Jenn Reese

When Eren accidentally rescues a bird prince from danger, she becomes their champion against the Frostfangs, evil wolf-like creatures that spread doubt and despair. To truly succeed as a champion, however, Eren must anchor herself in her truth, discovering and accepting her true self. And that's pretty hard to do in seventh grade...

This is a strong juvenile fantasy that touches on questions of identity and acceptance. It definitely expresses the angst of seventh grade well! I'd recommend it show more to young readers who are interested in animal fantasy as well as stories with some friendship drama. show less

The story opens with Sam and her sister, Caitlin, arriving in Oregon to stay with their Aunt Vicky and her wife. Sam is quiet, reserved, and jumpy while Caitlin is a people-pleaser and the transition to this new life is especially rough for Sam who wants only to return to the life she left behind in Los Angeles.

Aunt Vicky gives Sam a well-loved card game and Sam finds herself drawn to the characters: the charming fox and the sweet squirrels. When the characters appear in her real life, Sam show more is at first thrown, but as the fox makes her promises, she gets wrapped into his game. Her quest to find the golden acorn that will allow her to return to the life she left behind leads her to make choices she never would have made, hurting those she loves. But, as the game goes on, Sam must decide what it is she really wants.

Books in which magic appears in our real world are among my favorite, and this one is superbly done. Reese uses magic, and the game, to slowly reveal the past abuse that led to the sisters being relocated to their aunts' house. The fox himself is a trickster and an abuser, charming one moment and cruel the next, allowing Sam--and young readers--to gain needed perspective on her situation.

Sarah Franco reads the audiobook, bringing all the characters vividly to life and capturing Sam's longing perfectly. show less

I received an advance copy via NetGalley.

With this book, I can officially say Jenn Reese is one of my favorite middle grade authors. I adored A Game of Fox and Squirrel for its poignancy and heart, and Every Bird a Prince is likewise deep and powerful in its own way. It is imbued with a message of self-acceptance and empowerment that will resonate with kids (and adults, too).

Eren is a 7th grade girl who is trying to figure out a lot of stuff. Her two besties are going boy crazy and are hyped show more about an upcoming school dance, while she just wants to ride her bike through the Oregon woods. She’s out riding when she saves a bird that is weirdly icy—and who actually speaks to her, proclaiming her a chosen champion. The world is in danger, and Eren has been called upon… and she’s as unsure of that as she is about most everything else. One thing becomes clear, though: the threat is real. Her mom is in danger. When the boy she's pretending to have a crush on gets embroiled in the mess, too, things get especially awkward as they need to save the woods and the world, together.

This is such a good book. It’s going to cause kids to think, wonder, and maybe look in the mirror and see who is really there. I’ll be including this book on my Norton nomination list for 2022. show less

I read this as part of my Norton finalist packet.

There's a reason this middle grade book has garnered so much buzz and a Norton nomination: it's a beautifully-done fantasy story in a modern setting with a young girl working through the repercussions of domestic abuse. There are no graphic depictions, but plenty of nuance.

When Sam and her older sister Caitlin are sent to live with their aunt and her wife up in Oregon, Sam is upset at leaving her southern California home and her parents--even show more though her sister has a broken arm, and it's her dad's fault. Sam is working through a lot. She's mad that their family secret came out, mad at her sister for getting her arm broken, mad at being away from her best friend, mad at her aunt and her wife for being so nice that it is hard to hate them. Amidst all this, Sam encounters a dapperly-attired fox in her room who says that if she can complete his challenges, she can win a Golden Acorn that will enable her to grant a wish. She can go home! But this fox is a trickster and the rules keep changing and the challenges make her do terrible things, and it becomes more and more apparent that this is a game she can never win.

The parallels between the fox's cruel challenges and Sam's father are incredibly well done. There's a heavy message to the book, but it is handled with eloquence. It is an uncomfortable read at times, as well it should be, and contains an overall spirit of hope and resilience that is much needed for kids (and for adults, too). I really think this will become a classic in the middle grade genre. show less