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Title details for Bird by Angela Johnson - Available

Bird

by Angela Johnson
Kamahl Palmer
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
1 of 1 copy available
Bird, a thirteen-year-old girl with a mission, has run away in pursuit of her stepfather. She's sure she'll be able to convince him to return home—to fill the hole he left in their family. And while she hides near his sister's farmhouse, she becomes entwined in the lives of three people who also have holes to fill: Ethan, whose heart troubles have kept him too sheltered from kids his own age; Jay, whose brother has died unexpectedly; and Mrs. Pritchard, whose house has been too empty since her husband was moved to a nursing home.
Through the unique voices of the three kids, an eloquent, affecting story unfolds—the story of how one individual's warmth and kindness can heal so many hurts. Bird will leave you thoroughly uplifted.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Awards

  • Release date

    December 6, 2007

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780739386118
      • File size: 57574 KB
      • Duration: 01:59:56

  • Languages

    • English

  • Levels

    • ATOS Level: 4.2
    • Lexile® Measure: 710
    • Interest Level: K-3(LG)
    • Text Difficulty: 3

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      The lives of three emotionally damaged children intersect in serendipitous ways in this quietly lyrical novel. Readers Hosein (Bird), Palmer (Ethan), and Pavich (Jay) are well cast, sensitively conveying each character. Thirteen-year-old Bird has gone in pursuit of the stepfather who left suddenly; Ethan, the stepfather's lonely nephew, is coming to terms with a new life in the wake of his heart transplant; and Jay is grieving the loss of his brother, who is, it turns out, the donor of Ethan's heart. The plot may sound contrived, but the characters are complex and their emotions, genuine and compelling. Further, the performances of the talented young actors pull it all together into a moving story. E.S. (c) AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      October 18, 2004
      Johnson's (The First Part Last
      ) quiet, affecting story told in three voices follows Bird, 13, as she runs away in pursuit of her stepfather. In rural Alabama, Bird is befriended by two boys connected by a single heart: Ethan, her stepfather's nephew and recent recipient of a heart transplant, and Jay, a teen coping with the sudden death of his younger brother—a death that provided a healthy heart for sickly Ethan. All three introspective teens seem mature beyond their years, even when they do stupid things (such as riding along in a stolen car), and Johnson's lyric touch occasionally lapses into twee moments (as when Ethan spies Bird dancing in the moonlight on his family's property). But the overwhelming kindness of these characters (Ethan keeps Bird's secret, Ethan's parents plant flowers, without explanation, in Jay's yard) trumps the occasional lapses in verisimilitude. The author leavens all the hurt with humor; Bird wonders, for instance, why everyone she meets in Alabama offers her a meal. "They'll feed you if they think you're hungry, guess you're hungry, or if you aren't hungry but they are." In the satisfying ending, Bird realizes she's run after the wrong thing, but the time spent in the compassionate world Johnson has created makes this a worthwhile journey anyway—for her heroine and readers. Ages 10-14.

    • Publisher's Weekly

      January 16, 2006
      PW
      called this tale of 13-year-old Bird and two boys connected by a single heart (her stepfather's nephew, recipient of a heart transplant, and the boy whose brother was the donor) "a quiet, affecting story." Ages 10-up.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • ATOS Level:4.2
  • Lexile® Measure:710
  • Interest Level:K-3(LG)
  • Text Difficulty:3

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