Of a Feather by Dayna Lorentz is a juvenile fiction novel for 4-6th graders.
Rufus, is a great horned owl who doesn't know how to hunt. He is dependent on his mother and when she is hit by a car, he finds himself alone, hungry and scared.
Reenie has been let down by her mom and her grandmother, so why should her aunt be any different? When Reenie is sent to live with her aunt, she is surprised to find out that she’s a falconer and she agrees to teach Reenie the ropes.
When Reenie accidentally traps and injured Rufus instead of a passage hawk, she feels a powerful connection to him and convinces her aunt to let her rehabilitate him. Will Rufus learn to trust Reenie to teach him what he needs to survive? Will Reenie let Rufus in to show her that there are some people she can rely on?
This was a nice little read. Reenie is real with real world worries and her bond with Rufus was sweet. All of the characters were really well developed, which can be hard with the quick pace and short chapters of some juvenile fiction.
The educational aspects on falconry and bird rehabilitation were really well done. I learned a lot about what falconry is, the rules and some of how birds are rehabilitated. I think kids will find this aspect of the book really interesting and caregivers or educators could create a really interesting "preservation" lesson plan with it.
Overall, this was a nice read. It didn't wow me, but it was real and I would recommend it for 4-6th graders interested in realistic fiction.
That's all for now!
-M-