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Library | Shelf Number | Material Type | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
Searching... Central Services | J E CHAN | Juvenile English Fiction | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Musgrave Library | J E CHAN | Juvenile English Fiction | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
'Grandpa stopped speaking the day he killed my brother, John. His name was John until Grandpa said he looked more like a Bird with the way he kept jumping off things, and the name stuck. Bird's thick, black hair poked out in every direction, just like the head feathers of the blackbirds, Grandpa said, and he bet that one day Bird would fly like one too. Grandpa kept talking like that, and no one paid him much notice until Bird jumped off a cliff, the cliff at the edge of the tallgrass prairie, the cliff that dropped a good couple hundred feet to a dried-up riverbed below. From that day on, Grandpa never spoke another word. Not one.
The day that Bird tried to fly, the grown-ups were out looking for him - all of them except Mom and Granny. That's because that very day, I was born.'
Twelve-year-old Jewel never knew her brother, but all her life she has lived in his shadow. Then one night, on her birthday, she finds a mysterious boy sitting in her oak tree. His name is John. And he changes everything.
Author Notes
Crystal Chan is the author of, Bird, which made the Silver Inky Award 2015 shortlist. The Silver Inky Award is given to an international book.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (3)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-6-Jewel Campbell was born the same day her five-year-old brother, John, jumped off a cliff, mistakenly believing he could fly. After John's death, Grandpa, who had nicknamed John "Bird," stops talking since he thinks his nickname may have led to the accident. Dad, a Jamaican immigrant, becomes more superstitious than ever, believing a spirit or "duppy" tricked John into jumping, and Mom becomes a hollow shadow of her former self. Jewel is overwhelmed by her family's grief, and she has no one to turn to until a mysterious new boy shows up in town one summer afternoon. This thoughtful story is beautifully narrated by Amandla Stenberg. She perfectly expresses Jewel's constantly changing emotions, and her narration truly makes this introspective character come to life. Overall, this is a thoughtful story of one family's struggle to overcome devastating grief and find new meaning in their relationships with one another.-Anne Bozievich, Friendship Elementary School, Glen Rock, PA (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
On the day Jewel was born, her five-year-old brother, Bird, threw himself off a cliff in an attempt to fly. In the 12 years that have passed since his death, the family hasn't recovered: Jewel's grandfather hasn't spoken for years; her mother is depressed; and Jewel fears that no one will love her as much as her family loved Bird. But then she meets and befriends a boy named John, and has a chance to change her life for the better. In this audio edition, Stenberg turns in a fun, spirited performance. Her narration is smooth and well paced. And, most importantly, Sternberg ably captures the essence of Jewel, her voice full of youthful pluck and a hint of sadness. Although the narrator doesn't lend the characters particularly unique voices, listeners will have little trouble differentiating who is speaking to whom. Ages 8-12. An Athenaeum hardcover. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
In my house we wield silence like shields and swords: We use it to push people away or injure them. Ever since 12-year-old Jewel's brother died by jumping off a cliff on the day she was born, her grandfather hasn't uttered a word. He's the one who gave his grandson, John, the nickname Bird and told him that, one day, Bird would fly. Jewel's Jamaican grandpa and her dad believe in duppies, or harmful spirits, and think grandpa's nickname attracted one. Now, Jewel is living in a house of fear, silence, and guilt. Jewel returns to the cliff where her brother died in order to connect with him and feels the place, unlike her family, speaks to her. When she meets a boy in town for the summer, she, a geology lover, and he, obsessed with space exploration, become friends. But this boy has secrets of his own, and, eventually, someone is going to have to talk. This is a slow read thoughtful and introspective about the dynamics of a grieving family and contemplative readers will be rewarded by Jewel's journey.--Kelley, Ann Copyright 2010 Booklist