Love Hummingbird Season? Readers share 100 books like Hummingbird Season...

By Stephanie V.W. Lucianovic,

Here are 100 books that Hummingbird Season fans have personally recommended if you like Hummingbird Season. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of The Someday Birds

Lynne Kelly Author Of The Secret Language of Birds

From my list on books for bird-loving kids.

Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™m fascinated by our connections to animals, our similarities and differences, and how we communicate. Large mammals have always been my favorites, but like many people, I started noticing birds in my backyard during the pandemic lockdowns. As an author of middle-grade novels, my stories have been inspired by something interesting Iā€™ve learned about a particular animal. I started writing my novel after learning that whooping cranes had nested in Texas for the first time in over a century. I knew I had to give that momentous nest sighting to a bird-loving girl whoā€™d appreciate the visitation by these rare and majestic birds! 

Lynne's book list on books for bird-loving kids

Lynne Kelly Why did Lynne love this book?

This book is a funny and heartbreaking road trip story about the strength of family.

Though a cross-country trip in an RV is a nightmare for the main character, Charlie, who thrives on consistency, I didnā€™t want my journey with this cast of characters to end. Charlie is a loveable kid with a strong voice, and the portrayal of his OCD came through as authentic. Charlie clings to his list of bird sightings as a sign of hope that everything will turn out okay, and the anticipation of seeing him check off his sightings kept me turning the pages!

By Sally J. Pla, Julie McLaughlin (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Someday Birds as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 8, 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

The Someday Birds is a debut middle grade novel perfect for fans of Counting by 7s and Fish in a Tree, filled with humor, heart, and chicken nuggets. Charlie's perfectly ordinary life has been unraveling ever since his war journalist father was injured in Afghanistan. When his father heads from California to Virginia for medical treatment, Charlie reluctantly travels cross-country with his boy-crazy sister, unruly brothers, and a mysterious new family friend. He decides that if he can spot all the birds that he and his father were hoping to see someday along the way, then everything might just turnā€¦


Book cover of Across the Pond

Lynne Kelly Author Of The Secret Language of Birds

From my list on books for bird-loving kids.

Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™m fascinated by our connections to animals, our similarities and differences, and how we communicate. Large mammals have always been my favorites, but like many people, I started noticing birds in my backyard during the pandemic lockdowns. As an author of middle-grade novels, my stories have been inspired by something interesting Iā€™ve learned about a particular animal. I started writing my novel after learning that whooping cranes had nested in Texas for the first time in over a century. I knew I had to give that momentous nest sighting to a bird-loving girl whoā€™d appreciate the visitation by these rare and majestic birds! 

Lynne's book list on books for bird-loving kids

Lynne Kelly Why did Lynne love this book?

This is one of those books with a setting so strong it becomes a characterā€”in this case, a run-down old castle in Scotland.

Thereā€™s so much more to love here, though, like lost and found friendships, an old diary that adds a historical thread, and, of course, birds. I felt a connection to the main character, Callie, who just wants to stay home and read books!

If I were forced to choose an extracurricular activity, Iā€™d also skip the sports and pick something animal-related, like the birding club. My admiration for Callie grew when she spoke up, even when she was intimidated.

By Joy McCullough,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Across the Pond as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 10, 11, 12, and 13.

What is this book about?

From the author of A Field Guide to Getting Lost comes a heartwarming, ā€œemotionally perceptiveā€ (Kirkus Reviews) story about new beginnings, burgeoning friendships, and finding your flock.

Callie canā€™t wait for her new life to start. After a major friendship breakup in San Diego, moving overseas to Scotland gives her the perfect chance to reinvent herself. On top of that, sheā€™s going to live in a real-life castle!

But as romantic as life in a castle sounds, the reality is a little less comfortable: itā€™s run-down, freezing, and crawling with critters. Plus, starting off on the wrong foot with theā€¦


Book cover of With Just One Wing

Lynne Kelly Author Of The Secret Language of Birds

From my list on books for bird-loving kids.

Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™m fascinated by our connections to animals, our similarities and differences, and how we communicate. Large mammals have always been my favorites, but like many people, I started noticing birds in my backyard during the pandemic lockdowns. As an author of middle-grade novels, my stories have been inspired by something interesting Iā€™ve learned about a particular animal. I started writing my novel after learning that whooping cranes had nested in Texas for the first time in over a century. I knew I had to give that momentous nest sighting to a bird-loving girl whoā€™d appreciate the visitation by these rare and majestic birds! 

Lynne's book list on books for bird-loving kids

Lynne Kelly Why did Lynne love this book?

This book has so many of my favorite thingsā€”laughter and tears on the same page, a character with a strong connection to an animal, and a funny, caring, resilient kid whoā€™s wrestling with a difficult decision.

I enjoy seeing characters who cause their own problems, like Coop does when he derails his basketball plans by climbing a tree to check out a bird's nest! I also love it when antagonists arenā€™t villains; Coop and his family might be at odds about what he should do with his mockingbird, but theyā€™re loving parents and grandparents.

I cheered for Coop to discover where he fits in, and he's a character Iā€™ll remember long after closing the book. 

By Brenda Woods,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked With Just One Wing as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 10, 11, 12, and 13.

What is this book about?

Coretta Scott King Honor winner Brenda Woods's poignant, heartfelt story of an adopted boy and the bird he rescues

Everyone expects Coop to be musical like his beloved parents, but he's not. That's one of the few things he finds awkward about being adopted-well, that and the fact that he sometimes wonders why his birth mother didn't love him enough to keep him. This summer, he's stuck at home with a broken arm after falling out of a tree trying to get a closer peek at a mockingbird nest. Later, when the eggs in the nest have hatched and theā€¦


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Book cover of One Giant Leap

One Giant Leap by Ben Gartner,

Editor's Pick, BookLife by Publishers Weekly.

Gold Medal, 2023 Mom's Choice Awards.

Gold Medal, 2023 Readers' Favorite Awards.

First Place, 2023 Gertrude Warner Middle Grade Awards.

Iā€™m pretty sure Iā€™m about to die in space. And I just turned twelve and a half.

Blast off with the four winners ofā€¦

Book cover of Bird Brain

Lynne Kelly Author Of The Secret Language of Birds

From my list on books for bird-loving kids.

Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™m fascinated by our connections to animals, our similarities and differences, and how we communicate. Large mammals have always been my favorites, but like many people, I started noticing birds in my backyard during the pandemic lockdowns. As an author of middle-grade novels, my stories have been inspired by something interesting Iā€™ve learned about a particular animal. I started writing my novel after learning that whooping cranes had nested in Texas for the first time in over a century. I knew I had to give that momentous nest sighting to a bird-loving girl whoā€™d appreciate the visitation by these rare and majestic birds! 

Lynne's book list on books for bird-loving kids

Lynne Kelly Why did Lynne love this book?

This book is a fun story that shows the ups and downs of middle school life and has some fascinating bird facts.

Though a parrot isnā€™t the pet that Arden wanted, it turns out to be the pet she needed, and I loved her scientific approach to figuring out why Ludwig the parrot is so smart.

I read this in one sitting, not only because itā€™s a quick read but because I had to find out how Arden was going to stand up to her bully and figure out the mystery tied to Ludwigā€™s brilliance.

By Joanne Levy,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Bird Brain as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 9, 10, 11, and 12.

What is this book about?

A bird and a BFF

Arden Sachs has always wanted a pet: a purring kitten or an adorable puppy, or even a fuzzy guinea pig. But living in a cramped condo with her mom and siblings means sheā€™s unhappily pet-free. Then her Uncle Eli, a professor and scientist, asks Arden to look after Ludwig, his African Grey parrot, while heā€™s away on sabbatical in Guinea. A little afraid of the bird, Arden reluctantly agrees to prove that she can handle pet ownership.

But when Ludwig goes beyond his usual sounds and imitations to spout numbers and words that seem wayā€¦


Book cover of Healing the Fragmented Selves of Trauma Survivors: Overcoming Internal Self-Alienation

Daniel Shaw Author Of Traumatic Narcissism

From my list on healing, recovery, and freedom from abuse.

Why am I passionate about this?

An avid reader from an early age, what has moved me most were the characters who faced adversity and fought to overcome it. In my 30s, I lost my way, followed a guru, and took almost a decade to realize I was in a cult. Psychotherapy helped me get out and led me to become a psychotherapist. The books I've recommended have encouraged and inspired me to heal and to grow, to build a good, strong, healthy lifeā€“even though I fell more than once and didn't know for sure if I could get back up. I hope these books will inspire you as they inspired me. 

Daniel's book list on healing, recovery, and freedom from abuse

Daniel Shaw Why did Daniel love this book?

This is an outstanding book on healing from trauma, and I've read literally hundreds. This book transformed the way I practice psychotherapy; it transformed the way I understand what trauma does to the mind and body, and it transformed my relationship with myself. Fisher gets right to the heart of what brings most people into psychotherapy: self-alienation. Lots of people say, "I'm beating myself up," casually, without realizing the price they are paying for how habitually critical, punitive, discouraging, and condemning they are toward themselves!

Most people have compassion for others, but can't imagine how they could use that compassion internally. Internal compassion is what heals trauma, and this book, like no other I know, lays out, with depth and complexity, how to get there. 

By Janina Fisher,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Healing the Fragmented Selves of Trauma Survivors as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Healing the Fragmented Selves of Trauma Survivors integrates a neurobiologically informed understanding of trauma, dissociation, and attachment with a practical approach to treatment, all communicated in straightforward language accessible to both client and therapist. Readers will be exposed to a model that emphasizes "resolution"-a transformation in the relationship to one's self, replacing shame, self-loathing, and assumptions of guilt with compassionate acceptance. Its unique interventions have been adapted from a number of cutting-edge therapeutic approaches, including Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Internal Family Systems, mindfulness-based therapies, and clinical hypnosis. Readers will close the pages of Healing the Fragmented Selves of Trauma Survivors with aā€¦


Book cover of Night. Sleep. Death. The Stars.

Neil Baldwin Author Of Man Ray: American Artist

From my list on massive modern and contemporary novels.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been a biographer going on five decades now -- from William Carlos Williams to Man Ray to Thomas Edison to Henry Ford to Martha Graham. I am above all else a student of the human condition as well as a devotee of narrative at its most burnished - the kind of narrative that imposes its voice upon me at the end of a long day of quotidian interaction when all I want to do is get into bed and ā€œpick up where I left offā€. Biography is, indeed, storytelling - but it is restrained, or perhaps I should say tamed, by factual fidelity, a point of pride with me as a conscientious practitioner of the craft. 

Neil's book list on massive modern and contemporary novels

Neil Baldwin Why did Neil love this book?

A powerful parent dies and each of his adult children reacts in startling and unexpected ways -- and his grieving widow in the most surprising way of all. This is an ā€œeverythingā€ book. It took over my life. It overwhelmed my brain and mind. The utterly believable characters so generously intermingled and interwoven, familial and dynamic in their pushing and pulling, loving and hating - ignited by a precipitating event so abrupt yet simple, with consequences that spin out of control. Reading this tale, you feel as if you are drowning in a fever dream - Joyce Carol Oates once again as she has since Them (1969), offering innumerable reasons for wonderment.

By Joyce Carol Oates,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Night. Sleep. Death. The Stars. as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The bonds of family are tested in the wake of a profound tragedy, providing a look at the darker side of our society by one of our most enduringly popular and important writers


Night Sleep Death The Stars is a gripping examination of contemporary America through the prism of a family tragedy: when a powerful parent dies, each of his adult children reacts in startling and unexpected ways, and his grieving widow in the most surprising way of all.

Stark and penetrating, Joyce Carol Oates's latest novel is a vivid exploration of race, psychological trauma, class warfare, grief, and eventualā€¦


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Book cover of One Giant Leap

One Giant Leap by Ben Gartner,

Iā€™m pretty sure Iā€™m about to die in space. And I just turned twelve and a half.

Blast off with the four winners of the StellarKid Project on a trip to the International Space Station and then to the Gateway outpost orbiting the Moon! Itā€™s a dream come true untilā€¦

Book cover of Shattered Assumptions

Dorothy Suskind Author Of Workplace Bullying: Finding Your Way to Big Tent Belonging

From my list on why work sometimes sucks and what to do about it.

Why am I passionate about this?

The truth is, Iā€™ve never fit in. I'm always asking questions like: Why do we do it that way? And, what if we tried this instead? These types of questions, however, though intriguing to me and other creatives, make the keepers of the status quo really nervous. As a professor and narrative inquiry researcher, I study the stories of people who've been silencedā€”extracting the characters, plot, and setting these narratives have in common. For workplace abuse survivors, a salient theme is they think big! To support this mission, I'm on the Executive Board and serve as the Education Director for the National Workplace Bullying Coalition and am a regular contributor to Psychology Today. 

Dorothy's book list on why work sometimes sucks and what to do about it

Dorothy Suskind Why did Dorothy love this book?

I am a voracious reader, digesting several books a week. Every once in a while, a book stops me in my tracks, charging me to yell to myself and anyone who will listen - ā€œYes, yes, that is it!ā€ This is exactly how I felt when I read Janoff-Bulmanā€™s explanation of how trauma sleeps not in the ā€œwhatā€ of the story but in how that ā€œwhatā€ shatters our assumptions of a benevolent world, making us question if the world is inherently good, if events are meaningful, and whether we are truly worthy.

As both a survivor and researcher of workplace abuse, bullying on the job shatters all of these assumptions - charging the target to doubt the benevolence of the workplace, the predictability of the work environment, and the innate belief that we are inherently worthy despite the workplace gossip that hijacked our narrative.

This seasoned but timeless book talksā€¦

By Ronnie Janoff-Bulman,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Shattered Assumptions as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This book investigates the psychology of victimization. It shows how fundamental assumptions about the world's meaningfulness and benevolence are shattered by traumatic events, and how victims become subject to self-blame in an attempt to accommodate brutality. The book is aimed at all those who for personal or professional reasons seek to understand what psychological trauma is and how to recover from it.


Book cover of In an Unspoken Voice: How the Body Releases Trauma and Restores Goodness

Laura E. Anderson Author Of When Religion Hurts You: Healing from Religious Trauma and the Impact of High-Control Religion

From my list on why religious trauma is trauma.

Why am I passionate about this?

My professional work has always been inspired by the personal journey I've gone onā€“which means that my interest in religious trauma stems from my own healing as well as client work and research. Previous research and therapeutic interventions have suggested atheism as a cure for religious trauma which is often unhelpful and can create just as much rigidity as someone experienced in a high control religion. I approach religious trauma as traumaā€“which means that resolving religious trauma can occur in the same ways that we use to resolve other trauma. Understanding religious trauma this way opens the door for a decrease in shame, more compassion towards self, and ultimately living a whole life.

Laura's book list on why religious trauma is trauma

Laura E. Anderson Why did Laura love this book?

This was the first book I read that put into words my own experiences.

Though Levine does not discuss religious trauma, his explanation of complex and developmental trauma allowed me to easily draw parallels to what I experienced. Additionally, he is comprehensive in his education but makes it easy for the reader to understand.

This also, for me, led to a significant decrease in shame by simply being able to know what was happening in my body and recognize that there was not something wrong with me but rather, that my body and nervous system was doing exactly what it was created to do to keep me alive. 

By Peter A. Levine,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked In an Unspoken Voice as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Unraveling trauma in the body, brain and mindā€”a revolution in treatment. Now in 17 languages.

In this culmination of his lifeā€™s work, Peter A. Levine draws on his broad experience as a clinician, a student of comparative brain research, a stress scientist and a keen observer of the naturalistic animal world to explain the nature and transformation of trauma in the body, brain and psyche. In an Unspoken Voice is based on the idea that trauma is neither a disease nor a disorder, but rather an injury caused by fright, helplessness and loss that can be healed by engaging ourā€¦


Book cover of Dreaming the Soul Back Home: Shamanic Dreaming for Healing and Becoming Whole

Ora North Author Of I Don't Want to Be an Empath Anymore: How to Reclaim Your Power Over Emotional Overload, Maintain Boundaries, and Live Your Best Life

From my list on using your imagination to heal emotional trauma.

Why am I passionate about this?

Ora North is the author of I Donā€™t Want To Be An Empath Anymore: How to Reclaim Your Power Over Emotional Overload, Maintain Boundaries, and Live Your Best Life, and the upcoming book Mood Magick: Wellness Spells and Rituals to Find Balance in an Uncertain World. A seasoned spiritual teacher and healer, she helps people unpack their emotional trauma and work with it in a creative and regenerative way. 

Ora's book list on using your imagination to heal emotional trauma

Ora North Why did Ora love this book?

An expert in approaching your dream life with beautiful and imaginative consciousness, Robert Moss shows you how to use your dreams, both figurative and literal, as the backdrop for immense personal discovery and growth, and as a powerful tool in reclaiming yourself after trauma. 


By Robert Moss,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Dreaming the Soul Back Home as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In this extraordinary book, shamanic dream teacher Robert Moss shows us how to become shamans of our own souls and healers of our own lives.

The greatest contribution of the ancient shamans to modern healing is the understanding that in the course of any life we are liable to suffer soul loss ā€” the loss of parts of our vital energy and identity ā€” and that to be whole and well, we must find the means of soul recovery. Moss teaches that our dreams give us maps we can use to find and bring home our lost or stolen soulā€¦


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Book cover of MacKenzie's Last Run

MacKenzie's Last Run by Gayle Rosengren,

"MacKenzie's Last Run is a highly recommended, emotionally compelling survival tale. It should be on the reading lists of readers ages 11 and up who look for stories of not just suspense, but revelation." 

Winner of the 2022 Midwest Book Award for children's fiction, readers call it, "Heart-pounding, fast-paced, andā€¦

Book cover of The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Adversity

Cheryl Erwin Author Of Positive Discipline for Preschoolers: For Their Early Years -- Raising Children Who Are Responsible, Respectful, and Resourceful

From my list on trauma in early childhood.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have spent most of my professional career as a therapist and educator, working with children who have experienced trauma and parents who want to do a better job. Trauma affects every aspect of human development and relationships. With support and understanding, trauma and its impacts need not be permanent: change and healing are always possible. The sooner the process begins, the better. The first five years of a childā€™s life are so important, and most parents are both overwhelmed by a glut of information and missing out on the most important parts of parenting. My hope is to make this information available to everyone who might benefit from it.

Cheryl's book list on trauma in early childhood

Cheryl Erwin Why did Cheryl love this book?

Dr. Harris is a world-changer. In her pediatric practice in an at-risk neighborhood in San Francisco, she saw young patients suffering challenges and illnesses that did not appear to be linked to any physical condition. She dug deeper, and discovered Adverse Childhood Experiences and the deep impact they can have on young lives. It is now her mission to educate doctors, who have not typically been trained in trauma or social and emotional challenges. Her book (and her TEDtalk on the same topic) is fascinating, exacting, and hopeful. Nadine Burke-Harris is now the first-ever Surgeon General of the State of California, and continues to educate parents and professionals about trauma and healing.

By Nadine Burke-Harris,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Deepest Well as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

ā€œAn extraordinary, eye-opening book.ā€ā€”People
 
2018 National Health Information Awards, Silver Award
 
ā€œA rousing wake-up call . . . this highly engaging, provocative book prove[s] beyond a reasonable doubt that millions of lives depend on us finally coming to terms with the long-term consequences of childhood adversity and toxic stress.ā€ā€”Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow
 
Dr. Nadine Burke Harris was already known as a crusading physician delivering targeted care to vulnerable children. But it was Diegoā€”a boy who had stopped growing after a sexual assaultā€”who galvanized her journey to uncover the connections between toxic stress and lifelong illnesses.
            Theā€¦


Book cover of The Someday Birds
Book cover of Across the Pond
Book cover of With Just One Wing

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