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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
Full of kindness and bird facts.
I was not surprised when I learned that the author wrote poetry before she wrote her first book. She is not afraid to abruptly juxtapose ideas without carefully walking the reader through why she is doing it, trusting the reader to make the connection on their own. This gave the narrator a strong voice. It felt exactly like my own brain sometimes, jumping to a new thought along a connection line that isn't consciously apparent at first but ultimately makes sense. The difference being that whenever December doesn't know what to say or think, she thinks of birds.
The book is short, yet encompasses huge ideas with full development; it reads swiftly and smoothly, yet takes your heart through a journey of many complex lumps and bumps. These are also marks of a skilled poet. I think it was very well done.
I was not surprised when I learned that the author wrote poetry before she wrote her first book. She is not afraid to abruptly juxtapose ideas without carefully walking the reader through why she is doing it, trusting the reader to make the connection on their own. This gave the narrator a strong voice. It felt exactly like my own brain sometimes, jumping to a new thought along a connection line that isn't consciously apparent at first but ultimately makes sense. The difference being that whenever December doesn't know what to say or think, she thinks of birds.
The book is short, yet encompasses huge ideas with full development; it reads swiftly and smoothly, yet takes your heart through a journey of many complex lumps and bumps. These are also marks of a skilled poet. I think it was very well done.
December thinks she is a bird. She knows one day her wings will sprout from the scar on her back and she will fly away. Until then she has to practice by eating seeds and jumping from trees. Her new foster mom Eleanor is different from the others. She doesn't make December eat other food and she lets her help with the birds at the bird sanctuary. December's mom left when she was little, but left December a book on birds and the story of December becoming a bird. As December settles in with Eleanor and makes friends at school, she has to face some truths about herself and her past.
I am not sure what I think about this book to be honest. It was an interesting look at a girl in foster care and how she finds her place. But it is also a book about a girl with some serious delusions that are not properly dealt with at all in the story. I appreciate Eleanor's patience and willingness to take December in. I loved Cheryllynn and the friendship that develops between her and December. I just wish more had been done to deal with December's mental state.
I am not sure what I think about this book to be honest. It was an interesting look at a girl in foster care and how she finds her place. But it is also a book about a girl with some serious delusions that are not properly dealt with at all in the story. I appreciate Eleanor's patience and willingness to take December in. I loved Cheryllynn and the friendship that develops between her and December. I just wish more had been done to deal with December's mental state.
A touching story of a girl in foster care who, in order to protect herself from painful truths, believes she is a bird who will eventually fly away from a traumatic past.
December Lee Morgan stole my heart and took flight with it. This is a beautiful and tender story of a foster child who must learn to love and trust. It’s told with a delicate hand but will tug at your heart. Recommended for readers ten and up.
SO GOOD. I read it in one day. It’s obviously meant for younger readers, but it still had such depth. The characters are diverse, the main character’s struggles are real, and the feelings are raw. I laughed, I cried, I plan on buying this for plenty of young family members.
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.
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.
A book about hope and searching for a safe and happy space where you can be who you were meant to be.
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.