Synopsis
Facing a boring summer in Wisconsin, 11-year-old Annie daydreams on a giant eagle-shaped mound. When the bird, Ken, awakens, he flies Annie back a millennium, home to New Zealand in the midst of a battle between the birds.
But Annie's visit isn't unexpected. Speaking their language, Annie mediates at the Council of Birds, where raptor Te Hōkioi seeks to destroy the flightless, including thoughtful Moa. Annie and her new friends, Moana and Kahurangi, must help the flightless escape to the South, facing pursuit, kidnap, injury and ambush. Constructing a hot air balloon, then a kite-sail, they finally rejoin their friends at Lake Taupō. Suddenly, Te Hōkioi swoops in to murder Chief Ahuru, and a fierce battle ensues. A goose named Mergus arrives with a cohort of marsh birds who help the flightless gain the upper hand until Te Hōkioi uses fire to besiege them.
Desperate to end the fighting, Annie and Ken negotiate a fight to the death between Te Hōkioi and Moa. Te Hōkioi, the victor, gobbles up the Bread of Chiefs, and is poisoned. Deserted by his followers, he flings himself into a volcano, ending the conflict.
Talking with Writer Lee Murray (phot to come)
Feeling homesick is horrible. The new place is exciting but it isn't as good. The food is different, nothing is familiar, and people talk funny. It was like that when I moved to Wisconsin: I missed New Zealand so much! I missed my friends, the beach, rugby games, driving on the left-hand side, even food like Marmite and mince pies.
Then I discovered Wisconsin's intriguing animal-shaped effigy mounds, ancient sites with no known purpose. I imagined these mounds were secret portals to other places and if I found the right one it would whisk me home to New Zealand.
But people say you can never go home. Things change while you are away: new buildings go up, new roads develop, and people move on. So when I wrote Annie's adventure I thought I might explore this idea, while also drawing on my experience of trail running on forest tracks. I sent Annie back to a time when Moa and Te Hōkioi dominated the wild New Zealand bush.
Eventually, I came to love Wisconsin with its red barns, yellow school buses and blue, blue lakes. I loved the sound of my shovel in the snow, cheesy bagels, fall leaves, sledding, and the lovely friends I made there. Perhaps it's time I looked for a New Zealand portal, so I can pop back for a visit!
Battle of the Birds
Achievement Objectives:
Personal Reading, Close reading, Critical Thinking
Comprehension Questions
- What clues let Annie know she has travelled back in time?
- What does the word 'mediate' mean? (p23)
- Why is Kahurangi nervous when he first meets Ken?
- Describe how members are elected to the Council of Birds. Name the members.
- Who tells Annie which direction Te Hōkioi has taken Moana?
- How does baby Kakama help Annie and her friends escape from the island?
- What tree does Moana use to make her therapeutic tea?
- Chief Ahuru is worried the moa won't be able to cross the channel. Why?
- What is Annie's role in the battle?
- After Moa's death Annie is angry with Kuia? Why?
- Who does Fantasia think 'conquered flight' as predicted in the prophecy?
- Annie's mum is studying bullying. What does Annie suggest to stop bullying?
Discussion Questions
- Effigy mounds are real. Brainstorm for ideas why these mounds might exist.
- Describe Annie's attitude to Toa at the beginning of the story. How does her attitude towards the warrior change as the story progresses. Why?
- Based on what you know about them, describe the jobs Moana and Kahurangi might have if they grew up in modern times.
- Do you think the birds' election system is fair? Discuss other ways to elect a Council.
- Te Hōkioi and Toka are bullies. Describe some bullying behaviours from the story. Discuss ways to combat bullying.
Activities
- Write a kite-song and perform it for the class. It could be a haiku or a rap poem.
- You've just come face-to-face with a moa! Write the newspaper story.
- Create a legend explaining why moa have disappeared.
- Write and present a plan for conserving an endangered bird species.
- Write your own prophecy and display it on a stone.
- Write instructions for building hot air balloon.
- Imagine you are Annie. Write a postcard to Lauren describing your adventures.
- On a map, trace Annie's journey within New Zealand. Include the following jumbled place names: Papamoa, Mauao, Tokaanu, Huka Falls, Te Puia o Whakaari, Te Urewera forest, Taupō, Huka Falls, Lake Tarawera, Tongariro. Using the story, can you cite one interesting fact about each of these places?
- Design a New Zealand postage stamp featuring a native bird.
- Otukapuarangi or the Pink Terraces were destroyed in 1886. Do some research to find out what happened to them.
- Design and construct a kite using recycled materials. Hold a class kite-flying competition.
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