Book Review: Talon, Come Fly With Me

                                     Today's review is on Talon, Come Fly With Me by Gigi Sedlmayer

Talon, Come Fly With Me is the first book in Sedlmayer's Talon series and is the first book that I have read by this author. Due to the obligations, illnesses, and daily life events that come with being a mom, it has taken me a long time to finally sit down and read it.

My first impression was that there were some formatting issues between the copy that I was given and the Kindle edition that is for sale on Amazon. That, in and of itself, doesn't really impact the story line, it just makes it more difficult for the reader. It interrupts the flow of reading and therefore should be addressed. And yes, young children do read on their parent's, or sometimes their own readers.

Matica and her Missionary parents move from Australia to a remote village in Peru. Though the native Indians generally accept her parents and younger brother, Matica is not accepted. She has a growth disability that makes her different from everyone else, and it is this disability that keeps the villagers at an arms length.

With no friends, Matica turns to the mighty condors and finds “someone” finally accepts her. It's not until her condor friends need help protecting their egg that the villagers finally begin to let go of their fears. They begin to see Matica in a different light, making her a very popular girl.

Geared towards the elementary school reader, Talon is an underdog story that I think many kids may enjoy. After all, there's poachers, danger, and dead lizards. What's not to love?

3 of 5 stars
Available at Amazon


Book Description: via Amazon

Talon: Come Fly With Me, is about the life of nine-year-old girl, Matica. Matica lives in a remote village on a dry plateau in the Andes of Peru. She moved here with her Australian missionary and schoolteacher parents when she was five years old. Ever since Matica could remember, she faced cruel rejection because of a growth handicap that traps her in a body a two-year-old. Because of her appearance, the local Indians wouldn't accept her into their community or allow her to play with their children. Under the watchful eyes of her parents, lonely Matica explores the plateau of the Andes. She found a pair of condors soaring near the mountains and with patience and a sense of adventure she befriended them. She named the condors Tamo and Tima and a strong bond and love developed between them. The adventure of this book begins two years later, as Matica helplessly witnessed poachers stealing the condors' egg from their nest. After a dramatic fight between Tamo and the poachers, the poachers abandoned the egg leaving it far from its nest. Being unable to bring it back to the nest, Tamo and Tima sent signals to Matica to take care of their egg. Later on, during Matica's tenth birthday, the condor egg hatches. The hatchling is called Talon and this story focuses on the self journey of Matica, as she teaches the little hatchling to fly. This experience changes her life completely and enables her to see a positive side to her handicap.