I was drawn in immediately to Callie’s story and enjoyed the different themes throughout. A story of friendship, finding yourself and your people, bird watching, oh- and set in a beautiful castle in Scotland- what isn’t there to love? Personally I have never been into bird watching, but by the end of the story I actually could see myself trying it! There are also excerpts from an old journal that magically intertwine with Callie’s story. Definitely one I will be recommending!

Callie and her family move from CA to Scotland because her parents inherited a castle. Callie finds schooling there difficult so her parents allow her to be homeschooled. As time passes Callie becomes interested in bird-watching and joins a club. However, not is all perfect and Callie finds that it’s okay to be afraid and to allow people to help you.

This is a sweet middle grades book with an emphasis on environmental issues, girls rights/power, and finding your authentic self. At times the plot was hampered by the decision to tell three stories in one (Callie's current adventures, her experiences in her old town, and Lady Phillipa's diary entries) and the flow might have been improved by simply describing early on why Callie's San Diego friends excluded her rather than continually alluding to it. This may have also helped the reader more easily sort through the very many issues Callie was over anxious about. By the end of the novel, she was worried about so many topics it became hard to tell what she was worried about from moment to moment and in many cases (for most of the book I thought her San Diego trauma had something to do with stealing, only to discover this was an ongoing anxiety from when she used what she thought was an abandoned bike and briefly upset the bike;s owner).

I loved this book for so many reasons: 1. Scotland!! The setting of a Scottish castle and adorable quaint town made me want to go back for another visit ASAP. 2. The characters - especially the awesome librarian Esme. Also liked the inclusion of Raj a boy of South Indian heritage. Finally, I really identified with the main character Callie. When I was a middle schooler, I too felt caught between doing what I felt was right and peer pressure. So many of my peers seemed to be in a hurry to grow up and I was not. Callie learns to be brave and stand up for herself throughout this story and that lesson is one a lot of kids need to hear. 3. The birding theme was one I didn’t expect to enjoy, but now has me interested to learn more about the sport of Twitching. 4. The inclusion of Pippa’s journal added a lot of perspective to Callie’s story without stealing the focus of the book. I thought it was well done. 5. The ending leaves an opportunity for sequels which I hope there will be some! I didn’t want this story to end.

Thank you to the publisher for providing this book in exchange for my honest review.