Bird

How does someone heal when they have been abandoned by someone they love? Or when a brother, someone far too young, suddenly dies? How does someone who has spent their whole life too sick to participate in daily things suddenly discover how to live because they received a new heart? Sadness and loneliness come in many packages. Bird, a young girl discovers the power of healing when she leaves home looking for her stepfather. She is willing to live alone in a shed and eat table scraps until she realizes her dream of taking Cecil back home and restoring her family.

This beautiful story is told in lyrical, vivid language. The reader sees the events unfold from the perspective of three different characters as they interact. Bird sees how show more these people are connected but she is only passing through. She says, "All these people going in and out of their houses in this place I'm gonna leave anytime, they don't belong to me. I'm borrowing them until I get what I came for." But while Bird is in Acorn, Alabama, her compassion brings healing to those she encounters. show less

This is a tale told from the perspective of three people.

Bird is thirteen and lost one father to death and her step father recently abandoned her and her mother. Missing him, she vows to track him down and bring him back to his family.

Taking a bus from Ohio to Alabama is a brave thing to do. With no planning, she arrives in a sleepy town where she believes her step father now resides.

Hiding out in a shed in the backyard of a family, she watches carefully and then sneaks food and warmth when they leave the house for church.

Soon, Ethan, an inhabitant of the house, discovers her and builds a relationship. Surviving a heart transplant surgery gives him courage to live a new life and Bird's spirit attracts him.

Jay is mourning the death of show more his brother. Previously sharing a bedroom with him, Jay refuses to allow his mother to remove his items. Hurting and acting out, Jay struggles.

The author weaves three separate characters into a story of two hearts that are breaking and another that is trying to accept the gift of renewal and life.

While poetic and well written, I had difficulty accepting the blunt, sudden ending which detracted from the beauty of the story. show less

Book Talk: This book is about three kids. Bird is a runaway, but she’s trying to find something, not to get away from something. Her stepfather has gone missing, and Bird’s trying to find him. Ethan is a boy who almost died, but got a heart transplant just in time. He can run for the first time in his life. Jay is a boy whose brother just died, and he’s dealing with it by stealing cars and going for joy rides. Then he gets picked up by the police. Their lives are all connected, and you’ll get to see how their woven together in this book, Bird, by Angela Johnson.

BIRD is told from three points of view: a runaway, a young heart transplant recipient, and a boy who has just lost a brother. The threesome find one another as they search for love and connections.