Bird

"Bird" is a beautiful book that looks hard things right in the eye and demands explanations. Everyone in "Bird" is wrapped up in themselves and the sadness and anxieties of much of life. Jewel has tried all her life to make up for her sad parents' and silent Grandfather's loss on the day she was born of five-year-old John, nicknamed Bird, who would have been her big brother. The new boy--coincidentally also named John--in town to visit his uncle upsets the delicate, dysfunctional balance of Jewel and her family, making Jewel realize that even if Bird and his tragic death are part of her, she can also only be herself. All the voices in the book are unique and convincing, especially that of Jewel, who tells the story in first person. I show more cried when I finally experienced Bird's voice.
I'm sending a copy of this book to my 12-year-old niece in Wales right after I post this review. show less

Heartbreaking look at a family struggling to overcome the death of a child. Always in the shadow of a brother she never knew, Jewel feels abandoned by her parents and grandfather. When she meets a new friend, everyone is forced to deal with the pain that has been just below the surface. I thought the characters were well developed and the writing was beautiful. A great middle grade debut novel!! 4.5 stars.

tween/middlegrade realistic fiction; families dealing with grief (with 12 year old mixed race protagonist in rural Iowa). Great depth of character and voice, even when characters don't come right out and say things (which is often), there are a million ways to tell that Jewel is lonely, or that she still feels a strong connection with her deceased older brother (whom she never knew). Extremely impressive debut novel from Chan, who herself grew up as a mixed race child in rural Wisconsin.

I immediately loved everything about this book, especially the protagonist. It's not an easy book to read, in the sense that it's full of sharp and overwhelming pain. But in the sense that I read the whole thing in less than 24 hours, and would gladly read hundreds more pages about Jewel, it is very easy. It's a beautiful book, and if it turns out that Crystal Chan hasn't written anything else for me to read, I'll have no problem revisiting Bird in the future.

What a wonderful book. Thank you to the friends who suggested that I read it. It was full of emotion, a complete see-saw, and yet at the end I felt optimistic about the future for the characters. They were very well rounded and I felt as if I actually cared what happened to them. Bereavement is something that affects all families, but learning to cope and supporting family members is so very important.

I read this from a copy provided by Netgalley, with thanks

Bird is a middle school grade novel by first time author Crystal Chan. Jewel was born on the day her brother, Bird died. His real name was John but Jewel's grandfather called him Bird and after he jumped to his death from a cliff pretending to fly Jewels grandfather hasn't spoken and her family is steeped in grief and despair.

On the eve of her 12th birthday Jewel leaves the house late at night to climb a tree and look at the stars. In the tree she meets John, a young African-American boy who was adopted by a white family. Jewel thinks it's weird that she met a boy with her brother's name in a spot out near where he died but the two become good friends. Jewel's father doesn't trust him though. He believes that John is an a duppy (spirits show more trapped on earth who cause trouble) who has come to cause more trouble in their family. He goes out of his way to keep John away from his family.

John is visiting his Uncle while his parents get ready to have a baby. Which brings up many feelings of abandonment, his adoption, and anger in John. While the drama going on in both children's lives at first appear the same by the end you see how very similar their concerns are. Jewel lives in a house that hasn't let go of the grief and sadness of losing their son, and John believes his parents don't really want him now that they are having their "own" child.

This is a beautifully written book and a well thought out story that really touches on what it means to feel different, how children view the world around them and how we are all connected and can help each other to be whole. Many books deal with identity and parent and child relationships but Bird is on a completely different level. Bird is a compelling story about values, traditions and relationships that redefines what it means to be a family, I loved this book. show less

Jewel was born the day her five year old brother, nicknamed Bird, tried to fly off a cliff. Her whole life her Grandpa hasn't spoken and her parents have been sad and angry. Her father believes in evil spirits. Jewel is bright and wants to be a geologist. When she meets a boy visiting his uncle for the summer, they click. But their friendship is tested several times. Strong characters, but at times the drama with Jewel's parents dragged the story down.