The Blue Wings

First edition, hard cover, October 2018. Third edition, July 2019.

Zilveren Griffel 2019
Laureate Ibby Honour List 2020
Nomination Children's and Youth Jury 2020
KIMI-Siegel 2020 (Germany)
Golden Pear 2021 (Slovenia)
Shortlist GLLI Translated YA Book Prize 2021 (US)

'Heartrendingly beautiful. Jef Aerts surpasses himself.' JaapLeest.nl
'An exciting and layered story' **** De Standaard

The Blue Wings
Querido, 2018

Josh (12) and his older brother Jadran (16) find a young, injured crane. They want to teach him how to fly again so that he can follow his family to the South. The brothers use the big blue wings of their mother, from the time she was still playing in musicals, and show the crane how to do it.
But when Josh falls from the fire ladder after a push of his sometimes impulsive brother, everything changes. Can Jadran still live at home?
The two brothers decide to flee when they hear that Jadran has to move to a residential care facility. And they take the crane with them. A courageous and moving escape attempt follows, which is also a search for the warmth of a family.

Illustrated by Martijn van der Linden: www.martijnvanderlinden.com.

Read more about The Blue Wings on Flanders Literature.
Download an English sample translation here.

"Jadran is a giant," I said.
"You're a giant too," Mom said. "A little giant, but on the inside."
'He is the strongest in the whole neighborhood, he wins from everyone with arm wrestling and I ...'
Mom just smiled and said I had to take good care of him.