Bird

by Crystal Chan

Entrenched secrets, mysterious spirits, and an astonishing friendship weave together in this extraordinary and haunting debut that School Library Journal calls “a powerful story about loss and moving on.”

Nothing matters. Only Bird matters. And he flew away.

Jewel never knew her brother Bird, but all her life she has lived in his shadow. Her parents blame Grandpa for the tragedy of their family’s past: they say that Grandpa attracted a malevolent spirit—a duppy—into their home. Grandpa hasn’t spoken a word since. Now Jewel is twelve, and she lives in a house full of secrets and impenetrable silence.

Jewel is sure that no one will ever love her like they loved Bird, until the night that she meets a mysterious boy in a tree. Grandpa is convinced that the boy is a duppy, but Jewel knows that he is something more. And that maybe—just maybe—the time has come to break through the stagnant silence of the past.

• ISBN10: 1442450908
• ISBN13: 9781442450905
• Publish Date: 28 January 2014
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Imprint: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
• Format: eBook (EPUB)
• Pages: 304
• Language: English

Reviews

[Kelly]

Win a copy of bird http://www.divabooknerd.com/2014/02/bird-by-crystal-chan-tour-review-anz.html

Bird was a beautifully haunting and poignant story about love, loss and how sometimes a family needs to fall apart before we can put it back together. Jewel is an intelligent and empathetic young lady, who deserves to be seen, to be nurtured and to be loved. Her parents may not have intentionally placed expectations upon Jewel, but Jewel certainly has. She sees herself as the replacement child for her brother Bird. Where Bird had the best of her family, now Jewel getting only what remains. Her story is incredibly sad, until John enters the picture. John shares his name with Bird, his real name that is, and may even be a mirror of what Bird may have looked like at the same age. The family believe it may be a sign, whether one of evil or not is yet to be seen.

Unbelievably, this is a debut novel. Crystal Chan is a storyteller who paints a vivid picture for her readers, and fills it with indepth characters that will take your emotions to the limits. I absolutely loved Jewel's character. She may be only twelve, but she felt like an old soul that deserves more than what life has given her. Her parents weren't cruel, but too busy grieving for Bird, that even twelve years later they can't find the strength to provide a life for their living child. With no one to talk to, Jewel finds solace in the earth. Each grievance is placed upon a stone and buried, using it as a coping mechanism as she's scared to upset her parents any further. It takes her grandpa who begins to form a relationship with Jewel to see how special this young lady truly is. Her journey was heartbreaking, often leaving me highly emotional which for me is the sign of a brilliant author. As the story built and reached a crescendo, I found myself quietly sobbing, smiling and sighing.

Bird is the middle grade equivalent to The Fault in our Stars.