Extraordinary Birds
Reviewed By Janet Mawdesley July 1, 2019
Author Sandy Stark-McGinnis
Distributor: Bloomsbury Childrens Books
ISBN: 9781526603159
Publisher: Bloomsbury Childrens Books
Release Date: July 2019
Website: https://www.bloomsbury.com
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Bitter sweet, poignant and spellbinding Extraordinary Birds from Sandy Stark McGinnes takes a delicate journey into the life of a child growing up with more questions than answers in her life, creating about her a story that will make her world alright, acceptable, allowing a place to dream, to believe, to simply be who she believes she is.
December is eleven years old and knows heaps about birds. So much so that she often refers to her life as something similar to that of a baby bird, learning how to fly. Although she knows she is not really a baby bird, she truly believes that one day, just like a baby bird, she will be able to find her Mum and fly away with her to a new life. To her the scars on her back are the place where her wings will eventually grow.
All she knows about her birth mother has been discovered through the book left behind and a photo with a message in her Mums writing; not a lot to build a dream on but in her away of viewing life, a far better choice than simply nothing at all.
Eventually December is placed with a new foster Mum, Eleanor, who is a very special person, a volunteer at the local wildlife park and has her own taxidermy business. As time moves along December settles into her new home, beginning to make friends and slowly begins to learn that, with Eleanor’s love and care, there can be a safe haven where home is something more than just a word.
There comes a time when choices need to be made, to live in the today world of love and Eleanor, or to keep trying to fly like a baby bird, even though she knows that to try and fly could be pretty drastic. But it is not until she does try to fly, she realises that what she has with Eleanor is something very wonderful.
Beautifully written, this is a story of so much more than the journey of one little girl; it is a reflection on the lives of so many foster children in today’s world, who struggle to survive in a life which is constantly changing.
Beautifully crafted and an unforgettable read.