Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for giving me free access to the advanced copy of this book to read.

Every Bird a Prince, by Jenn Reese, follows Evan Evers, a girl who finds racing on her bike through the woods much more manageable than handling the world of middle school crushes. Her two best friends are determined that all three of them should have dates to the upcoming dance and pressure Eren to give them the name of somebody she has a crush on. Never having had a crush, she randomly names a boy in their grade, Alex. When she discovers a magical bird and an evil force threatening her world in the woods, she and Alex get thrown into defending their town while still navigating the middle school social world.

I really enjoyed this book. Eren is trying so hard to keep everybody in her life happy but herself. Her experiences with being pressured by her friends to act interested in relationships that she doesn't want to have are portrayed really well, and are a very important idea to be introduced to the middle school audience of this book. Eren is brave and caring and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about her.

Alex is the secondary protagonist, drawn together with Eren through their friends pressuring the two to hang out together, and I liked him too. He provides a nice foil to Eren in many ways, although I do wish that he'd been given the opportunity to be fleshed out more.

The magical aspect of the book is quite interesting, even if it is just a thinly veiled metaphor for self-esteem in middle schoolers. Essentially, the magical bird that Eren finds is one of many in a kingdom that helps to defend the world against Frostfangs, which whisper horrible things to you and make you lose yourself, and Eren and Alex are selected by the birds as champions to help defeat them. I enjoyed it, and I think it will definitely speak to the target audience; I just wish there had been a bit more nuance or depth to the magic and worldbuilding.

The side characters were all only okay. Luisa, who is Alex's sister, is the only standout one; she's basically raising him after their mom died, and she's openly queer, giving Eren some much-needed explanations about aspects of the LGBTQIA* community. I really loved having an openly panromantic asexual character in a middle-grade book, particularly one who's seen as a role model for the younger characters. All of the other side characters were forgettable at best and horrible at worst, particularly Eren's friends.

One thing I did really enjoy about this book was its introduction of queer issues to a young audience. Eren is aromantic (and I'm guessing asexual, though that isn't discussed), and as an aspec (asexuality spectrum) person it felt so amazing to see aromanticism representation in the main character of a book, particularly one for middle-grade readers. This is important for a lot of reasons, namely the fact that asexuality and aromanticism are critically underrepresented in books (this might be the first I've ever read with a confirmed aromantic protagonist), but particularly because people of those two identities are frequently told that they're too young to identify as such, and dismissed as being late bloomers or simply immature. Having this book available to young people is so crucial as affirmation for young asexual and aromantic people who likely never see themselves in media, particularly because it is such an affirming work.

Every Bird a Prince is an incredible step forward for aromantic and asexual representation. If you're looking for a middle-grade story that openly discusses and affirms queer issues, then absolutely pick it up. In addition to that, though, it also has really important points about peer pressure and the dynamics of middle-school friend groups that would be important for middle schoolers to read. I can't recommend this book enough, particularly for fantasy fans. I'm giving it 5 stars.

Ever since seventh grade started, Erin, who is white, has felt like she is on a raft rushing down a river. Friend pressures to crush on boys and gear up for dances, terrify her. The only thing that feels right is riding trails in the woods on her bike, which is where she collides with a partially frozen bird. Her successful efforts to revive it result in becoming a champion in the bird kingdom’s battle against the Frostfangs whose invidious whispers sow self-doubt. The battle becomes more personal when the Frostfangs target her mom and Erin’s diverse friends are drawn into the fight.

Like Reese’s award-winning A Game of Fox & Squirrels (Holt, 2020) the fanciful allegory, filled with talking animals, has a dark core. But unlike in the previous book, the menace – in this case of self-doubt and sisgender, conformist pressures - never fires the imagination and trods a predictable path. One of Erin’s critiques of her uber-confident, single mom is that ‘everything is a lecture or lesson.’ Unfortunately, that is equally true of asides about consent and myriad morale boosting peptalks. While much of the content is spot-on, and the inclusion of an Ace main character welcome, the delivery falls flat. Starting with the unconvincing, opening premise that the Frostfangs’ undermining whispers typically target animal kingdom. The novel’s ultimate assertion: that to escape self-doubt and conformity one needs to recognise we are all princes and to turn inward and cultivate self-understanding, seems a counter-productive bromide.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC of this book!

Eren doesn't feel like she's on the same page as her friends anymore. They are obsessed with finding dates for the school dance, when all Eren wants to do is ride her bike in the woods. During one of those rides, she discovers a wounded bird—a prince who can talk. Now she and Alex, the boy she reluctantly decided to show interest in for the dance, have become Champions and the only ones who can protect their town.

This is not the sort of fantasy I normally read, but I was drawn to the cover and the AMAZING title. Even though it's not my normal fantasy, I loved it! I loved all the characters, especially cool big sis Luisa. The plot kept me engaged and I found myself flipping pages (well, clicking the screen) as fast as I could to see what comes next.

Without spoiling, this book contains GRSM (or LGBT+) content. I loved how it was handled in the book, especially with Luisa. Even though the characters are young, there is nothing wrong with trying out labels and see how they feel. They might work, maybe they won't, maybe they will change—but all that is important is that you feel comfortable using them now. Such a nice message.

Highly recommend this book!

Part coming of age, part fantasy, Every Bird a Prince creates the perfect balance needed for a magical middle grade book! I love Eren and enjoyed reading about her journey! She's just a seventh grader trying to find out who she is and figure life out, but now she also needs to save the world. I will definitely be recommending this one!

I loved this lyrical, magical, compelling story that wove together a thrilling story of an enchanted woodland kingdom of bird princes facing off against a dire enemy with Eren's journey towards claiming the truth of who she is. Powerful and uplifting but also exciting and fun, full of characters who came alive and made me eager to spend time with them!

I appreciate that this book includes a story arc with a coming of age narrative about an explicitly aromantic protaganist, but the fantasy plotline about the frostfangs was repetitive and predictable.

I received an advance copy via NetGalley.

With this book, I can officially say Jenn Reese is one of my favorite middle grade authors. I adored A Game of Fox and Squirrel for its poignancy and heart, and Every Bird a Prince is likewise deep and powerful in its own way. It is imbued with a message of self-acceptance and empowerment that will resonate with kids (and adults, too).

Eren is a 7th grade girl who is trying to figure out a lot of stuff. Her two besties are going boy crazy and are hyped about an upcoming school dance, while she just wants to ride her bike through the Oregon woods. She’s out riding when she saves a bird that is weirdly icy—and who actually speaks to her, proclaiming her a chosen champion. The world is in danger, and Eren has been called upon… and she’s as unsure of that as she is about most everything else. One thing becomes clear, though: the threat is real. Her mom is in danger. When the boy she's pretending to have a crush on gets embroiled in the mess, too, things get especially awkward as they need to save the woods and the world, together.

This is such a good book. It’s going to cause kids to think, wonder, and maybe look in the mirror and see who is really there. I’ll be including this book on my Norton nomination list for 2022.

This book was a huge hit with my eleven year old. She loved the main character as well as the plot in general. We have read it twice now and will probably read it again. Thank you netgalley and the author and publisher for the opportunity to read .

I adore unique fiction, and this is such an interesting premise. I recommend because of the story itself, writing style, and its ability to transport you into a different world.

This was a very sweet and beautiful middle-grade coming-of-age novel. I loved the MC and her relationship to birds, as well as how she went about figuring out her own interpersonal relationships. This cover is also so gorgeous too!!

Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a beautifully intricate story. The world of humans and birds are woven together, and I felt like I was there too.
Eren feels more at home in the forest . Middle school is confusing, supposed to have crushes and cliques and dances and dates. But all Eren really wants is to ride her bike in the forest. The birds there trust her because they come to her for help as the frost takes over their forest.
I liked the friendships as they grew and changed; Eren & Alex, Eren & Jessie, and Eren and the birds.
I also liked how Eren talks about being on a raft going down a river. She refers to it a few times in this book and I think it really showed us her emotions.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!