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Book Reviews, Middle-Grade · September 18, 2019

REVIEW | Strange Birds: A Field Guide to Ruffling Feathers

Strange Birds: A Field Guide to Ruffling Feathers - Book Review

Summary: Strange Birds – A Field Guide to Ruffling Feathers

In Strange Birds, four girls form an unlikely friendship that leads to activism. Ofelia Castillo (budding journalist), Aster Douglas (bookish foodie), Cat Garcia (bird aficionado), and Lane DiSanti (artist) are as different as can be. But when the Floras — their local Scout troop — plans to crown its next queen with a hat of feathers, the girls band together to fight for birds.

In addition to their desire to stop the Floras, each of the girls has an individual motive. Aster wants to learn more about her family’s history and perhaps reverse an injustice. Ofelia, on the other hand, is searching for a big story to win a journalism contest. Lane just needs friends. Their antics will push them out of their comfort zones and cause some of them to examine their privilege.

The Good

I really loved these girls. To me, that’s the greatest win in this book. It can be tough to create clearly distinguishable characters, especially when you’re narrating from a third-person POV. But author Celia Perez does this easily — and the audiobook narrator reinforces this. By the 10% mark, I could tell when a chapter was about Ophelia or Aster or Cat.

The girls are also just endearing — Aster was my favorite! They all have their own thing, whether it’s cooking or a penchant for stories. Refreshingly, their friendship was free from unnecessary cat-fights and instead they all worked to understand each other despite the differences in race and social status.

This book is also wickedly funny! The girls get up to a lot of mischief and are passionate about their cause. It’s also very outdoorsy — the girls bike around their little town and just spend the summer the way kids should. Still, it’s not all roses and sunshine. Each of these girls deals with different issues, from the death of a parent, to parents separating and divorcing, and parental pressures to succeed.

I also enjoyed how well the author highlights the impact of Lane’s privilege, especially with regards to the consequences of the girls’ actions. And, of course, I loved getting schooled about birds by Cat.

The Bad

While thoroughly entertaining, I think this book could have been shorter. I felt myself becoming tired of their efforts to get back at the Floras.

Overall: Strange Birds – A Field Guide to Ruffling Feathers

Strange Birds: A Field Guide to Ruffling Feathers is an engaging middle-grade novel with memorable, endearing, and passionate protagonists. This book sheds much needed light on bird hunting and its effect on the avian species. It also highlights the importance of standing up for what you believe in. If you like bold, determined heroines, birds, and a good dose of summer mischief and adventure, you’ll enjoy this book!


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More Middle-Grade Reviews Set in Summer

  • Rules of the Ruff by Heidi Lang
  • Shouting at the Rain by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
  • Emily Out of Focus by Miriam Spitzer Franklin

Have you read this book or anything by Celia Perez? I’ve heard good things about the First Rule of Punk! What’s your favorite bird? I’m obsessed with flamingos.

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Posted In: Book Reviews, Middle-Grade · Tagged: Female friendships, florida stories, funny books, latino authors, summer stories

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Comments

  1. rosihollinbeck says

    September 18, 2019 at 10:34 pm

    I have been hearing about this book. It sounds terrific. I will have to hunt down a copy. Thanks for your thoughts.

    Reply
    • Afoma Umesi says

      September 18, 2019 at 11:18 pm

      It’s really good. I loved the characterization. Hope you enjoy too!

      Reply

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🏡 The Parent Trap meets The Holiday 🏡 🏴 🏡 The Parent Trap meets The Holiday 🏡 

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🇺🇸 Sage is an only child in sunny California, growing up with parents who seem to be growing apart. She gets more worried when she discovers that only her mom will be coming with her to the English countryside. Both girls realize that they have more in common than they think and decide to help each other — Ally with Sage’s parents and Sage with being Allie’s friend.

🏄‍♀️ The House Swap is a cozy, charming middle grade book about family (history & secrets), new friendships, and navigating parental divorce. Reminiscent of the beloved movie, The Holiday, this middle grade book is perfect for anyone looking for a feel-good reading experience with a touch of history, family drama, and characters you can root for.
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A SKY FULL OF SONG by @susanlynnmeyer 
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🏊‍♀️ Aniana is a child of Dominican paren 🏊‍♀️ Aniana is a child of Dominican parents growing up on Galveston, an island in the state of Texas. Her mom has undiagnosed PTSD from the death of her (Aniana’s mother’s) brother years ago in a storm back in their home country, so she doesn’t want her daughter near the water. Aniana’s father wants his daughter to pursue her passion and takes her to swim meets without her mother’s knowledge. 

🦴 But when Aniana wakes up one day with painfully swollen joints and other weird symptoms after swimming, their secret is exposed, and Aniana is faced with a new diagnosis that may threaten the one sport she loves.

🏝️ Aniana Del Mar Jumps In is a tender, moving middle grade verse novel about disability, sports, family trauma, and standing up for your dreams. 

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Which middle grade authors are your auto-buys? I h Which middle grade authors are your auto-buys? I have so many that I’m making this a series! So excited to spotlight more of my favorites 🥰❤️
If you’re big on graphic novels like I am, here If you’re big on graphic novels like I am, here are 3 exceptional MG options to put on your TBR this year 😍

Books mentioned:

HOOPS by @tavaresbooks 
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Books shown in montage in order of appearance:
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Atinuke is a British- Nigerian author of chapter books and picture books who spent her formative years in Nigeria. Her stories are whimsical but realistic and focus more on the character and their family than they do on locale. I love her storytelling and I love that more kids are getting to see Nigeria through the eyes of her characters.
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Books mentioned:

WHAT HAPPENED TO RACHEL RILEY by @claireswinarski 
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THE NIGHT DIARY (which is written in letters in her diary to her deceased mom — voiceovers are hard!) by @veerawrites 

Do you love any stories written in multiple/unique formats? I’d love to hear!
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🚤 One day a dolphin shows up in the lake near their house and Penny feels a strong connection with the animal. It turns out the dolphin (who Penny names Rose) is also sick and needs to return to her pod to get better. Penny may be the only one who can help the scientists take Rose back. But can she do that, when she feels so drawn to the animal?

🫁 No Matter the Distance is a beautiful middle grade verse novel about living with cystic fibrosis and finding belonging in community. Also starring an adorable dolphin and warm family dynamics, this book will appeal to kids who love animals, books about sisters, and stories about chronic illness and disability.
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