The Bird Within Me

“It’s told in first-person verse, so it gives us a really intimate insight into the life of this capable and very imaginative rebel. There’s tragedy in the story but it’s ultimately brimming with beauty and with hope. The rhythms of the verse and the careful word choice support a really emotional and affecting experience. And we can’t not talk about the illustrations because they really do make the book. They are shockingly intimate, and they capture the startling beauty of a bird, a landscape, a hand… One image that I have to mention is a depiction of Mum’s bedroom in the moments after she’s died. The weight of loss in that painting of it, she really is just showing you an empty room but the sense of loss is palpable. It’s one of those images that stays with you long after you finish the book, and it does linger with me now. I think about it often.” Read more...

Best Verse Novels for 8-12 Year Olds

Alison King, Librarian