Extraordinary Birds is a beautifully-written story about a young girl looking for a home. But after having been though numerous foster homes, she's reluctant to trust anyone. She also seems to have convinced herself that she's a bird almost ready to take flight. Thus the multiple attempts to fly by jumping out of trees. December's newest foster placement, Eleanor, seems to be a better fit than her previous placements, but December's reluctant to trust her. Despite their mutual love of birds, Eleanor's willingness to trust her, and her efforts to get December involved in releasing a formerly injured bird of prey, December thinks Eleanor might be out to get her. She's not really ready to make friends at school either, especially with the group of girls she calls the vultures hanging around ready to strike. The question is can December come to grips with her past and find a way to trust again? or is it too late?

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an eARC in exchange for an honest review. I had heard so much about this book and was excited to read it. It began really strong, I was hooked. The book kind of dropped in the middle, but the emotions and pain in the unknown kept me reading. I am glad I kept reading because by the end, I couldn’t put it down and I know that this will be a story I remember for awhile.

What makes a home? How do we know when we have found our place in the world? December is sure that she will grow wings and fly to her destined place, or at least that is what she tried to believe. One of the few things she has to remember her mother by is a book about birds, which she has committed to memory. With her determination to develop wings and fly away, December has alienated every foster family she has been placed with by jumping from trees, spouting bird facts nonstop, and trying to adjust her diet to seeds and other bird-approved foods.

When she is placed with Eleanor, it seems like an obvious match. Eleanor works at a wildlife center and helps to rehabilitate injured birds. Doesn't December fit into that category? But despite their common interest, theirs is not an easy relationship. December is not quick to trust Eleanor or the students at her new school, even though one of them also reaches out to her. Can a girl who is always poised to fly away finally come to roost?

This story reminds me of The Great Gilly Hopkins in the portrayal of children who are determined to control their destinies without any help from the adults who want to assist them. Extraordinary Birds also touches on bullying, friendship, and family.

Highly recommended for middle grade readers who enjoy character driven stories. Just be prepared and have a few tissues on hand. And if you know any readers of that age that love birds - they will be sure to appreciate December's vast knowledge of avian facts.

The plot for this book can b summed up fairly simply: an emotionally damaged foster child meets a kind guardian and begins to let her guard down. December and Eleanor are the only truly complex characters. Cheryllyn has a little depth. Everyone else can basically be summed up in a single word. It was nice to see the bully characters given some more complex motivation and also to see them not change. Not every bully has a sudden change of heard. sometimes it takes time and some are never truly repentant. I can pick out a number of flaws but it was still an enjoyable read. Compelling but easy to follow.

I enjoyed watching December's relationship develop with her foster mom, Eleanor. Eleanor has a great way of approaching December - and December recognizes and appreciates the effort. Otherwise, though, I didn't click with this one. It took me awhile to reconcile December's bird connection. She thinks she can become a bird and fly away. Is this trauma based or psychosis? She is a danger to herself as she throws herself out of trees in an effort to fly. This seems pretty serious, yet it's not really addressed in the book like it would be if this really happened with a child in foster care. I've worked with kids in out of home care before, so this was a big distraction/issue for me as I read.

I liked the connection December makes with Cheryllynn, a transgender student at her school. The bullied kids teaming up to support one another is a good story thread, but even that relationship didn't make the story click for me. I couldn't connect with the heart of it. I wasn't emotionally tied to the story.

While I usually like foster care/found family sorts of stories, this one wasn't a great fit for me. Other readers may have better luck with this one.

I wasn't sure what to expect, but I enjoyed reading this. An interesting story with fun characters. Well written.

December believes that the scar on her back is where her wings will eventually come out. At least that is what she tells herself and her multiple jumps from trees are to get the process going. She has been moved from foster home to foster home over the years for a variety of reasons. Her latest home is with Eleanor who works at an animal refuge and is also a taxidermist. At first December is quite leery but just like the owl that they help rehabilitate December finds her wings - and they don't come out of her back.
This story reminded me of quite a few that I've read but it grew on me...

December is a young girl who has spent much of her life in the foster care system, and feels like she will be abandoned and mistreated by whomever is charged with her care. She also believes that she will eventually spread wings and fly away from her situation, because she is really a bird.  What she really needs is trust and support, and when she is placed with Eleanor, who volunteers for an animal rescue group and works to help injured animals to the wild, December has a lot of decisions to make as she is treated differently than she ever has before. This is a very emotional story, and there is also a subplot in which December has to deal with bullies and make friends with a girl that has a past of her own. This is a quiet, introspective book that I think would find an audience in my classroom and it will stick with readers for a long time. There are several characters who are fully developed with lots of backstory that could be a novel on its own.

11 year old December has been living in a number of different foster homes. She has been struggling to find a family because she believes she is turning into a bird-the scars on her back are where her wings will burst through, she eats only seeds and fruits, and she practices flying every chance she gets by climbing trees and jumping out of them. Part of the problem is that she climbs high enough that she's injuring herself (and freaking out her foster parents) and that's kind of part of my problem with this story-why is it that this child who has some serious issues isn't getting some serious therapy? Instead they move her to a new foster home, one that it is more isolated, to live with a woman who shelters injured animals. Luckily, December decides to trust her but feels betrayed when Eleanor loses her lease and has to move. Things sort of fall off the rails but December has an epiphany. I think the story is really well written and has interesting characters, but I worry that the story doesn't deal with December's mental health issues as clearly as they could have.

December thinks she is a bird. She knows one day her wings will sprout from the scar on her back and she will fly away. Until then she has to practice by eating seeds and jumping from trees. Her new foster mom Eleanor is different from the others. She doesn't make December eat other food and she lets her help with the birds at the bird sanctuary. December's mom left when she was little, but left December a book on birds and the story of December becoming a bird. As December settles in with Eleanor and makes friends at school, she has to face some truths about herself and her past.

I am not sure what I think about this book to be honest. It was an interesting look at a girl in foster care and how she finds her place. But it is also a book about a girl with some serious delusions that are not properly dealt with at all in the story. I appreciate Eleanor's patience and willingness to take December in. I loved Cheryllynn and the friendship that develops between her and December. I just wish more had been done to deal with December's mental state.

I received this ARC from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this book a lot. December is a thoughtful girl with a complicated history that informs a unique perspective on her future. She is not only an expert on birds but envisions herself as a bird, eagerly anticipating the moment her wings open so she can take flight. A new foster placement with Eleanor starts to provide her with stability and comfort she had never allowed herself to want before, but little by little she becomes more grounded with her new life.

December learns quickly what it means to be a good friend and to have one with Cheryllyn. The two not only provide each other with much need support, they stand up for each other in a way we all wish we could.

Extraordinary Birds was an incredible story of a young foster girl that believed she really was a bird. She bounced around from foster home to foster home because no one understood her and she couldn't relate to anyone. She was ready to fly and didn't care what anyone else thought. Until one day when she was placed with Eleanor. Eleanor was a bird-loving, single woman who had also experienced loss. Her approach was different, softer and more open. The two found each other when they needed one another most and through accomplishing goals together also found home.

The only thing December trusts is her story. One day the scar on her back will open up and she’ll sprout wings. She’s a bird waiting for the moment she’ll transform, and then she’ll be able to fly into her future. But when she’s kicked out of yet another foster home and placed with Eleanor, a taxidermist and animal sanctuary volunteer, December begins to rethink everything she believes about her past and what her future could look like.

Some authors are able to tap into a voice so powerfully truthful it’s breathtaking. That’s the case with Sandy Stark-McGinnis, writing from the perspective of December. She’s a girl obviously used to taking care of herself, and she doesn’t crave contact from those outside her circle of one— others aren’t like her anyway. Stark-Mcginnis manages to weave December’s independent mindset with subtle vulnerability as she explores her new life. In every sense, she feels authentic.

Part of what makes her so believable is the grounded world she inhabits. December believes in the fantastical, but she’s surrounded by a group of people she perceives to be ordinary … or at least separate from her. But Eleanor is a calm, understanding, grounding presence who also lets December soar. And then there’s Cheryllynn, a trans girl, who unconditionally befriends December on her first day of school. Even with the difficulty of navigating a new home or dealing with the school mean girls, Stark-McGinnis provides December a comfortable nest with these two.

The text is lyrical and simple, reflecting December’s sometimes blunt or evasive style. Yet it’s also peppered with copious bird facts— after all, bird talk is where December is most comfortable. When she’s considering potoos or flamingos, she unfolds herself, opening up about one of her few known interests. It’s incredibly effective.

Complex and ultimately satisfying, Extraordinary Birds has all the makings of an instant classic.

December is a struggling 11 year old girl growing up in the foster care system, with no real understanding of family or having a home, Because of all the trauma she’s experienced, her way of coping is believing in an imaginary world where she is a bird waiting for her wings.
December’s story is a heartbreaking one and feels almost too real. My heart went out to her and it made me think of how hard it must be to trust anyone after youve lived her childhood of bouncing from one home to the next.
I really enjoyed this story. I just wasn’t as invested in December’s character as I would have hoped. At first it was hard to understand the bird connection with Decemberr, but after it got going I couldn’t put it down. I would definitely recommend this quick read for middle graders.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for this ARC. My opinions are my own.

Imagine you are a foster kid that goes from house to house because no one takes the time to understand you? Now imagine that the reason no one understands you is because you are actually a bird in human form just waiting for your wings and feathers to emerge? This is eleven-year-old December. Her mom left her when she was very young and she has been in and out of foster homes ever since. She is obsessed with birds so much that she has the book The complete Guide to Birds: Volume One memorized. She also has a book that her mother left her called Bird Girl: An Extraordinary Tale. December truly believes that when she is able to sprout her wing and fly she will be able to meet up with her mother, so December practices all the time, by jumping out of trees. Also, she has this huge scar down her back which is where her wings will sprout. This crazy behavior is usually what gets her kicked out of foster homes. December doesn't have any friends because she is not in one place long enough to make any, and why make friends when you will soon turn into a bird and fly away? After she is kicked out of her latest foster home she is placed with a lady named Eleanor. Eleanor and December seem to click right away. They both love birds and wildlife and they both have a love of the outdoors. Plus, Eleanor doesn't force December to eat food, since December only wants to eat sunflower seeds. She doesn't want anything weighting her down when she is ready to soar. Eleanor is a kind and compassionate lady who lets December explore and be herself. She also seems to be very tolerant of her weird quirks. December thinks she has finally found a home to stay at until her wings develop, but then she finds out that Eleanor is also a taxidermist and finds her shed full of stuffed birds. Is this a trap? Did Eleanor actually just take her in so that she can stuff her and put her on the wall? What will December do? Should she stay and take the risk or should she run away? If she stays will she find out the truth about Eleanor? Will she ever make a true friend? Read this "extraordinary" book to find out these answers to these questions and so much more!

I have to be honest and say that when I first started reading this book it did not grab me. If I had put it down after the first few chapters I probably would never have thought anything else about it. I think it was the fact that December kept going on and on about becoming a bird and I just couldn't grasp that. But holy cow, it didn't take long for this book to grab my heart and emotions and twist them all round. I know now why Sandy wrote it the way that she did in the beginning because it makes you understand how mind-blowing it is in the end. December is an emotionally-scarred girl who holds on to the fact that if she can become a bird she will meet up with her mother again. When that world starts to crash down around her the love that Eleanor shows her is incredible. Also, the way that December is bullied in school but how she takes up for another kid who is being bullied is even more phenomenal. This books gets so many stars because it is an emotional roller coaster of love, loss, friendship, and realizing that who (or what) you thought you were meant to be is not what you thought. Do not miss this incredible book coming out April 2019!!

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Heartbreaking, realistic, authentic, emotional, loving and so much more. This book tugs at the heart strings, and makes you love and cheer the character.

December had moved from foster home to foster home and truthfully she wasn't the easiest child to get to know. December believed herself to be a bird, but once she opened herself up to being loved and loving the world became a much brighter place for her, making it easier to give up her dram of fl ying.

Thank you NetGalley for a digital ARC of this book.

What a beautifully written MG by debut author, Sandy Stark-McGinnis. I was captivated on page one and felt desperate to learn the main character’s, 11 year old December, true story.

The characters were written so real and honest, I felt like I knew them in real life. Themes of trauma and abandonment followed by hope, friendship, and love make this book relatable and rooted in truth. The writing was beyond gorgeous and resembled that of an experienced and gifted author. It takes quite a lot to pull me in emotionally and while I didn’t ugly cry when discovering the truth of December’s past, I was heart broken and moved to tears in a way most books are unable to do.

This author has a bright and long career ahead of her, and I have a good feeling this book will be recognized.

Don't miss this tender, beautiful, redemptive story. December is a foster child who believes with all her heart that she will soon grow wings and fly. Her hope began with the book her mother left her, a book about birds with an inscription, "In flight is where you'll find me." Now she's in yet another foster home but with a woman named Eleanor with whom she's tentatively building a relationship. December helps Eleanor at the wildlife rescue center in particular with a wounded bird of prey whose healing journey parallels December's. At her new school, December makes friends with an outgoing, kind girl named Cheryllynn who is somewhat of an outcast because, from what readers may or may not infer, she used to be a boy. (This is only from a few clues and I suspect that readers who aren't savvy about this topic will miss it. This is a very minor plotline and not at all what the story is about.) After another jump off a high branch in a tree, December finally accepts the truth about everything -- her mother, being a bird, and building relationships. I cried so hard at this ending -- because it was such a hard-earned, poignant realization that opens up a new life for her.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for the e-arc.

This heartfelt story follows 11 yo December as she navigates life while being bounced from foster home to foster home. To help herself through the abandonment of her mother, she starts a journal in which she imagines herself as a bird. Well, she more than believes it, she thinks she IS a bird. Her imagination covers up the scars of her past, but ironically, keeps her planted where she is because she doesn't trust easily and plans to fly away before any meaningful relationships could begin. Then, she meets Eleanor, who is a bird enthusiast like December, and also works at an animal rehabilitation center. Learning to trust Eleanor doesn't come easy for December, and her past keeps attempting to push its way through. But will she let it or keep pretending?

This book...was fascinating. The author mixed in bird facts. It amazed me how well she fit them into the narrative and didn't bore me at all. In fact, I learned a lot. December's unreliable POV was well done. The scar on her back that she pretends is where her wings will pop through, and the real reason for them kept me on the edge of my seat and also broke my heart for her.

Something I have yet to see in a middle-grade novel is a character like Cheryllyn, who is a boy in the middle of a gender change to a girl. Cheryllyn is targeted for this at school, but none of it makes a difference to December, who befriends her. Although this is not a major plot point, it still affects the story if you look at the deeper meaning.

This book was beautifully written. I was amazed how such a small book could hold such a cast of empathetic and amazing characters.
This book was too short for how wonderful it was. That is my only complaint. I will be ordering a copy ASAP when it releases in April. This is one for the bookshelf.