The girl has had many selves in her short life. The first she remembers is Aissa, the daughter of Mama and Dada, sister to Zufi who watched the goats. Then the Bull King's raiders came, and Mama said, "Don't make a sound till I come back." And when the villagers found her she was silent as stone, because Mama never came back again. So the villagers cursed her as back luck and made her No-Name, lowest of the servants to the Lady, the island's priestess. But there were whispers, as she grew, of another self: of the Lady's rejected first daughter, born imperfect with two extra thumbs. The silent girl looks at the scars on her wrists and wonders, but she has more pressing concerns. The villagers blame her bad luck for the tribute the Bull King now demands of them: two youths given each spring to dance with his bulls and die for his god's glory. And the servants hate and fear the unnatural way the animals all come to her. For Aissa, though, this bond with creatures of fur and scale is the first clue in finding the true self that no one else can give to her, or take away. Wendy Orr, the author of Nim's Island, introduces a resourceful and resilient heroine for slightly older readers. Inspired by an archeological trip to the island of Crete, where frescoes show figures leaping over the backs of bulls, Orr weaves an intriguing mythological portrayal of the Bronze Age Minoan civilization. Lyrically written and refreshingly unpredictable, Dragonfly Song suggests a fascinating origin for the legend of the Minotaur and his dark tribute.

 

This book is the winner of numerous awards. It was recognised in the Children's Literature Award category by the Adelaide Festival Award for Literature. It was recognised by the Td Canadian Children's Literature Award. It also was recognised by the Rocky Mountain Book Award. It was recognised in the Ages 12-14 Years category by the Bank Street Best Children's Books of the Year. Also it was recognised in the Best Books for Kids & Teens category by the Canadian Children's Book Centre Awards. It was recognised in the Children's Books category by the Prime Minister's Literary Award. It was recognised in the Book of the Year - Younger Readers category by the Children's Book Council of Australia Awards. It was recognised by the Austin Waldorf School Children's Choice Award. It was recognised by the Junior Library Guild. It was recognised in the Best Middle Grade category by the Kirkus Award.

This book has been graded for interest at 10-14 years.

There are 408 pages in this book. This book was published 2017 by Pajama Press .

Wendy Orr's most recent book is Yasou Nikki published by World in July 1996

This book has the following chapters: Author's Note--1 The Firstborn Daughter--3 1 Another Spring, Four Years Later--10 2 After Eight Springs in the Servants' Kitchen--26 3 The Fireflies of Rebirth--46 4 The Light of the Fireflies--61 5 Dragonfly Banished--77 6 The Sanctuary Cave--92 7 The Hills--103 8 The Sea--111 9 The Rock Slinger--125 10 The Bull Dancers--131 11 Milli-Cat and the Snake--139 12 The Goats and the Wolf--154 13 The Bull Dancer and the Boar--165 14 Dragonfly at the Source--185 15 The Cold North Wind--192 16 The Wise-Women--207 17 The Herb Gatherer--222 18 The Ship in Spring--245 19 The Bull King's Ship 262 20 Spring Training--279 21 The Dance of Summer Solstice--291 22 In the Mother's Rooms--303 23 The Bull Dance in Midwinter--323 24 Meeting the Bulls--333 25 The Great Spring Dances--339 26 From the Gray-Green Bush --355 27 The Bull King's Promise--362 28 The Lady of the Bulls--378