Note: I was privileged to hear the first chapter of this novel when it was finished at a Hedgebrook residency (we all cheered), and this particular review is based on an advance copy of the book, where I finally got to find out what happened to Charlie and his family. :)
Someday Birds is a charming, bird-laden adventure tale that explores both family trip dynamics and the progress of a young boy in facing what makes him most anxious, and what makes him most himself.
Charlie is the middle brother in a family of four – 2 10-year-old twin brothers, and teenaged elder sister – and the narrator of this tale. His father, a journalist injured in Afghanistan, is transferred for medical care to the other side of the country. The only other caregiver, Grandma, goes with the father – and then adventures ensue as the kids determine they will not be left behind in the hands of mysterious pink-haired Ludmila.
What makes this book so powerful from the get-go is Charlie’s engaging voice and the lens with which he views the world consistently, perfectly, and always a bit askew. We understand that he is fascinated by birds, and his bird guru, Tiberius Shaw, will maintain a central current running through the group (after all Someday Birds is the title). But it’s the little things Charlie notices – from the idiosyncracies of bad rest stops to the perfection of the perfect chicken nuggets to the way that even translated emotions don’t stay translated- that make this book a marvel. Charlie’s voice is perfect to the task of leading us cross-country with his siblings, and it’s not really the destination (Dad’s hospital bed) that makes this book, it’s the journey we take with Charlie as our guide that makes the experience.
Another aspect of the book that gives it deeper complexity and warmth is the development of Ludmila’s character and the unveiling of why she seems so fascinated with Charlie’s father and willing to help the children make the cross-country trip. Her network of friends in different places, and the aptly told opening dynamics between her and the children as they compete for the father’s attention in the hospital set the stage for interesting revelations.
I highly recommend Someday Birds for middle grade readers and the adults that care about them.
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