Sometimes life is difficult. Sometimes family is difficult. And sometimes the hardest thing is escaping and standing up for yourself. Today we get to share a new book written in verse about a young girl and her mother who escape a tough situation. They escape to a ranch that raises dogs to help with bears. The book is called Kestrel Takes Flight and is by Joy McCullouogh. It is recommended for ages 10+.
About the Book:A girl learns to stand up for herself and embrace the true meaning of home against the backdrop of the Montana wilderness in this heartfelt novel in verse by acclaimed author Joy McCullough.
A kestrel
is the smallest
bird of prey
in North America.
Kestrel doesn’t feel much like the fierce bird for which she is named. Not after being rushed away from her grandfather’s strict church community to the wilds of Montana. Her mother has gotten a job at a conservation institute, where she’ll work with a special breed of dog to help make interactions between humans and bears safer.
At first, Kes is terrified of the dogs and angry at her mother for ripping her from the only world she’s known. But with some distance from her grandfather, she starts to understand how badly his bark hurt. In this new terrain, can Kestrel discover a safe place to spread her wings and soar?
From Me:
What a powerful story! Joy McCullough's verse is the perfect way to share the emotions of Kestrel as she tries to figure out what is happening and how she truly feels. Her mother and she escape from the only home Kestrel has known, her grandfather's house. It is during the night without any warning, and they are aided by the aunt Kestrel barely knows. They land on a dog ranch in Montana. Kestrel is afraid of dogs. Her mother has taken a job there and they are to live in a one-bedroom cottage on the ranch. A cottage a boy said his family had to move out of to make way for them. Kestrel is trying to figure out what is going on. Why did they sneak away from her grandfather? Why won't her mother let her call her grandfather? As time goes on the questions change though--does she really want to go back to San Diego and the life she had there? Does she want to live under her grandfather's strict rules? Why are these people who have only known them for a month nicer than her grandfather? Throughout the book she has to face some of her fears. She learns to trust the dogs. She learns to trust the people on the ranch and discovers they care about her more than she thinks her grandfather does. She discovers she is free to be who she wants to be.
This book shares the life of emotional abuse. Kestrel and her mother are verbally abused by Kestrel's grandfather. They are made to feel unloved and unworthy. Kestrel's mother decides to escape the abuse and takes Kestrel away. At first Kestrel does not understand but as freedom and kindness fills her world, she realizes just how awful it had been under her grandfather's rule. It is a book about finding oneself with freedom and escaping the strictness of abuse. It is about learning who one is after leaving a controlling situation. The verse shares the emotions in a perfect way. There are also letters to her grandfather throughout the book. Kestrel's thoughts and emotions are shared perfectly in this method, and one feels for her. Her fears of the dogs. Her not understanding what is actually happening with her own life and her mother. The confusion and anger are expressed as well as the healing and discovery.
This book is powerful and well done. It shares an abuse that is often not talked about. It also shares escaping that abuse. This book is great for an independent read but even better for a group read where the topics can be discussed. It is also perfect for dog lovers as dogs are a huge part of the story too!
