Rare Birds
by Jeff Miller (Author)
Jeff Miller's heartbreaking, coming-of-age middle-grade novel--inspired by his personal experience living through his own parent's heart transplant--invites readers into the world of a twelve-year-old birdwatcher looking for a place to call home and a way to save his mother, even if it means venturing deep into Florida swampland.
Twelve-year-old Graham Dodds is no stranger to hospital waiting rooms. Sometimes, he feels like his entire life is one big waiting room. Waiting for the next doctor to tell them what's wrong with his mom. Waiting to find out what city they're moving to next. Waiting to see if they will finally get their miracle--a heart transplant to save his mom's life.
When Graham gets stuck in Florida for the summer, he meets a girl named Lou at the hospital, and he finds a friend who needs a distraction as much as he does. She tells him about a contest to find the endangered Snail Kite, which resides in the local gator-filled swamps. Together they embark on an adventure, searching for the rare bird . . . and along the way, Graham might just find something else--himself.
Jeff Miller crafts a heartfelt story about what it means to live in this unforgettable middle-grade novel. Rare Birds is a rare find that will resonate with fans of the Carl Hiassen's Hoot and Melissa Savage's Lemon. For readers looking for novels with literary appeal and classic themes of family, friendship, and the meaning of life, Rare Birds is a perfect pick.
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ALA/Booklist
It's a sincerely stirring story, and Graham is beautifully written, given room to explore complicated emotions and navigate a deep relationship with his mother. A compassionate contemplation of the business of truly living a life.
Publishers Weekly
Eleven-year-old Graham and his mother are constantly moving from one city to the next, seeking cutting-edge treatments for his mother's life-threatening heart condition: dilated cardiomyopathy. He tries to stay positive, especially because she's the only family he has left. When she's informed that her last option is a heart transplant, the duo travel to her hometown of Sugarland, Fla., where they stay with her old friend Dom and his churlish son, Nick, also 11, and hope that the local hospital will move her to the top of the list. At the hospital, Graham meets fellow tween Lou, who tells him her father is also waiting for a heart transplant. She's the first person who understands what he's going through, and they become fast friends. After finding his mother's childhood bird-watching journal and discovering that she's never seen a snail kite, the rarest bird in Florida, Graham and Lou become determined to locate it, convinced that its appearance will be a good omen for their parents. Using compassionate prose, Miller (King of the Mall) tenderly captures Graham's fear and courage in the face of uncertainty, sensitively rendering his processing of a difficult situation. Main characters default to white. Ages 8-12. (Jan.)
Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.
Review quotes
JUV015020 - Juvenile Fiction | Health & Daily Living | Diseases, Illnesses & Injuries
JUV039020 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Adolescence
Fiction
Families
Florida
Endangered species
Transplantation of organs, tissues, etc
Everglades (Fla.)
Heart
Transplantation
Novels
