Sugar Birds by Cheryl Grey Bostrom – 328 pages
ARC from She Writes Press and Netgalley for an honest review
Book Blurb:
For years, Harris Hayes has taught his daughter, Aggie, the ways of the northern woods. So when her mother’s depression worsens, Harris shows the girl how to find and sketch the nests of wild birds as an antidote to sadness. Aggie is in a tree far overhead when her unpredictable mother spots her and forbids her to climb. Angry, the ten-year-old accidentally lights a tragic fire, then flees downriver. She lands her boat near untamed forest, where she hides among the trees and creatures she considers her only friends—determined to remain undiscovered.
A search party gathers by Aggie’s empty boat hours after Celia, fresh off the plane from Houston, arrives at her grandmother’s nearby farm. Hurting from her parents’ breakup, she also plans to run. But when she joins the hunt for Aggie, she meets two irresistible young men who compel her to stay. One is autistic; the other, dangerous.
My Review: 3.5 stars
Sugar Birds was a uniquely drawn story of a young girl hiding in the woods after she accidently starts a devastating fire. Since the release of Where the Crawdads Sings, I’ve read many similar themed books that have a young, female protagonist that survives in the outdoors. Some, I chose not to finish, but I could tell this one had promise.
In Sugar Birds, I learned a lot about nature, animals and trees. Most I took pleasure in learning, some I didn’t need to know, like dissecting for bones in owl pellets. I found it remarkable how Aggie was able to care for herself at such a young age and I was rooting for her, although I couldn’t wrap my head around her need to stay hidden, especially when her brother was so close.
The story kept me interested and engaged, and overall, I really enjoyed the book. However, the characters seemed to be molded to cover all the topical issues of today’s world – depression, autism and mental illness, for example. In truth, that’s pretty representative of the real world; we’re all suffering from something, but in a compact book, it comes on strong.
I think the grandmother and Burnaby were the most memorable characters, which is interesting because they were minor characters, yet somehow, they touched my heart the most. Nature lovers will eat this book up.
Quotes I liked:
I’m afraid he’s a sugar bird, Celia…A term your Grandfather used for someone desperate, scratching and pecking and clawing for a sweet seed that will soothe that ache is his heart.”
Nobody’s stronger than a girl who’s loved like that.”
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