A boy marked by physical difference--one arm is an enchanted wing--finds his strength and purpose in this stirring fantasy. A Washington Post Best Kids Book of 2005 and Book Sense Winter Pick. Once upon a time, a girl rescued her seven brothers from a spell that had turned them into swans. But one boy, Ardwin, was left with the scar of the spell's last gasp: one arm remained a wing. And while Ardwin yearned to find a place in his father's kingdom, the wing whispered to him of open sky and rushing wind. Marked by difference, Ardwin sets out to discover who he is: bird or boy, crippled or sound, cursed or blessed. But followed by the cold eye of a sorceress and with war rumbling at his kingdom's borders, Ardwin's path may lead him not to enlightenment, but into unimaginable danger. There are more questions than answers at the end of the "Six Swans" by the Brothers Grimm . . . Martin picks up these threads in this masterful story of Prince Ardwin, the youngest child, and his ultimate role in helping the entire family find peace . . . A dramatic and philosophical work, this will encourage readers to consider the possibilities that everyone carries blessings disguised as curses. Bulletin for the Center of Children's Books , STARRED REVIEW Remember the Grimms' story "The Six Swans"?...The end of that fairy tale is the starting point for this extraordinary novel...In the best fairy-tale tradition, "Prince Freak" sets out to discover how he must live...The marvelous thing about Birdwing is that, given its highly literary origins, it is so tough, colloquial, funny and moving...A book for kids who appreciate the likes of William Mayne and Ursula K. Le Guin. The Washington Post (Nov 13, 2005) by Elizabeth Ward ... a magical tale...of extraordinary beauty and philosophical depth...as inventive and soaring as Harry Potter and Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials . Book Page . . . an absolutely faithful and exceedingly satisfying continuation of The Six Swans . . . Martin does a superb job of unfolding . . . the essential birthright challenge each of us has to come to terms with: who we are, who we are becoming, and how we fly. Rated: 10 out of 10. "A desert island book for all time." NECBA New England Children's Book Advisory The highly readable and well-written story of a boy searching to find his place in the world is packed with adventure, moral dilemmas, true and false friendships, righting of wrongs, growing-up issues, plenty of danger, and a touch of the fantastical. --American Booksellers Association, A Book Sense Pick, Winter 2005-6 As a child I loved the tales of the Brother's Grimm. My mother read many of them aloud to me when I was sick at home in bed as a child.  Later, one of my wife's favorites, it turned out, was "The Six Swans," the story of the brothers transformed into swans and of the sister who vows to save them. She was drawn to the tale by the sister's determined vow to save her brothers. That bold girl embodied all the dynamic, saving power of the Feminine itself. I loved the tale, too. But the nub of its power, for me, circled around an equally mysterious, but quite different, point: What happened to the youngest brother, the one with the wing ? In time I realized that the only way to know his story would be to write the book myself and so, uncover the tale that had been waiting, perhaps a thousand years, to be told.  We all have a wing. It's what makes each of us different and, so, who we each uniquely are.  Because of his wing, the boy I named Ardwin fell out of myth into this world as a freak and a cripple. Yet, despite the difficulties, he kept his wing, and because of that became whole. Some cloak their wing and hide it, hoping to fit it and be like everyone else. Some are forced to cut it off and so appear quite normal, though maimed. And some learn to live with it fully, just as they are.  What choice will you make? What will you do with yours? A JOURNEY OUT OF MYTH AND INTO THE WORLDOnce upon a time, six brothers were turned into swans. And once upon a time, the spell was broken, giving back to each brother his human form...all except for Ardwin, the youngest, He was left with one arm enchanted, forever a wing.And so he grows up, marked by a difference, a prince struggling t find a place in his father's kingdom while his wing pulls him toward the open sky. Ardwin barely knows how to speak to his family, yet his wing gives him the power to understand every other creature in the forest.Half the time Ardwin wishes his wing were gone. But when he learns that his father plans to have the wing severed, he knows he must flee...to save his life and find his way."Martin deftly weaves fairy tale into fiction...The many original characters and unusual adventure scenes ensure that the readers will remember this well-paced fantasy." BOOKLIST RAFE MARTIN is the bestselling author of  award-winning picture books, as well as young adult novels including The Rough-Face Girl and Will's