Feather Boy

This book well deserves its award winning status. It is a coming of age story following a young boy, the class loser, living on England's south coast - we see the pain and struggles of growing up in a world of bullying, fragile friendships, heartache, rules and constraints and the challenges of a broken home.

But for all that is stacked against the protaganist, there is still wonder and mystery and just a hint of something magical. But more importantly he finds love, hope and friendship in unexpected places.

This book crosses generations. It was written for 11+ year olds, but I loved it when much much older.

I loved this book!

I picked up _Feather Boy_ based on a discussion had during a Children's Literature class regarding censorship, where FB was used as an example of a book that was questioned for publication in the U.S. It angered me then and it angers me now, because the scene in question (the "Grape Incident") is such a small portion of the book! Singer has written an engaging tale weaving together myth, elder/child relationships, fr-enemies, and self-discovery. She created a thoroughly creepy atmosphere, but imbued her characters with such realism and soul, that I delayed finishing the story if only to dally in that world just a little bit longer.

Recommended for ages 10 and up.

Robert is the lowest on his class totem pole, and when he's involved in a school project involving elderly people in a home he finds that the woman he's paired with wants him to solve the mystery of the derelict Chance House, legend has it that a boy died falling from an upper window, will Robert manage to get to the truth, will he find enough courage to do what he must?

Along the way he finds what it means to be him.

I liked it, enjoyable story, and Robert was an interesting narrator.

Robert Nobel is the type of kid most of us were in school, not picked first for sports, dorky, but with a sense of humor. Feather Boy by Nicky Singer is Robert's story of coming of age. Robert's class is asked to participate in a project where they are paired with an old geezer, and must connect the past with the present. Robert is pair with a woman who tells him, "You look like a boy who could fly if he wanted to." He gets fairly obsessed with the Elders project.Told in first person, Feather Boy is a quick, uplifting read. If I had sat down and read this straight through, it probably would have taken me four hours. The only problem I had with this book was how British it was, not that being British is a bad thing, it just took me a few show more seconds to puzzle out that crisps were potato chips and chips are actually fries. Yes, so I am "daft." Anyways, I found this story being relatable as Robert is picked on by bullies, his parents are divorced and he's a shy, quiet kid who has courage within. I feel this story would connect the most with middle-grade readers, as the protagonist is 13. Who knows, maybe even reluctant male readers might enjoy this book. show less

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