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.
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.
^Stevenson, Deborah. "2004 Blue Ribbons". The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. Archived from the original on 2015-08-02. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
^"Red Maple Award". The Canadian Children's Book Centre. The Canadian Children's Book Centre. Archived from the original on 3 May 2015. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
"Official series website". Archived from the original on 2008-04-23. Retrieved 2016-12-12.((cite web)): CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)