Dragonfly Song

Aissa, daughter of a priestess and chieftain, is born with an extra digit on each hand which her mother views as a deformity, and upon her father’s death Aissa is abandoned. A wise woman saves her and places her with a new family but once again she is abandoned when raiders attack, becomes mute, and ironically ends up a slave in her mother’s household where she seeks acceptance while surviving as a bull dancer. This Canadian novel set in Bronze Age Greece is told in traditional prose and free verse and deals with themes of belonging, acceptance, identity, family, trauma, courage, overcoming obstacles, bullying. Suitable for read-aloud, novel study, literature circles, or independent reading.