It’s been an astounding few weeks for Wild Bird!
The book has gotten blurbs from some of the best writers in middle-grade fiction: Laurel Snyder, Karen Cushman, and Donna Jo Napoli. The
wonderful things these authors have said include:
“Exciting, touching, and compelling, Wild Bird celebrates the important things in life: courage, persistence, friendship, and love. It’s something special. Don’t miss it” — from Karen Cushman.
“The Sickness of Europe in the 1300s rings relevant to today’s readers, as we travel with an orphaned girl through so many losses, and witness her transform them to comfort, joy, even laughter through the truth of song. A quick-paced treasure” — from Donna Jo Napoli.
“I came away from this powerful book with tears in my eyes and a little more hope for the future. A deeply moving tribute to the power of art and memor
y” — from Laurel Snyder.
I was utterly floored by these reactions to a book that means so much to me.
And Wild Bird has been chosen as a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selection!
Then yesterday, I learned that Wild Bird got a starred review from Publishers Weekly. This is my very first starred review. EVER. I could hardly believe it. The reviewer wrote:
“Zahler unflinchingly depicts a world in chaos due to disease, drawing contemporary parallels and thoughtfully highlighting issues of power structures, collective trauma, and remembrance.”
Wow.