Bird

Narrator Amandla Stenberg portrays the youthful vulnerability of 12-year-old Jewel as she struggles to bring her family back from their chasm of grief. Stenberg expresses Jewel's sorrow over the death of her brother, Bird, and her frustration over the Jamaican superstitions her family uses to explain the tragic event. While listeners will easily accept Jewel as a credible character, Stenberg's narration could be more polished. Her declarative style sometimes fails to capture the full emotional range of the story. Her pacing is rushed, and, without unique voices, each person sounds the same. Jewel's thoughts tumble over themselves before they can resonate with listeners. While Stenberg pulls off Jewel's tween persona, a more lyrical, nuanced narration would better capture Chan's novel. C.A. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

February 24, 2014
On the day Jewel was born, her five-year-old brother, Bird, threw himself off a cliff in an attempt to fly. In the 12 years that have passed since his death, the family hasn’t recovered: Jewel’s grandfather hasn’t spoken for years; her mother is depressed; and Jewel fears that no one will love her as much as her family loved Bird. But then she meets and befriends a boy named John, and has a chance to change her life for the better. In this audio edition, Stenberg turns in a fun, spirited performance. Her narration is smooth and well paced. And, most importantly, Sternberg ably captures the essence of Jewel, her voice full of youthful pluck and a hint of sadness. Although the narrator doesn’t lend the characters particularly unique voices, listeners will have little trouble differentiating who is speaking to whom. Ages 8-12. An Athenaeum hardcover.

January 27, 2014
Jewel's five-year-old brother, John, nicknamed Bird, was expecting to fly when he jumped off a cliff to his death the day Jewel was born. Twelve years later, Jewel's family is far from having recovered. Grandpa hasn't spoken since, Jewel's father believes that both Grandpa and "duppies" (harmful Jamaican spirits) are responsible for the tragedy, and Jewel's mother, who is of Mexican descent, is depressed and resentful of the family's superstitions. An outsider in her own joyless home and in her small town of Caledonia, Iowa, Jewel takes her troubles to nature, dreaming of becoming a geologist. When she meets a boy named John with big aspirations and struggles of his own, they become friends. Grandpa, however, thinks John is a duppy, and when John betrays Jewel's trust, she's forced to assess her own beliefs. In a thoughtful debut, Chan weaves together topics of race, repressed emotion, and destructive family dynamics, setting events against the beauty of the Midwestern landscape. Jewel's gentle voice offers moments of insight and wisdom as she becomes empowered to move beyond her parents' losses and desires. Ages 8â12. Agent: Emily van Beek, Folio Literary Management.