Author J.P. Rose tells in her Acknowledgements that 'Birdie is a book drawn from my heart'. It certainly engages readers' hearts, and had me sobbing (happily!) at its end.
Set in 1950s Yorkshire Dales, this is the story of a child moving from a children's home in Leeds to live with an unknown great aunt in a small mining village. Such a change would never be easy, but its made harder for Birdie, and for her aunt, by her looking different from other villagers. She's of mixed race. The stupid school teacher assumes she'll be unable to keep up with others, when in fact she's ahead of them. Bullies taunt her. Parents don't want their children to befriend her. She runs from bullies, finding a hiding place at the old coal mine ... and soon finds herself down in the mine itself. It's empty, except for one old pit pony.
That pony becomes her friend. Birdie defies the adults to help the pony, and the story works into an exciting adventure of escape and peril and lives saved, before a return to the village for a tense heroic rescue that changes village attitudes to both girl and pony.
The story, told in short lively chapters, gallops along. It's a very appealing middle grade read that raises issues about identity and racism and friendship and family and love for animals whilst fully delivering on plot and character. Recommended.
2 comments:
Birdie, with such a strong heroine, as well as the mine and the pit-ponies, does sound a very interesting and different story for K2 readers.
Sounds like a great read. I will certainly look out for it.
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