*** Wrap Your Mind and Heart Around a Good Book ***
Authored by Monika Schröder
Middle-grade readers
What others are saying...
“Be Light Like a Bird is both heartbreaking and heartwarming, a quiet and gentle story of the isolation of grief--and of growing up. It speaks straight to the heart about the power of communication and of forgiveness and is sure to inspire compassion in its readers.” – Blue Willow Bookshop, Houston, TX
"With amazing surprises of love, connection, resentment and nature this story weaves together life's lies and truths and explodes when the two can no longer co-exist.” — The Little Shop of Stories, Decatur, Georgia
“A wonderful look at the way grief and loss affect us, and how friendship and connection are everything. One of my favorite tween books this year!” – The Fountainhead Bookstore, Hendersonville, North Carolina
“Skillful characterization carries this quiet novel along.” – Kirkus Reviews
About the book...
Wren, a typical twelve-year old, has her world come crashing down when her father is tragically killed in a plane crash. She gets no emotional support from her ma who is consumed with feelings of deep anger concerning her husband's death. Unable to communicate with her ma leaves her feeling abandoned and completely shattered inside and things even get worse. Ma forces Wren to pack up her belongings and move several times which causes the black looming cloud that envelopes her to become almost suffocating. How can a young girl mend the constant pain in her heart and get her life back on track all on her own?
Wren struggles through episodes of loneliness, despair, peer pressure in her new school, bullying and a feeling of hopelessness. She tries valiantly to journey forward and make sense of the confusion that she wallows in and the state of her present life.
She clings to her love of birds and nature which she enjoyed with her loving dad. This special interaction with wildlife leads her to a friendship with a nerdy boy who is also shunned by school peers and is deemed uncool and a misfit. Together they successfully work on issues affecting a local environmental crisis and thankfully her relationship with her ma takes a positive turn bringing them back together as family secrets are shared between the two.
Wren's heartbreaking journey allows many opportunities for discussion and reflection as to what is central in life. "Be Light Like a Bird" strongly highlights the importance of family relationships, the power of forgiveness and it offers the reader hope when they are confronted with life's difficult challenges.
I truly enjoyed this well-written book and I guarantee it is one that will have you thinking about it long after the last page is read. I highly recommend it.
About the author...
I grew up in Germany and have worked as an elementary school teacher and librarian in American international schools in Egypt, Chile, Oman and India. After living in India for eight years my husband and I returned to the US in the summer of 2011. We now live in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.
I like to travel to new places and to learn about different cultures. Of course, I read a lot of children’s books, but I also make time for adult literature, mostly historical fiction. If I’m not reading or writing, I love to bake, hike or watch movies. Since we moved to North Carolina, I also have become interested in gardening.
Follow me
*Instagram: Storywraps
*Email: Storywrapsblog@gmail.com
*Facebook: www.facebook.com/Storywraps
*Twitter: Storywraps@Storywraps1
I put hours of work finding the best kid's books to review for you each day. If you enjoy visiting Storywraps and would like to donate something for my time and effort I would greatly appreciate it.
Go to the top of my blog on the right hand corner (above my photo) and please donate what you feel lead to give. The amount you donate and the frequency you donate is totally up to you. I thank you in advance for your support. I love what I do and appreciate any amount that you may give so I can make our community even better. Thanks a million!
Read on and read always!
It's a wrap.
No comments:
Post a Comment