Sandy Stark-Mcginnis

My main literary loves are crime and horror, but I do try and read outside of those genres as often as I can. 'Extraordinary Birds' was just such a read. It's a charming, moving, coming of age tale, about a damaged young girl, December, who believes she is a bird.
I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but I found it to be a gripping, deeply engaging read. It's a book for children, but doesn't soft-pedal or condescend and I think adults would find just as much to like in it as kids. December is a wonderful protagonist, and her avian obsessions are fascinating and really help the book come alive.
It's a tale that covers the things you'd expect it to: bullying, the difficulty of parent-child relationships, our common need for love; but it does them all well. I enjoyed it far more than I expected to and finished it with a lump in my throat.… (mehr)

December loves birds. She knows a lot of facts about birds and even has memorized which birds appear on what pages in her bird encyclopedia. Birds are her refuge and escape, so much so that she believes she will become a bird and fly away, once the wings sprout from the scars on her back. At 11 years old, her life is troubled, having lived in 11 foster homes by the time she is placed with Eleanor. Will she be any different from the previous foster parents or will December’s wings finally grow so she can fly away? The metaphorical bird and trust-building themes felt overdone, obvious, heavy-handed. When Eleanor informs December that she is going to help train an injured hawk, you know already that she can do it.… (mehr)