Airborn (novel) explained

Airborn
Author:	Kenneth Oppel
Cover Artist:	Peter Riddihoff
Country:	Canada
Language:	English
Series:	Matt Cruse series
Genre:	Fantasy, alternate history novel, steampunk
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Release Date:	February 5, 2004
Media Type:	Print (hardback & paperback) Audiobook
Pages:	321 pp (first edition)
Isbn:	978-0-00-200537-1
Oclc:	53162914
Followed By:	Skybreaker

Airborn is a 2004 young adult novel by Kenneth Oppel. The novel is set in an alternate history where the airplane has not been invented, and instead, airships are the primary form of air transportation. Additionally, the world contains fictional animal species such as flying creatures that live their entire lives in the sky. The book takes place aboard a transoceanic luxury passenger airship, the Aurora, and is told from the perspective of its cabin boy, Matt Cruse.

Awards

The book won a Governor General's Award for children's literature in 2004.^[1] ^[2]
The book was a Michael L. Printz Award honor book.^[3]
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbon award winner.^[4]
The book won the Red Maple Award in 2006.^[5]
The book won a Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award in 2005.^[6]
The book made the 2006 International Board on Books for Young People list.^[7]
The audiobook version, narrated by David Kelly and a full cast, won the 2007 Audie Award for Children's Titles for Ages 12+.

Film adaptation

The book originally was being adapted into a film, to be directed by Stephen Sommers. Thomas Dean Donnelly adapted the screenplay. However, in 2008, Oppel indicated that the project had been dropped.^[8]
Announced on March 19, 2012, Halifax Films and Michael Donovan teamed up and optioned the book for film. Oppel was hired to write the preliminary script and would have been an executive producer.^[9]
On the frequently asked questions section of his site, Oppel says the most recent producers of his film have dropped out and that he owns rights to the book again.^[10]

Publication history

Airborn was first released in Canada in February 2004. It was shortly followed with its release in the United Kingdom and the United States in April and May 2004 respectively. Below is the release details for the first edition hardback and paperback copies in these three publication regions.

2004, CAN, HarperCollins, Pub date February 5, 2004, Hardback
2004, UK, Hodder Children's Books, Pub date April 15, 2004, Hardback
2004, US, Eos, Pub date May 11, 2004, Hardback
2004, CAN, HarperCollins, Pub date October 21, 2004, Paperback
2005, UK, Hodder Children's Books, Pub date January 13, 2005, Paperback
2005, US, Eos, Pub date May 24, 2005, Paperback

External links

Web site: Official series website . 2016-12-12 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080423053832/http://www.airborn.ca/ . 2008-04-23 . bot: unknown .

Notes and References

Web site: Past Recipients Prizes Section Governor General's Literary Awards. www.canadacouncil.ca. 9 January 2015.
News: Pereira. Diana. Airborn, Jabberwocky win children's literature awards. 9 January 2015. The Globe and Mail. Phillip Crawley. 15 November 2004.
Web site: Michael L. Printz Winners and Honor Books. Young Adult Library Services Association. 15 March 2007 . American Library Association. 4 May 2015.
Web site: Stevenson. Deborah. 2004 Blue Ribbons. The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. 4 May 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150802122301/http://bccb.lis.illinois.edu/BlueRibbons/blue04.html. 2015-08-02. dead.
Web site: Red Maple Award . The Canadian Children's Book Centre . The Canadian Children's Book Centre . 4 May 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150503225401/http://www.bookcentre.ca/awards/red_maple_award . 3 May 2015 .
Web site: Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Awards Award Recipients 1976 – 2012. Ontario Arts Foundation. Ontario Arts Foundation. 4 May 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304185641/http://www.arts.on.ca/AssetFactory.aspx?did=4406. 2016-03-04. dead.
Web site: Page. Liz. IBBY Honor List 2006. Australian Literature Online. International Board on Books for Young People. 4 May 2015.
Web site: Interview with an Author: Oppel's simple advice: write about your passion . 2010-03-03 . Walker . Morley . 2008-09-28 . Winnipeg Free Press . Winnipeg Free Press .
Web site: Kenneth Oppel: Airborn The Movie: Take Two . 2013-11-12 . Kenneth . Oppel . 2012-03-19 . Kenneth Oppel's Blog .
Web site: Kenneth Oppel Author. www.kennethoppel.ca. 2017-11-22. https://web.archive.org/web/20180108104105/http://www.kennethoppel.ca/pages/faq.shtml. 2018-01-08. dead.