death away”. The book’s simple yet poetic language, its smooth and natural flow, its story structure and cliff-hangers deeply impressed me. It’s natural, plain and pure. The moral of Swordbird is strong: war hurts both parties; selflessness is powerful. Young readers can realize these between lines. I strongly recommend the book!
- John Lockhart

I always knew there was greatness inside this English as a second language learner. I was her teacher. I wondered as I read Swordbird how the author would create an ending. I was not disappointed.
-Diane Goodwin
我一直认为这个把英语作为第二语言学习的小姑娘有非凡之处。我是她的老师。当我读《剑鸟》时，我在想作者怎么结尾呢。我没有失望。
-黛安娜.古德温

Over the course of two nights I read Swordbird a young adult fantasy by Nancy Yi Fan. I actually stole this one from my wife’s collection. I don’t read a lot of young adult fiction or fantasies but this one was written by a young girl, eleven or twelve when she started writing it if I remember right, who came to America at an early age. I was curious to see how someone so young writing in what I believe was her second language, I could be wrong about that since it has been awhile since i heard her background, pulled off such an ambitious project.
-Travis Erwin
用了两个晚上我读了范祎著的一本少儿奇幻小说《剑鸟》。其实我是从我妻子的收藏书中悄悄拿出这本书的。我并不常读少儿小说或奇幻小说的，但是这一本是由一个小女孩写的，如果我记对的话，作者开始写这本书时只有十一、二岁，她来美国时年龄很小。我非常好奇地想看看这样小的作者，用她的第二语言，是怎么写的。读了小说，我开始怀疑我是不是把她的背景弄错了，也许我听到她的介绍已经很久了。这可是一个雄心勃勃的大工程啊。
-特拉维斯.欧文

I am honored to make a statement about Swordbird and its remarkable 13 year-old author, Nancy Yi Fan. The more I learn about Nancy, the more I admire her. I was so impressed to find out that even though Nancy had to learn English when she moved to the US from China [at age 7], she studied so hard that she was able write an entire book in English just a few years after learning it! I am very happy that she has continued to study Chinese and was even able to translate Swordbird from English to Chinese. It always makes me sad to hear about Chinese who move overseas and leave behind their language and customs. I am so proud of Nancy for continuing to treasure our culture.
Swordbird is a story about peace, freedom, and tolerance. These are all things that are very close to my heart. When I travel throughout the world and see what happens to people because of war and violence – for example, the landmine victims in Cambodia – it breaks my heart. I know that Nancy wrote her story partly as a reaction to the events of 9/11. I’m happy that she found a way to express her desire for peace and freedom. I think that Nancy is an inspiration to a lot of people and she is proof that if you work hard and dream big, anything can happen!
- Jackie Chan
from Los Angeles, CA
March 22, 2007
我很荣幸为《剑鸟》和它的作者十三岁的天才小作家范祎写几句话。我对范祎了解得越多，就越佩服她。给我留下深刻印象的是：范祎七岁移居美国，她不得不学习英语，而她学习是多么刻苦，只经过几年学习就能用英语写出一本小说来。我非常高兴范祎能继续学习汉语并把《剑鸟》从英语翻译成了汉语。当我听见一些人移居海外就放弃了他们母语和文化传统时，我很伤心。我为范祎能珍视我们的文化和传统而感到骄傲。
《剑鸟》是讲述一个和平、自由和宽容的故事，这些都是我心里所崇尚的东西。我在世界各地旅行时，看到战争和暴力带给人民的灾难（比如在柬埔寨看到了一些地雷受害者）时很伤心。我知道范祎写这个故事，部分是对“９.１１”的反思，我很高兴她找到了一个能表达她向往和平和自由的方式。我认为范祎这个例子，对许多人都是个鼓励。它向人们证明：只要树立远大理想，努力奋斗，就会有奇迹发生。
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　成龙
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　于美国洛杉矶
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　二00七年三月二十二日

At age 13, Nancy Yi Fan may be HarperCollins’s youngest author, but her fantasy novel about warring birds and their struggle for freedom is getting some adult-sized attention. As part of a five-city tour, Nancy discussed her book on Martha on February 12. There, the Audubon Society of Florida made her an honorary member, and a bald eagle from the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey was adopted in her name.
-Publishers Weekly
13岁的范祎也许是哈珀．柯林斯出版集团最年轻的作家。然而，她的有关鸟类为自由而战的奇幻小说已经像一些成人知名作家的作品那样引起了广泛注意。范祎去了美国五个城市演讲和签书，并且上了全国著名的玛莎访谈节目。节目上范祎被佛罗里达州杜邦鸟类协会纳为荣誉会员，协会还宣布以范祎的名义领养了一只白头鹰。
-《出版人周刊》

语言清新，形象生动，情节环环相扣，蕴涵趣味与哲理……《剑鸟》具备一个好故事的基本特征，同时它带有典型的孩子气的丰富想像和善良愿望。我相信每个孩子心中都又如此奇幻美丽的故事，而范祎恰巧有能力讲述出来，这是她的幸运，也是我们的幸运。
- 阿甲 （著名书评人）

这个十二岁女孩写的故事会成为你记忆中的一根金色的羽毛。
- 梅子涵 （著名儿童文学作家）

今天的children’s literature课请来了Swordbird的作者Nancy做presentation。Nancy是个住在Floridad的中国女孩，今年12岁。年纪小小却已经是一本科幻小说的作者了，虽然真个演讲像极了中学女生的风格，但是大家都喜欢这个既聪明又谦虚的女孩，喜欢她手舞足蹈又自然亲切地讲她的写作过程。写这本书源于一个梦：喜欢观鸟的她梦见了拿着剑为自由和和平而战的鸟。因为我常身不由己夜夜做梦，再不断研究自己的梦，从她的梦我基本可以理解她的当时的心理状态，可喜的是随着这本书的出版，她的境况会大大不同往日，恐怕她是无缘再做同样的梦了，不过写作并不需要那么多梦，更多地需要勤奋和思考。谈到她正在构思的第二本书，她希望情节可以更复杂一点，读者群可以更广泛一点，而教授则认为像第一本书这样就很好了，贵在简单。我觉得只要跟自己年龄相称就好了，人在不断成熟，写作风格也会不断娴熟，作品就会水到渠成。
-lisa

木叶
“我不会失去什么”
文/木叶
眼镜。短辫。微黑。嫩声嫩气。衣着、神情与国内的初中生没什么分别。眼前的小姑娘1993年生于北京，7岁随父母移居美国。她的小说《剑鸟》出版时她才13岁，中文版是自己译过来的，约八九万字。
源自一个梦：两群鸟在神奇白鸟的帮助下赶走了魔王。她决定写下它，直到本子没页码了，才发现已不是一个简单的故事，而是一部长篇。她在屋子里蹦啊跳啊，自己演绎小说里的情景。
写完，莽莽撞撞投稿，选了数家出版社，其中就包括著名的哈珀•柯林斯出版集团总裁兼首席执行官。鼠标一点，邮件发出，“当时我就想，我不会失去什么”。谁料，哈珀•柯林斯方面不久便有了回复。得知出版的消息，她坐得非常直，感到非常平静，非常严肃。后来，把自己的双臂煽动得像飞翔的小鸟。
写《剑鸟》用的是第二语言英语，她称之为“脑子里的长征”。如今已开始写小说的前传。
她说话的时候，妈妈一直在对面微笑，远远的。有东西要写时，她会先憋着，写得较完整后才给父母看。写得太卖力时，妈妈会把她抓到床上休息。
在美国总会有同龄人说，你能不能像成龙那样秀一段功夫，又因写的是剑鸟，她特地买了剑，粗粗学了剑法。书成后，成龙还给范祎写了信以示赞赏，不过，这并不太重要。
在美国有记者说哈利•波特和她像是孪生兄妹。她对中国的媒体说， “这本书和《哈利•波特》一点儿都不接近，我更现实”；“我写小说像玩儿”。儿化音还是那么足。
当天的新书发布会朴素得很，她迟到了，背的那个包儿显得尤其大。一个问题抛过去，她羞涩而又兴奋地回答，突然会窃窃地来一句，“我说得太多了吧？”然后，笑。接下来，这个初中生给复兴高中的学生做英语演讲，并回答哥哥姐姐们的提问。
做梦。写作。英文版出版。杀入《纽约时报》儿童文学畅销书排行榜。中文版出版。访谈。演讲。回国……小小年级做了这么多事，学业并未受耽误，据说门门A。
一切都简单得离奇。
鸟，意味着飞翔，持了剑景致又会有所不同。写下这一切时，我已翻完了小说，具体我不想多说，她还小，但已令我吃惊。我在想，五年后，十年后，她会是什么样子？如果真的大红大紫了呢？这么想很功利，很好玩儿。
开始吧，我们不会失去什么！我们应该还会听到这个小姑娘的名字：范祎。后面这个字念yi，一声，意为美好，多用于人名。

穆梅
一個才十三歲的小孩，竟然可以去關注全球和平的問題，我真的感到很驚訝，也很興奮。
這部英文書好像要由中國的人民文學出版社出版，而引進台灣不知道要花多少時間。這是我第一次，有強烈的期待，讓我想趕緊弄到這本原文版的書，想看這個女孩的文字，想看這個女孩為鳥兒描摹精緻的插畫……當然也想看看她自己親自翻譯出來的中文文章。
或許我可以好好運用這次對這本書的強烈期望，趁機加強自己的英語閱讀能力也說不定。趕緊去網路書店瞧瞧。
- 穆梅

VOYA Review
April 2007
The cardinals and blue jays are at war. Strangely enough, they were friends a short while ago, but accusations of egg theft made them enemies. Little did they know that sinister, one-eyed hawk Turnatt stole and ate the eggs to feed his insatiable need for everlasting life. He enlisted an avian army and they enslaved other birds to do his bidding. When the sparring birds learn about the conspiracy behind their sudden animosity, they conclude that the mythical Swordbird might be their only hope for a truce. Swordbird, a white bird and guardian of peace, can be summoned with a song and a gem. The bird tribes send delegates Aska, a blue jay, and Miltin, a robin, across the dangerous White Cap Mountains on a quest for one of the eight known Leasorn gems in existence.
Now living in the U.S., Chinese-born, first-time author Fan began writing this novel when she was twelve years old. She conjures an intricate bird cosmology and hierarchy as a background to the overall plot. The book moves swiftly form chapter to chapter with help from sheer brevity, copious action scenes, and illustrations. Novice readers will enjoy the large text and generous spacing and margins. Advanced readers can muse over the novel’s allegorical nature and literary allusions. The author provides a list of major characters to help keep up with the sizeable cast. Aficionados of Jacques’ Redwall series should enjoy this new offering to the anthropomorphized animal genre.
— Angelica Delgado.
红鸟和蓝鸟相互之间打了起来，奇怪的是不久前他们还是朋友。他们怀疑是对方偷了他们的蛋。他们那里知道是阴险的独眼老鹰偷吃了这些蛋，梦想长生不老。他招募了一支部队并抓一些林鸟为奴为他建造堡垒。当红鸟和蓝鸟识破了这个阴谋以后，他们断定要获得和平唯一的希望是呼唤神秘的剑鸟。剑鸟是一只大白鸟，是和平卫士。呼唤他需要一首歌和一颗宝石。于是他们就派蓝鸟爱斯卡和鸫鸟米耳顿飞跃险恶的白头山去借丽桑宝石（在地球上这种宝石只有七颗）。
现在居住在美国，生于中国的范祎，是从十二岁开始写这本处女作的。她在小说中编制了一个错综复杂、等级分明的鸟的世界。这本书读起来扣人心弦，非常简练，能让人一章一章地读下去而不舍得放手。书中有大量格斗场面和插图。初级读者可以发现版面和空隙设计都很悦目，高级读者会对小说的寓言和哲理回味无穷。小说角色表能帮助读者理请众多角色的关系。红墙系列的书迷对这种拟人化动物题材有了新的视角描写也会很兴奋的。
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
-安杰.莉卡．德尔加多《沃亚书评》２００７年４月　　　　　　　

Did anyone read SWORDBIRD by Nancy Yi Fan? She’s 12! It’s a really good book! It goes deep into detail, too. You guys should read it!
by Skylar
from Colorado, USA
《剑鸟》
大家读了范祎的《剑鸟》了吗？她才12岁。真是一本好书！写得深入、细致。大家该读读它！
-斯凯拉
美国科罗拉多

范祎同学：你好！
发布会前看了你写的书，觉得很有意思。发布会上听了你的发言和答问，觉得大方、睿智、有趣。
你毕竟是中国少年，我们因之也感到自豪。祝你保持良好心态，继续多学习、多观察、多思考、多锻炼身体，祝《剑鸟前传》早日问世！
刘伯根
中国出版集团公司副总裁

喜悦
一名从北京移民美国的女孩以实力证明中国人也可创作出优秀的英语作品。13岁的范祎花了3年写成的首部英语小说《剑鸟》上月才推出，迅即打入《纽约时报》畅销儿童小说排行榜，上榜7星期，目前排第8位，小说的中译版最近在内地出版，尽显其出众的双语能力和写作技巧。
范祎7岁时随父母移民美国，10岁时开始动笔创作《剑鸟》，这本魔幻寓言式小说讲述蓝鸟和红鸟受老鹰“特纳特”挑拨而开战，最后靠神鸟“剑鸟”的力量才取得胜利，传递和平讯息。她说她的这部小说的灵感来自一个梦，“2001年的夏天，我和家人在911发生前到过世贸中心顶楼，那里给我一些非常深刻的印象。就在我5年级的时候，这些元素在我的梦境里幻变成奇怪的念头，当我醒来以后，我就把这个梦写成一个故事。”
真的是让人喝彩的女子!
-妮妮
Dear Nancy,
I just finished your book and I thought it was GREAT!!
And I am sure I will read your second book i am sure!!!!!!!!!
-Brook
亲爱的范祎：
我刚读完你的书，我认为这本书太棒了！！
我当然要读你的第二本书，我一定要读！！！！！
-布鲁克

安樂中年
這是一個活生生的 “有志者, 事竟成” 的例子! 除了因為小妮子本身好學, 具有天份和有志向之外, 看來她的父母也應記一功, 因為他們是如此尊重范禕的喜好和天份, 不但沒有阻止, 而且積極鼓勵! 更難得的是小妮子能夠如此謙虛地面對突如其來的名利! 實在令人感動和佩服!
-安樂中年
由13岁旅美女孩的小说在美国畅销想到的
年仅13岁的中国旅美女孩儿范祎（yi）写作的英文小说《剑鸟》于2007年初在美国出版后连续七周登上《纽约时报》儿童文学畅销书排行榜前十名。日前，《剑鸟》中英文对照版由人民文学出版社出版。《剑鸟》出版后获得好评如潮。一些书评家预测这本小说很可能成为世界儿童文学中的一部经典作品。（新华网纽约5月2日电《13岁写小说畅销美国，专访中国旅美女孩范祎》）
13岁的孩子能写小说。也许，你会说：“这种小说未免太幼稚了吧？”是啊，13岁的孩子写出来的东西，能有大人拿出来的东西成熟吗？如果真的有大人那么成熟，那就不是孩子的作品，而是大人的手笔了。在幼稚的年龄写出来的东西，幼稚就对了。试想，没有今天的幼稚能有将来的成熟吗？谁不是从幼稚过来的呢！
就算《剑鸟》这部小说幼稚吧。但是，幼稚的小说居然畅销了，并且已连续七周登上《纽约时报》儿童文学畅销书排行榜前十名，说明什么呢？她符合孩子们的口味，满足了孩子们的需要。如果你把她加工一下，使她成为你眼中的成熟的作品，你能保证也能如此畅销吗？我看未必。
刚才谈到了“孩子们的需要”。孩子们的需要本来就是多方面的，阅读便是其中之一。范祎不就喜欢阅读吗。她虽然身在美国，除了读过很多英文版的外国文学名著外，还读了儿童版的中国四大名著。创作也是她的需要。下面这段话就是明证：“启发性、实践为主的教育培养了我的想象思维，课外大量的娱乐时间满足了我好玩的天性。我经常到家附近的森林里散步，采集植物标本，聆听鸟的歌唱，大自然给了我无穷无尽的灵感。”灵感催生了创作,也便催生了畅销书《剑鸟》。
孩子与孩子的心灵是相通的，他们的眼光，他们对事物的认识方式，他们的情感诉求，等第，基本上是共通的。所以，孩子写成的书，才真正属于孩子们自己的书，孩子们便爱读。
由此，我在想，叶圣陶的《稻草人》、冰心的《寄小读者》，为什么孩子们爱读了。可能他们在写作的时候，心中装着孩子，他们的心灵和孩子是相通的。
孩子的灵感，和孩子们是相通的，《剑鸟》是孩子为孩子们写的，如果不畅销，那就不符合常理了。
那么，时下，中国大陆的儿童文学创作怎么样呢？这里，我们从孩子们的读书状况来窥测一下。
据新华网提供的资料，孩子们除了阅读一点科幻类的图书以外，几乎没有多少时间进行课外阅读。这里面固然有多方面的原因，比如，中小学生每天上课与写作业就得花去10个小时；老师很少提倡阅读课外书籍，家长也一样。都要提高成绩嘛，谁不理解呢？积久之后，不但孩子们读书的概念没有养成，反而过多地依赖声像读物，尤其是看电视，玩游戏，甚至于沉醉于网络。
孩子们几乎没有阅读，还有一个很重要的原因，那就是：几乎没有什么书可供他们阅读。虽然，我国每年都出版大量的儿童读物，但是，大多对不上孩子们的口味。很多书是大人们写的，大人们编的，是成人的眼光、成人的思维、成人的语言，即使有部分图书在模仿孩子们的眼光，但仅限于模仿，并没有深入孩子们的内心深处；即便有少数作品模仿得比较成功，但是仅仅是少数而已，不能使孩子们受到心灵的触动，使孩子们真正地喜欢。
我经常收到一些中小学自己办的校报，上面也登了不少孩子们的创作，起初很感欣然。但是积久以后，细细读来，便不由生出淡淡的惋惜之情。上面所刊登的所谓创作，都是大人的语气、大人的思维。那么，是不是现在的孩子比我们那时候成熟得多了？这些文章即使交给大人们亲自去写，我看也未必就能达到如此完美、如此成熟、如此深刻的程度。思考良久，我才明白，为什么在每篇文章的后面都署上“指导老师”的名字了。这些所谓创作，都是指导老师精心地亲笔“加工”的产品，根本就不是孩子们的原创。孩子们的心灵和天性被老师的大笔给遏止住了。我在调查中发现，这些文章，都是老师像挤海绵里的水一样给挤出来的，孩子们根本就不喜欢，顶多能换来一点家长的奖赏罢了。弄不好，善良的孩子，拿着赏来的钱偷偷地钻进游戏机室里去打游戏，也未可知。
最后，我诚恳地建议，疼爱孩子的家长和以育人为本的教师们，把13岁女孩儿范祎创作的小说《剑鸟》，买下一本，和孩子们一道阅读，共同讨论，看是否能够从中得到一点启发。
-郁从宝
郁从宝,男,1962年出生,安徽凤台广播电视台总编室副主任,编辑、记者、一级播音员，在省市媒体上已刊发新闻、文学作品一千多篇，并有数十篇获奖。擅长于新闻通讯、报告文学、杂谈、评论的写作，也经常发表文艺作品，对哲学、社会学、历史学、逻辑学、语言学、文学等学有所获，对文化艺术类尤感兴趣。以此与同好们交流共勉。
联系方式：yucb1962@yahoo.com.cn

由天才小作家范祎爱读书到全球出版小说想到的

浮躁的社会人们往往忘记了读书，其实好书是智慧的结晶，是凝固的思想和情感。青少年时期读书尤为重要。通达、志远的人往往在青少年阶段读了很多好书。我到西方国家访问时发现地铁上，飞机场的等候厅里很多人都拿着书读，有小说，有知识书等等。西方的文明高很大程度与老百姓都爱读书有关。孩子的书特别多，从封面设计到纸张的选择都那么讲究，让你拿到书感到就像拿了一件艺术品或宝贝。书店也摆设得典雅、考究。进了书店你就感到一种艺术气氛。有的书店放着古典音乐，设有咖啡厅和读书沙发等。二手图书也可在网上或书店交易，人们爱书如爱珍宝。人们在书店看到的书内容大都是积极健康的，特别是给孩子的书更是如此。
最近，我在各大媒体上看到一个13岁旅美小姑娘范祎在全球出版她的小说《剑鸟》，我很感兴趣。她在美国读了小学和中学，所以养成了读书习惯。她不但读英文小说还读汉语小说和中国四大名著的儿童版。两种文化的积淀给她创作《剑鸟》带来了灵感。范祎的成功不是偶然的，美国哈珀柯林斯是世界第二大出版集团，他们能出版范祎的处女作绝对是看重小说的质量，美国这么多的读者和评论家对《剑鸟》给予了高度评价，小说刚出版不久就登上千千万万作家梦想的《纽约时报》排行榜的前十名。这是多么大的成绩啊。这样一本书如今由范祎自己翻译并且由国内一流文学出版社人民文学出版社出版，同样证明了小说的水平和品位。这本书值得中国青少年读，人民文学出版社不但出版了汉语翻译本，还把英文原文附在书的后面，这对国内读者学习英文又十分有益。一本主题健康（战争与和平）、文笔出色的小说值得我国的所有小读者欣赏，这比让孩子上网玩游戏，给孩子买几件名牌衣服强多了。范祎的成功对全世界的小朋友都是一种鼓舞。它告诉人们：读书是有用的，从小立志并朝着目标努力，任何人都能成功。
- 程静
一片天空
一本能打开我童年梦匣子的书 （近两个月在美国狂销）
我一个月前不知在什么地方听到过有关《剑鸟》的报道，什么美国纽约时报畅销书排行榜的前十名，由十三岁旅居美国的北京女孩所写，我当时没觉得书能写得怎么好。最近，人民文学出版社出版英汉双语版的《剑鸟》，五一期间我跑书店去找，没货。越得不到的东西，心里越痒痒，我开始google《剑鸟》，发现了小作者的网站， 是英文的，我英文还行，大都能读懂，上面有《剑鸟》英文版的片段，有英文版的朗读片段，真好啊！ 我看了网上有关作者的书评，哇！那么多人写了赞扬信（成龙还写了赞扬信，并把范祎在成龙官方网站独设了一个介绍页面，真不简单！）。网页上有的书评有汉语翻译。网站里还有作者上中央电视台，凤凰卫视，美国全国访谈节目的录像，上面还有作者的花絮和照片等等。我看了个够，完全被作者的故事所吸引了。网上还有一个中文链接，是转载中文报道的博客。
好了，我服了，没错。我前天又跑了书店，终于买到了《剑鸟》。我想看看为什么这本书在世界畅销。读起来，我放不下了，我傻了眼睛，不敢相信这13岁的女孩能写出这么好的书来，幽默，具体，情节一环扣一环的，把我带回了童年，让我记忆深处的东西不知不觉地涌了出来，生活难得有这样一寸的光阴，我甚至能回忆起我小时侯吃好东西的感觉，我能感到到林子里散步的心情。书中流露出童年的东西比《窗边的小豆豆》还真挚，可信。书中的哲理很深，爱，死，和平，自由…… 难怪美国的世界大出版集团的总裁力荐这本书。这决不是抄作，真是一本经典级的作品（这不是我说的，是评论家说的，我十分赞成）。
这样一本能给人心灵带来愉悦，带来的启迪的书，是个宝贝。读它就像摸着孩子细皮嫩肉的手，看着孩子清澈的眼睛。它的对象是孩子，当然孩子读了是与作者直接心灵沟通的了，但我觉得谁读了都会感到了一种放松，恬静的感觉。我从范祎的书中看到了她深厚的文学功底。她的英文原文，我读了几页感到吃力，但写得太美了，是学英文的好范例。
一本书能给我们带来快乐，带来文学享受，又能细细地学到英文的微妙之处，真是少见。有感而发，是想与大家分享好的东西。说的不对的地方，请批评。
一片天空
摘自《龙的天空讨论区》
同为人父

最近，媒体上一个引人注目的报道是一个中国13岁的旅美小姑娘范祎创作出了轰动世界图书市场的奇幻小说《剑鸟》，由一家美国世界出版集团在全球出版发行。近日，英汉双语版又由人民文学出版社出版。小说出版后，读者和评论家对《剑鸟》给予了高度肯定，尤其是小读者的赞扬信像雪片似的飞向作者。
作为有与范祎同龄女儿的父亲，我对小作者的成绩感到好奇。小小年纪怎么取得这么大的成绩？范祎的父母是怎样教育她的？我也曾带我女儿在国外呆过几年，我的女儿也爱好写作，可与范祎比差距在哪儿？带着这些问题，我先是收集网上有关范祎的报道，其中英国《TELEGRAPH》的一篇报道很详细。原来，范祎能取得今天的成绩是与父母的分分秒秒的关爱分不开的。父母把所有的余钱都用来给孩子买书，这点我就没做到，在国外时，我顶多抽时间领孩子到公共图书馆借几本书算了。有人当时说到公共图书馆借的书，脏，有钱人家的孩子都自己买书，我不以为然，现在看来，把好书买下来可以让孩子认真地琢磨，反复阅读。我很少给孩子买书，不是我手头不宽余，是我没想这些，我很内疚。另外，报道中提到了范祎父母对孩子的鼓励和督促。他们无时无刻地注意孩子的兴趣和发展，有意引导和挖掘。“无时无刻”我真的没有做到。我心里是有孩子，工作忙了我就忘了关心孩子了。我想自己的时间太多了，给孩子的时间太少了。我知道任何成绩的背后都有汗水，可我与范祎的父亲相比，我肯定是做得太少了。现在看来我一天瞎忙，多关爱孩子，让孩子有大发展不就是我一天瞎忙的目的吗？与其我给孩子创造点财富，不如让孩子自己创造。这个道理我是听过，可我认为中国的父母向来是包办一切的。为了横向比和眼前利益，我选择了自己奋斗。
范祎的成绩的确对她同龄人是个鼓励，我倒不是说人人都能像范祎那样在世界出版小说，我是说这样努力方向是对的。

《西陆论坛》子谦

pippo1983UID: 172110

a hell of ad

海外游子UID: 2339893

什么信息没有广告的效应呢? 好东西要靠你自己鉴别的,下面是英文版的片段,读读看你英文怎样?



Darkness nourishes power.
—from the Book of Heresy

Prologue
Shadows
Beams of light fell through the trees, creating shadows that flecked the thick, moist undergrowth. Hidden in a patch of those shadows, a fortress was under construction. Many woodbirds had been captured and pinioned for this, and they worked wordlessly, carrying stones, clay, and sticks day after day. Usually a coal black crow could be found strutting among them. Whenever possible, he would spring on an unsuspecting victim with curses, yells, and a sound lashing. He was Bug-eye, the driver of the slavebirds, who carried a black leather whip the color of his feathers.
Through one sly golden eye, a red-brown hawk in dark robes observed the construction of his fortress. His name was Turnatt. Large for his kind, he towered over his captain and soldiers. With sharp claws for battling, a loud, commanding voice, and foul breath, he was a bird to be feared. His nasty habit of tapping an eye patch over his left eye while glaring with his right made the other birds shiver.
Turnatt had raided countless nests, camps, and homes, capturing woodbirds as slaves and bringing them to this secret, gloomy corner. Now the time had finally come: the building of Fortress Glooming. Sitting on a temporary throne, the hawk let thoughts of evil pleasure pass through his mind. As Turnatt watched the thin, helpless slavebirds' every movement, he tore into a roasted fish so messily that juices ran down his beak.
Slime-beak, Turnatt's captain, was hopping about, glancing at the trees bordering the half-built fortress. He dreaded Turnatt, for he worried about being made into a scapegoat.
Displeased, Turnatt stared down his beak at his ner-vous captain, his bright eye burning a hole into the bothersome crow's face.
"Stop hopping, Slimey—you're getting on my nerves. I'll demote you if you keep on doing that." A fish scale hung from the edge of Turnatt's beak.
Slime-beak shivered like a leaf, partly because of fear and partly because of the hawk's bad breath.
"Y-yes, milord. But it has been three days since Flea-screech and the soldiers went to look for new slaves. They still haven't returned!"
The hawk lord guffawed. The tail of the roasted fish fell from his beak and disappeared down the collar of his robe.
"Fool, who has ever heard of little woodbirds killing a crow? If you don't stop with that nonsense, I'll send you to get slaves! Now go and check the progress on my fortress. Then come back and report your news!" Turnatt waved the long, embroidered sleeve of his robe at the captain.
Slime-beak thought himself lucky that the hawk was in a good mood. Knowing Turnatt was fickle, Slime-beak dashed away.
Seeing the crow scurry off, dizzy and awkward, Turnatt tapped his covered eye in satisfaction. He chuckled, his glossy feathers shaking. His fierce yellow eye narrowed wickedly, becoming a slit. He was Lord Turnatt—the Evil, the Conqueror, the Slayer, and the Tyrant of soon-to-be Glooming. He thought about torturing woodbirds, killing others that got in his way. Nobird—nobird—could stop the mighty Turnatt. It would be as he had dreamed for seasons. He would rule the entire forest, with millions of slavebirds to bow down before him. Turnatt tilted his head back and let out a bloodcurdling screech that echoed throughout the forest. Slime-beak and the soldiers followed suit, their loud chants drowning out every other sound.
"Long live Lord Turnatt, long live the Tyrant of Fortress Glooming, long live the lord!"
Over the shouts, the sun rose above the treetops.

A forest split in two cannot stand.
—from the Old Scripture

Chapter One
The Red and the Blue
Just north of Stone-Run Forest, a war party of cardinals glided in and out of the shadows as the light of dawn slowly slipped into the sky. They traveled swiftly and low, each grimly wielding a sword in one claw. The leader, Flame-back, a sturdy cardinal distinguished by his larger and more powerful wings, reviewed their plan of attack.
"Circle the camp, wait for my signal, attack. Simple.
Everybird understand?" Crested heads bobbed in answer.
The idea of violence frightened a young cardinal, who wrapped his claw tightly around his sword hilt. "Flame-back, are the blue jays awake? If they are, we'll die! I don't want to die!"
Flame-back looked at the blurred land in the distance and, flapping his strong wings a couple of times, tried to reassure his band.
"The blue jays don't wake up so early, and nobird's going to die. Nobird's going to kill. Hear? We just scare and attack. No hurting." Pausing, Flame-back added in a more comforting tone, "And we must find our eggs. We can't let anybird, anybird at all, steal our unhatched offspring." The speech calmed his band, especially the youngster, whose wail dwindled to a sniff and a sob.
The cardinals were deep in thought. They all knew that Flame-back was right. There were no sounds except their wings, whooshing and rustling against the wind as they flew—red figures against a blue sky. They soared over the Appleby Hills and across the Silver Creek. Dewdrops trembled on delicate blades of grass; dandelions and daisies peeped over their leaves to greet the sun. Near the fringe of the forest, beech trees stood still, and only the morning breeze occasionally disturbed them. Those trees were ancient ones, covered with moss and vines, leaning over to touch branches with one another. Small creeks gurgled gently as they rippled along, under mists that covered the ground. But the cardinals were in no mood to enjoy such things. They were on a mission. The war party made a sharp turn along a boulder and flew over the Line, the border between the territories of the blue jays and the cardinals.
As they crossed, a twinge of uneasiness ran along every cardinal's spine. They were entering forbidden territory. But about a month before, it hadn't been. A month before, the cardinals and blue jays had been good friends. Their hatchlings had played with one another; they had fished for shrimp and hunted for crickets together. But things were different now. With a brisk flap of his wings Flame-back led his cardinals through a twist in a gap in the tangled trees.
"Lively now, lads. You all know what we're here for, so get ready. Fleet-tail, branch off with a third of our forces and go around to the left. You, take another third and go to the right. The rest, follow me. Swift and silent, good and low, friends."
In a flash the cardinals separated into three groups and departed into the shadows. After flying through a ghostly fog, the cardinals saw their destination. Eyes glistened and heartbeats quickened. With a few hushed words, the cardinals swiftly got into positions surrounding the blue jay camp. No feathers rustled. They sat as silent and rigid as statues, waiting for Flame-back's signal to attack.
The cardinals' target was ten budding oak trees hidden behind a tall, thick wall of pines. The oaks grew in a small meadow of early spring flowers and clover sparkling with dew. The pine tree border was so dense that one might fly right past it and not see the oak trees inside. It was indeed cleverly hidden. Those oaks were the home of the Bluewingle tribe.
It was very quiet. Occasionally a swish of feathers and breathing broke the silence. A strange long-limbed tree protruded from the center of the grove. In the branches of this tree a hushed exchange was taking place.
An elderly blue jay, Glenagh, shifted on his perch, his thin gray shoulders hunched up. Peering through the oak leaves, he could see a dim ray of light climbing up the ancient mountains.
How long can we go on fighting our old friends? the old blue jay wondered.
He turned abruptly to face his companion, Skylion. "How are you going to keep this ‘war' up?" Glenagh asked. "Ever since you became the leader of the Bluewingles, we've been fighting the cardinals constantly." The old blue jay sighed. His feathers drooped. "You definitely do make your mind up faster than a falling acorn hits the ground."
Skylion turned his gaze toward the elder, Glenagh. "They used to be our friends—our family, almost," he said. The younger blue jay poured a cup of acorn tea for the elder with disbelief.
Shaking his graying head sadly, Glenagh accepted the tea with a worn claw. He gazed at his reflection in his cup with a dreary look. "Remember Fleet-tail? The cardinal who's always so quiet? Just last week I saw him with a raiding party, hollering and yelling like the rest."
"Well," Skylion replied hoarsely, "we have to regard the cardinals as enemies. Stealing and robbing—that's what they do now."
Leaves rustled as the wind changed direction.
"True, the cardinals have robbed us bare to our feathers, but we have done our share as well." Glenagh glanced again at the light outside. "The sack of pine seeds, the raisins, the bundles of roots, the apples . . . We've taken back more than what was stolen from us. We cannot say we aren't thieves."
Skylion hastily dismissed the idea. "Yes, but they stole our blueberries, our walnuts and honey! They stole the raspberries, the mushrooms, and more!" the blue jay leader argued. "We only took back food because we needed to survive. It's just spring. There's hardly any food you can gather outside. And what about our eggs? Our offspring. The next generation. Is there an explanation for that?"
"Peace is more important, Skylion." Glenagh shook his head and took a sip of acorn tea. "You do have a point about our eggs, but the cardinals declared that we stole their eggs and they didn't steal ours. I cannot believe that having been friends for so long, we have suddenly become enemies. Maybe they didn't steal from us; maybe somebird else did. We should go and talk with them about this."
"No, Glenagh. It would be a waste of time! We tried to talk before, but they only accused us of stealing from them first. You know that isn't true!" Skylion snorted.
"But Skylion, don't you—"
Skylion leaned forward. "Glenagh, can you stay calm and aloof when our eggs are snatched and stolen right from under our beaks? Of course not. We are fighting to get them back!"
Glenagh calmly looked at the leader, the steam of the tea brushing his face. He was silent for a few moments and then said, quite slowly, "Does fighting solve the problem?"
Skylion sighed deeply and shifted his glance to the wall, where there hung a painting of a white bird holding a sword. Though the painting was worn and the color faded, the picture still was as magnificent as ever. The bird seemed to smile at Skylion. Skylion almost imagined that the bird mouthed something to him.
Skylion whispered, "I wish Swordbird could come here to solve this."
"Ah, Swordbird . . ." Glenagh toyed with the name as a smile slowly lit up his face. "The mystical white bird, the son of the Great Spirit . . . He is a myth, but I know he exists. I know in my bones. Do you remember the story in the Old Scripture about a tribe of birds attacked by a python? They took out their Leasorn gem and performed a ritual to summon Swordbird. Immediately he came in a halo of light, and with a single flap of his great wings the python vanished into thin air." Glenagh paused. "Well," he said, "to call for Swordbird, we need a Leasorn gem. It's said to be a crystallized tear of the Great Spirit. But we don't have one. We have no idea where to find one either. So, it's what's in you and me that counts." Glenagh drained his cup, savoring the last drops.
Skylion opened his beak to reply, but he was interrupted by a frantic rustle of leaves. A young blue jay's head poked through, and in a high, nervous voice the youngster gave the message: "The cardinals! We are being attacked! We are being attacked!"
The foregoing is excerpted from Swordbird by Nancy Fan, and Mark Zug. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced without written permission from HarperCollins Publishers, 10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022

dennis1230UID: 2247126

原来是广告