Extraordinary Birds

How does a child recover from abuse? If you’re 11-year-old December, you become convinced you’re really a bird, with wings ready to sprout from that ugly scar on your back. Those wings will take you away from the succession of bad foster homes and cruel school mates and let you soar where you really belong. While you’re waiting for those wings to unfurl, you’ll keep your expectations of happiness low, your earthly possessions light, and continue to practice your “flying” from tall trees. In this beautiful middle-grade debut by Sandy Stark-McGinnis, December slowly begins to understand that by trusting others and making peace with her past, she may just find a home. (Ages 8 to 12)