| |
1 |
Nightbird
Author:
Hoffman, Alice
|
| |
|
Class:
Fiction
Age: 10-14
Language: English
|
LC: PZ7.H674
Grade: 5-9
|
|
ISBN-13: 9780385389587
LCCN: 2013043838
Imprint: Wendy Lamb Books
Publisher: Random House Inc
|
|
Pub Date: 03/10/2015
Availability: Out of Stock Indefinitely
List: $16.99
|
| |
Hardcover
|
|
|
Physical Description:
|
199 pages ; 21 cm
H 8.19",
W 5.88",
D 0.83",
0.75 lbs.
|
|
LC Series:
|
|
|
Brodart Sources:
|
Brodart's For Youth Interest: Popular
Brodart's Insight Catalog: Teen
Brodart's TOP Young Adult Titles
|
|
Bibliographies:
|
Booklist High-Demand Hot List
|
|
Awards:
|
Horn Book Guide Titles, Rated 1 - 4
|
|
Starred Reviews:
|
|
|
TIPS Subjects:
|
Occult Fiction
Family Life
|
|
BISAC Subjects: |
JUVENILE FICTION / Animals / Dragons, Unicorns & Mythical
JUVENILE FICTION / Family / General
JUVENILE FICTION / Horror
|
|
LC Subjects:
|
Blessing and cursing, Fiction
Community life, Massachusetts, Fiction
Family life, Massachusetts, Fiction
Interpersonal relations, Fiction
Massachusetts, Fiction
Wings (Anatomy), Fiction
Witchcraft, Fiction
|
|
SEARS Subjects: |
Blessing and cursing, Fiction
Community life, Massachusetts, Fiction
Family life, Massachusetts, Fiction
Interpersonal relations, Fiction
Massachusetts, Fiction
Wings, Fiction
Witchcraft, Fiction
|
|
Reading Programs: |
Accelerated Reader Level:
5.4
,
Points: 6.0
Lexile Level:
840
|
|
|
| |
| Annotations |
| Brodart's TOP Young Adult Titles | 03/01/2015 |
| They say a monster hides in the city of Sidwell, where fairy tales may be far more fact than fiction. Twig knows her family is forever bound by the curse a witch once placed on them, but the red moon is rising, curses were made to be broken, and Twig is about to make this a summer that she and her family will never forget. 208pp. |
|
| Journal Reviews |
| Booklist | 01/01/2015 |
| Grades 5-8. Twig and her mom live in tiny Sidwell, a wooded New England town with a witchy history. When her reclusive mom isn't baking one-of-a-kind pies from their orchard's apples, she is concealing Twig's brother, James, who sports a pair of black feathery wings, courtesy of a curse placed on their family by the Sidwell witch centuries ago. Rumors are swirling about the Sidwell Monster, and Twig and her mother fear that James is in danger, since he has been spotted winging around town in the middle of the night. When a new family moves in next door (direct descendants of the witch who cursed Twig's family), Twig cannot resist her new neighbor Julia's friendship, and James cannot resist Julia's enchanting sister, Agate. Soon Twig and her new friend realize that James and Agate are heading down the same path that led Julia's ancestor to curse Twig's, and they set out to undo the curse. Best-selling Hoffman offers a quiet, gentle fantasy where crossroads and moonlight have magical uses, and friendship and determination can heal centuries-old wounds. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: With a handful of best-sellers under her belt, it's no surprise that Hoffman's publisher is planning a big campaign for this one, too. Hunter, Sarah. 208pg. AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, c2015. |
|
| Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books | 05/01/2015 |
| R. Gr. 5-7. Twelve-year old Twig has learned not to draw too much attention to herself, not to make friends, and to mostly stay home with her mother and older brother, James, in order to guard the family secret: because of a witch's curse, James has wings. At the same time, town residents believe they have a resident monster, one that snatches items from people's homes and paints grotesque signs protesting the razing of the local woods; while James has nothing to do with this, his family fears the rising furor may spark a monster hunt and reveal James's existence. When descendants of the witch who cursed the family move in next door, Twig begins a clandestine friendship with the younger sister, while her brother falls in love with the older, pushing the foursome to find a way to undo the curse. Spare, evocative prose makes Twig's loneliness palpable, and the savvy revelation of details will have readers gasping. Hoffman's characterizations are particularly well done, from the waitress at the local diner to the town librarian, and Twig herself is keenly sympathetic, with an honest but understated narrative voice that belies much pain and confusion. The tone is wonderfully haunting, with mystery, magic, heartache, and hope bound together so charmingly that the convenience of the plot points and pat statements are quickly forgiven. Even the joyous ending maintains the subtly eerie mood, leaving it easy to imagine an adult novel about an adult Twig not too far in the future. An excellent entry into Hoffman's world of magical realism, this is one for kids who need hope, magic, or a little of both. AA. 197p. THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE UNIV. OF ILLINOIS, c2015. |
|
| Horn Book | 05/01/2015 |
| Intermediate, Middle School. Twig Fowler and her mother keep to themselves so that their neighbors in Sidwell, Massachusetts, won't discover their secret: Twig's older brother James has wings, thanks to a generations-old curse laid upon all Fowler men by Agnes Early, the Witch of Sidwell. Against their mother's warnings, Twig befriends Julia, a descendent of Agnes Early, and James falls in love with Julia's sister Agate, relationships that will ultimately bring secrets to light. Hoffman creates a witchy small-town New England setting but populates it with realistic characters such as twelve-year-old Twig, who desperately wants a friend. Twig's entirely mundane broken arm, incurred in a fall from a tree, contrasts nicely with James's wings, which allow him to fly but keep him from living a normal life. The tone, mystical but not too dark, makes this a good choice for readers who want to imagine just a bit of magic in their lives. shoshana flax. 201pg. THE HORN BOOK, c2015. |
|
| Horn Book Guide | 11/01/2015 |
| 2. Twelve-year-old Twig Fowler and her mother have a secret: Twig's older brother James has wings, thanks to a generations-old curse from witch Agnes Early. Against their mother's warnings, lonely Twig befriends Julia, one of Agnes's descendants; James falls in love with Julia's sister Agate. With a mystical but not-too-dark tone, Hoffman creates a witchy small-town New England setting populated with realistic characters. sf. 201pg. THE HORN BOOK, c2015. |
|
| Kirkus Reviews | 01/01/2015 |
| There's a monster in Sidwell, Massachusetts, that can only be seen at night or, as Twig reveals, if passersby are near her house. It's her older brother, James, born with wings just like every male in the Fowler line for the last 200 years. They were cursed by the Witch of Sidwell, left brokenhearted by their forebear Lowell Fowler. Twig and James are tired of the secret and self-imposed isolation. Lonely Twig narrates, bringing the small town and its characters to life, intertwining events present and past, and describing the effects of the spell on her fractured family's daily life. Longing for some normalcy and companionship, she befriends new-neighbor Julia while James falls in love with Julia's sister, Agate--only to learn they are descendants of the Witch. James and Agate seem as star-crossed as their ancestors, especially when the townspeople attribute a spate of petty thefts and graffiti protesting the development of the woods to the monster and launch a hunt. The mix of romance and magic is irresistible and the tension, compelling. With the help of friends and through a series of self-realizations and discoveries, Twig grows more self-assured. She is certain she knows how to change the curse. In so doing, Twig not only changes James' fate, but her own, for the first time feeling the fullness of family, friends and hope for the future. Enchanting. (Magical realism. 9-12). 208pg. KIRKUS MEDIA LLC, c2015. |
|
| Publishers Weekly | 01/19/2015 |
| Ages 10-up. Once again, Hoffman (Green Angel) works her magic to transport readers to a realm where enchantment intermingles with everyday realities. Sidwell, Mass., is famous for its apples, "so sweet people come from as far as New York City during the apple festival," and the mysterious winged monster rumored to reside there. Twelve-year-old Twig Fowler leads an isolated existence in an ancient farmhouse with her mother, a skillful baker. The two of them rarely venture into town because no one must discover their family secret: that Twig's older brother (whose very existence they've kept secret) has been afflicted with a 200-year-old curse. Twig remains friendless until she meets new neighbor Julia Hall and her older sister, who might be able to help reverse the spell plaguing the Fowler family. The book's evocative setting and distinctive characters will immediately hook readers, and the history of Twig's family, uncovered bit by bit, will keep them engaged. The risks Twig takes in reaching out to the Hall sisters bring gratifying rewards and unexpected connections to others in the community. Agent: Tina Wexler, ICM. (Mar.). 208p. PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, c2015. |
|
| School Library Journal | 01/01/2015 |
| Gr 4-6--A sweet, if somewhat uneven middle grade tale by beloved adult author Hoffman. Twig is the daughter of the best baker in the town of Sidwell, NY. But Twig has a secret--the town doesn't know that she has an older brother, James, hidden away because of his large black wings, a result of the curse on the men in their family. James's clandestine nighttime jaunts around Sidwell have led fractious locals to talk of hunting down "the monster" in their midst. When a new family moves into the cottage that belonged to the witch who cursed Twig's ancestor, events are set in motion that will change all of their lives forever. Hoffman juggles multiple themes: an environmental thread, with a focus on the rare owls in the woods around Twig's home; a broken family thread (Twig hasn't seen or heard from her father since she was a toddler); a friendship tale of outsiders finding each other; along with bits of romance, curses, and magic. A clever narrator, beautiful imagery, and the quirky cast of secondary characters who populate the oddball town are the bright spots in this mix of fantasy and mystery. Unfortunately, the climax ties every plot line together neatly, and the overly pat ending undercuts an otherwise sophisticated narrative. Still, the spunky protagonist, copious descriptions of mouth-watering baked goods, and terrific cover art guarantee this magical story will find an audience. Elisabeth Gattullo Marrocolla, Darien Library, CT. 208p. SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, c2015. |
|
| ~VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates Magazine - Retired Journal) | 02/01/2015 |
| 4Q 4P M J. After the death of her grandparents, twelve-year-old Twig Fowler, older brother James, and mother Sophie have returned from New York City to tend the family apple orchard in rural Massachusetts. The Fowler family settled here before the Revolution, and Hoffman deftly reveals the curse plaguing its male offspring ever since. The curse leaves Sophie and Twig isolated, but to James, it offers the freedom only feathers can bring--until he falls in love with Agate Early Hall, a contemporary version of Agnes Early, who invoked the curse two centuries ago. Sophie forbids her children to go near the two sisters who offer them friendship and hope, a proscription neither James nor Twig obeys. There is also a subplot in which wealthy summer residents try to sell the woods to developers. Further, there is an appealing cast of characters fighting to save endangered owls living in the woods. Topped off with villagers hunting for the Sidwell Monster (James on the wing?), and this novel is a recipe for a page-turning plot. The conclusion may be too cheerful for sophisticated readers, and Twig is wise and eloquent beyond her twelve years. At times, the narrative voice is that of a gifted writer who knows how to work magic with language rather than the voice of an awkward tween. It is, nevertheless, a delight to accept this transgression in voice and satisfying to witness how Twig becomes Teresa and her family transcends its past to build a brighter future.--Donna L. Phillips. 208p. VOICE OF YOUTH ADVOCATES, c2015. |
|
9780385389587,dl.it[0].title
| Review Citations |
| New York Times Book Review | 04/12/2015 |
|
|
|