The life of nomads is so different from what most of us experience, that exploration alone makes this worth reading for most of us. A close look at the ins and outs of life in another culture is always uplifting. But while those little details will be foreign to most readers, there's a universality to the larger messages. Aisulu's culture undervalues her because of her gender. And because she doesn't fit a traditional gender role, she feels rejected and invisible within her own family. Her family crisis actually opens up her world. In seeking solace in raising an eagle, she begins to challenge her societal norms. And this challenging she begins to view those around her through anew lens. She begins to value other outsiders, to find a secondary family. It's a great read in and of itself and would make a great starting point for a group discussion, especially if you paired it with a book set in the US with similar themes.

Aisulu and her brother Serik are part of a family of Kazakh nomads. Her brother will eventually become the leader. But he is hiding an illness because he knows it threatens his future. Everything changes though when he breaks his leg and during the treatment cancer is discovered in the leg. Now, in order for him to get a prosthetic and therapy, his family must either sell everything and move to the city or Aisulu must go against tradition and enter (and win) an eagle hunting competition with the the eagle she rescued.

I really enjoyed this book. The culture is so different so it was a good glimpse into it. Aisulu was a strong character in the midst of her struggles and the bond between her and her eagle was terrific.

I wondered, as I read the editor’s note in the beginning of Erin Bow’s middle grade novel Stand on the Sky, if the book could stand up to the advance praise. She said she hoped she would be the one allowed to publish this truly extraordinary story of Aisulu’s bond with an eagle that came with themes of perseverance, love, and family.

I began the advance reading copy furnished by Net Galley of the book that comes out on March 5, and understood that a treat was in store in an early simile, “Your horse . . . is dumb as two bags of rocks and a Russian tourist.” I was soon lost in a world unfamiliar to me, doing things I would never dream of doing as I somehow became Aisulu rescuing a baby eagle and training it for the big contest among the Kazakh nomads. Taking on an activity some think should be reserved for men is not the first difficult decision Aisulu makes as she refuses to keep her brother’s limping a secret and reports to her parents that he needs medical care for his leg.

Interspersed into a riveting story of her being left behind as the family seeks treatment for her brother with a daunting uncle and his Fox Wife who doesn’t quite fit neatly into the family, are bits and pieces of wisdom that stopped me short. “There is no joy like the fierce joy of doing what you are meant to do.” The words are assigned to the eagle, but the human application is not missed.

In time, Aisulu realizes that the Fox Wife is not a witch or trickster as she has been labelled but was different because she had made different choices. Then her big lesson comes, repeated more than once, that family are the people who choose you, no matter what.

The author’s note at the end gave insight into how Erin Bow was able to take her readers to the mountains of Mongolia, put them on a horse, and have them catch an eagle on their wrists. My initial wondering about the editor’s advance praise was answered with a resounding “yes!” It is a book not to be missed.

This middle grade novel provides a wonderful opportunity to learn about living with a nomad tribe in modern day Mongolia. Aisulu and her brother Serik are searching for a lost horse when a blizzard catches them up on the mountain. When they are able to return to their camp Serik breaks his leg while trying to capture an eagle. This sets off a chain of events which will change the life of their family in unforeseen ways. Ultimately we get to watch Aisulu try to become an eagle hunter -- a role exclusively filled by men in her culture. The reader will struggle and grow along with Aisulu. A beautiful story of perseverance and family ties.

Thank you to Houghton Mifflin and NetGalley for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so well-written and cute! Loved the relationships between all the characters, even the main characters and their animals.