Description
Maddy is mute. Since the Incident she has barely spoken. And now she and her mother and brother are staying in a farmhouse on an old apricot orchard not far from town. It’s a chance to rest and recuperate—or a way to hide further away from the world.
Alice is waiting. Since Birdy, her darling daughter, disappeared forty-five years ago, she has sat in her house waiting for her to come home.
Alice says Maddy reminds her of Birdy, and Maddy feels a strange connection to the long-lost girl. In the quiet not-speaking and waiting, amid the clutter of the old woman’s house, Maddy and Alice slowly become friends.
Until Maddy takes something that’s not hers.
Birdy is a tender warm-hearted verse novel about the pain of loss and shame, the beauty of words, and the healing power of small acts of kindness.
Review
Maddy has just moved into a farmhouse in a remote country town with her Mum and her brother to recuperate, and hopefully recover from, the Incident. Since the Incident, Maddy has been mute and she finds it difficult to leave the house.
With the encouragement of her therapist and her Mum, she goes to the supermarket where she meets Levi - who talks enough for both of them.
Then Maddy is asked to drop off a bag of groceries to a strange old woman who lives in the town, Alice. Alice’s daughter, Birdy, disappeared without a trace forty-five years ago, and Maddy reminds Alice of her daughter. As these deliveries become a regular thing, Alice begins to clean up her cluttered house, as well as her mind.
As we slowly learn what the Incident was, we unravel the possibility of new beginnings for both Maddy and Alice.
Will Maddy help to uncover what happened to Birdy all of those years ago?
This book is a powerful reminder of the impact of social media, particularly on vulnerable teenagers. But mostly it is a hopeful novel about the healing power of kindness.
A beautifully written verse novel that will suit readers aged 14 to 18.
Reviewed by Rob
