Reviews

Extraordinary Birds by Sandy Stark-McGinnis

lizaroo71's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

December believes she's a girl transforming into a bird because this narrative is easier to cope with their her history of neglect by her mother and of moving through the foster system. 

When December gets placed with Eleanor, she's not hopeful that this will be her forever home.  Because December believes she is really a bird waiting to get her wings, she knows all about birds.  This commonality with Eleanor allows them to connect and December begins to feel hope in her future of finding a home. 

I love the patience Eleanor exhibits and the crushing feelings December feels as a tween.  I had tears ready to spill over in several sections of the book.  A lovely story about writing yourself intoa new story.

fuzzyhead's review against another edition

4.0

4.5. Very moving portrayal of the life of a foster child.

libwinnie's review against another edition

4.0

What a tough book! Some pretty serious topics here--child abuse and abandonment. But it is also supported with a lot of hope. I appreciated the insight into what it feels like to be dealing with such traumas and to be shuffled around in the foster care system and think it would be very relatable for a lot of kids.

ruth07's review against another edition

3.0

3,5

jaynecm's review against another edition

4.0

December knows a lot about birds. In fact, she knows she was born to fly and is just waiting for her wings to grow in so she can transform into a bird herself and fly away.
A book about hope and searching for a safe and happy space where you can be who you were meant to be. 

emmanovella's review against another edition

4.0

I couldn't tell at first if this was magical realism or not (spoiler: it's not), and at first that was disappointing BUT overall, this story was incredible. I loved December and the journey she went on. I was so so happy to see her grow, to learn and to find some sort of sense of home.

cojack's review against another edition

5.0

A sweet, uplifting, incredibly well written middle-grade book. Author Stark-McGinnis does a great job of showing the instability and other issues faced by kids in the foster system, but the story never gets too heavy or dark. December is a great narrator: smart, resilient, and somehow hopeful.
Read my full review on Common Sense Media:
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/extraordinary-birds

mrs_bookdragon's review against another edition

4.0

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an eARC in exchange for an honest review. I had heard so much about this book and was excited to read it. It began really strong, I was hooked. The book kind of dropped in the middle, but the emotions and pain in the unknown kept me reading. I am glad I kept reading because by the end, I couldn’t put it down and I know that this will be a story I remember for awhile.

frederique's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

ladykatka's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

This book reminds me a lot of the movie "Martian Child" except she thinks she is a bird not an alien.

The bird facts were great, making this perfect for kids who like birds. This also was quite emotional, especially for people in the C.A.S. world. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, and Transphobia