Review / Feathered

Book: Feathered (2016)
Author: Deborah Kerbel
Genre: MG, Historical (1980s)
Publisher: Kids Can Press

Opening lines from the book …
I’m not crazy. I swear I’m not. Ever since I was old enough to remember, I knew I had it in me to fly. I can’t explain it any better than to say it’s a feeling so powerful you shut your mouth and don’t argue with it.

WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THIS BOOK…

1) I was intrigued by the opening lines. I thought it might be a book with magical realism, but the whole feather thing turns out to be more metaphorical. At this point in my reading, I prefer that. (Not that I don’t like magical realism. I think I’m oversaturated in that genre.)

2) I really like Finch. I really felt for her and her brother, especially with how their mother is dealing with the death of their dad. She basically is ignoring them. I was definitely rooting for this family!

 

3) The brother (Harrison) has a friend adds a lot of tension and drama. He’s the yuckiest, meanest bully you just love to hate. That part was really well done. And I like the uncertainty of not knowing if we should like or trust Finch’s brother. 

 

4) There’s a new family that moves in next door. Finch tries to become friends with Pinky, only to find that her dad won’t let Pinky play with Finch. This will lead to some dramatic moments in the story!

 

5) This book takes place in the 80s. I loved the connection it had to Terry Fox who, like Finch’s dad, dies of cancer.

 

FINAL THOUGHTS

I enjoyed this book. It’s short but packs a lot into the pages with a lot of memorable characters.

 

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YOUR TURN…

Have you read this book? What are your thoughts? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Note: I’m posting this for Greg Pattridge’s Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday…