Birdy by N. West Moss
N. West Moss’s middle grade novel, BIRDY, is a poignant tale of loss and redemption. After their mother dies from cancer, 11-year-old Birdy and her 7-year-old brother Mouse face multiple challenges. Raised in New York City by their single mother, Birdy and Mouse suddenly find themselves adjusting to a new life in rural upstate New York with distant relatives, Aunt Mitzie and Uncle Shadow. It’s a temporary situation, their social worker tells them, until she can find a more stable permanent home for them. Aunt Mitzie and Uncle Shadow are a childless older couple, deemed an unsuitable placement because of their age and inexperience. For most of her life, Birdy has had only herself to depend on.
Mouse enjoys exploring the rural landscape and his newfound freedom. Mitzie and Shadow encourage the children to play outside and explore. They have family meals together. They attend summer camp and learn to swim. They throw rocks in a stream. They go barefoot through the grass. They make a new friend.
Birdy is less trusting, anxious as she awaits the inevitable next disaster or rejection, and squirrels away food and cash from her aunt’s stash in case she and Mouse need to make a quick escape.
When their long-lost Uncle Clay comes to visit, the children like his goat, Patches, and his raccoon, Fingers, as well as his easy affection. When he returns to his home in Maine, he writes letters to Birdy, declaring that they are not just friends, but family, and soon he is making plans to move and be closer to Birdy and Mouse. Can Birdy trust this good thing coming into her life? Will Uncle Clay stick around or will they be abandoned once more?
The landscape scenes are lushly drawn, the relationship between the siblings is tender and loving, and the anxiety and mistrust that Birdy expresses through her diary entries feels authentic. The black and white sketches by Carrie Shryock throughout the novel, as well as Birdy’s pensive diary entries and letters to a pen-pal, are charming. A five-star read for 9–11-year-old fans of Erin Soderberg’s KEEP WALKING. N. West Moss has published a short story collection as well as a memoir, and her third book, this middle-grade novel, is a winner – a touching portrayal of two orphans who find redemption after heartbreak through nature and nurture.
Listen to my author interview with West on February 26 at 7pm and the 28th at 6am on WTIP Radio’s Superior Reads. This is Lin Salisbury with Superior Reviews.
