Chirp

By Kate Messner,

Book cover of Chirp

Book description

"[A] deftly layered mystery about family, friendship, and the struggle to speak up." - Laurie Halse Anderson, bestselling author of Speak and Shout

From acclaimed author Kate Messner comes the powerful story of a young girl with the courage to make her voice heard, set against the backdrop of a…


Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Why read it?

4 authors picked Chirp as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This pick has the distinguished honor of convincing me to try cricket flour. It also manages to present a layered storyline, one that combines an almost classic mystery plot with a traumatized character’s journey of self-healing. This book serves as a powerful reminder that we are more than the incidents that victimized us. And yes, even an insect hater like me enjoyed learning so much about the many uses of crickets! 

From Shelly's list on girl MCs who are owning life.

This wonderful new-girl-in-town novel is a mystery and also the story of rising eighth-grader Mia’s #MeToo experience. A talented gymnast, Mia quit gymnastics after a bad fall off the balance beam – and an even more upsetting incident with her coach, which she can’t tell anyone about. As Mia works to help her entomologist grandmother make a go of a cricket farm, and to solve the mystery of who’s sabotaging the farm, she slowly finds the courage to speak up about what has happened to her.

I loved how Kate Messner wove many different #MeToo experiences into this novel. It’s…

From Cathleen's list on #MeToo for middle grade readers.

When 12-year-old Mia moves to a Vermont town at the start of summer, she enrolls in two-day camps – “Warrior Camp,” for ninja warriors, and “Launch Camp for Young Entrepreneurs.” For the latter, Mia decides to help her grandmother’s struggling cricket farm. But when serious problems arise at the farm, sabotage is suspected. While looking for the saboteur and trying to boost business, Mia finds the courage to “chirp,” or speak up, about important issues to her – including a secret she’s been carrying about her former gymnastics coach. I love all the layers in this book: the strong female…

From Diana's list on young environmentalists.

The City Sings Green & Other Poems About Welcoming Wildlife

By Erica Silverman, Ginnie Hsu (illustrator),

Book cover of The City Sings Green & Other Poems About Welcoming Wildlife

Erica Silverman Author Of Wake Up, City!

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

I am an award-winning author of picture books and early readers. I have set my stories in many kinds of locations, including a haunted house, an Eastern European shtetl, an English Renaissance village, and a working cattle ranch. For Wake Up, City, I turned to the setting I know best, the city. I drew on memories of walking to kindergarten in early morning Brooklyn. This book is my love song to cities everywhere. As a lifelong city dweller, I worry about the impact of urban spread on the planet, but I feel hopeful, too, because many cities are becoming more nature and wildlife-friendly. The books I'm excited to share celebrate city wildlife. 

Erica's book list on celebrating cities

What is my book about?

A unique and artful blend of poetry, science, and activism, this picture book shows how city dwellers can intervene so that nature can work her magic.

In Oslo, Norway: citizens create a honeybee highway that stretches from one side of the city to the other, offering flowerpots, resting spots, bee boxes, and beehives—even water fountains—every eight hundred feet.

In the Bronx, New York: a community rallies to clean their river and cheers at the return of the long-lost beaver population.

In Busselton, Australia: people make a rope bridge that swings high above speeding cars, creating a safe path for tree-hopping possums and squirrels alike.

Through a mix of lyrical poems, real-life success stories, and bouquet-bright artwork, The City Sings Green explores the environmental impact of humans and showcases the many ways that we can rewild cities across the globe. Together, we can welcome nature back!

The City Sings Green & Other Poems About Welcoming Wildlife

By Erica Silverman, Ginnie Hsu (illustrator),

What is this book about?

A unique and artful blend of poetry, science, and activism, this picture book shows how city dwellers can intervene so that nature can work her magic. Perfect for fans of The Curious Garden and Harlem Grown.

In Oslo, Norway: citizens create a honey-bee highway that stretches from one side of the city to the other, offering flowerpots, resting spots, bee boxes and beehives-even water fountains-every 800 feet.

In the Bronx, New York: a community rallies to clean their river and cheers at the return of the long-lost beaver population.

In Busselton, Australia: people make a rope bridge that swings high…


I’m a huge fan of Kate Messner’s writing, and this book hooked me with the title–and then I found out that it’s about a cricket farm! Bugtastic! Mia has just moved to Vermont so her family can be closer to her grandmother and suspects that someone is trying to sabotage her grandmother’s cricket farm. Can she find the culprit and help save the business? The book is a mystery but also a story of finding your voice.

From Heather's list on kids starting businesses.

Want books like Chirp?

Our community of 10,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Chirp.

Browse books like Chirp

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in courage, farms, and family?

10,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about courage, farms, and family.

Courage Explore 42 books about courage
Farms Explore 60 books about farms
Family Explore 3,658 books about family