I've read several Valerie Sherrard books (although I haven't reviewed all of them apparently!) and I was very excited to see that one of her books was on the Red Maple list for 2022. I am working my way through all of these books so I can talk to kids about them.
Birdspell is the story of Corbin who has been trying to hold it together for a very long time. His mother suffers from bipoloar disorder which means she struggles with highs and lows. In dealing with her mental health, his mother tends to not be able to hang onto jobs, apartments, furniture and food, this has led to Corbin having to start over many, many times. Corbin is resourceful, he knows how to find food, odd jobs and how best to help his mom stay calm and under control. At his new school, he finds himself making a friend, something he has tried to avoid because it just leads to too many questions. His friend Izelle tells Corbin she needs to get rid of her pet bird, and since Corbin has always wanted a bird, this seems perfect. But when Corbin's mom starts to experience another one of her lows, and she loses her job, Corbin is worried not only about his future, but his new pet's future as well.
I loved reading this story, Corbin's situation was just so sad, and yet he handled it all so well. He reminded me of so many students who deal with issues at home, and yet are so good at keeping that side of their life hidden.
One other note about reading YA books- I have always loved reading YA books, but have struggled to read actual books (as opposed to books on my Kindle) during the school year. However, I've just discovered that I can use Cloud Library on my iPad (and phone) and borrow books from the public library. This is amazing, since it means I can now have the actual book to share with kids, but read the book digitally. I anticipate I will be able to read way more YA books now!
No comments:
Post a Comment