WINNER OF THE SCHNEIDER FAMILY BOOK AWARD
A heartfelt and hopeful debut about a bird-loving autistic child whose family's special nest is in danger of falling apart.
Axel loves everything about birds, especially eagles. No one worries that an eagle will fly too far and not come home—a fact Axel wishes his mother understood. Deep down, Axel knows that his mother is like an osprey—the best of all bird mothers—but it’s hard to remember that when she worries and keeps secrets about important things. His dad is more like a wild turkey, coming and going as he pleases. His dad’s latest disappearance is the biggest mystery of all.
Despite all this, Axel loves his life—especially the time he spends with his friends observing the eagles’ nest in the woods near his home. But when a tornado damages not only Axel’s home but the eagles’ nest, Axel’s life is thrown into chaos. Suddenly his dad is back to help repair the damage, and Axel has to manage his dad’s presence and his beloved birds’ absence. Plus, his mom seems to be keeping even more secrets.
But Axel knows another important fact: an eagle’s instincts let it soar. Axel must trust his own instincts to help heal his family and the nest he loves.
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Winner of the Schneider Family Book Award for Best Book for Middle Grade
“I was always going to love this book because it’s about a boy who loves birds. What I didn’t expect was how deeply I would fall in love with the characters. Alison Green Myers makes choices in her writing that reflect the complicated nature of Axel’s thoughts so tenderly that I ached for him and his family. This is absolutely my favorite middle grade novel this year.” —Heidi E. Y. Stemple, author of Fly With Me, Counting Birds, and You Nest Here With Me
“Lyrical descriptions of birds are woven seamlessly into the plot of this heartfelt debut. A beautiful and moving book.”—Padma Venkatraman, Walter Award winning author of The Bridge Home
"A soaring tale of family in its many forms."—Booklist
"Poetically portrays the oft-difficult, usually rewarding work of maintaining families of choice and of blood."—Kirkus
