In the late 1300s, the plague spreads through Europe to Norway. A girl is the only survivor of her fishing village and is found by a ship of English merchant sailors. She doesn’t remember what happened or even her name. They call her “Rype” because she looks a bit like the bird of the same name, especially when she stands on one leg, which she does to calm herself. Soon, sailors become ill and die, and the healthy sailors blame Rype. She is protected by the captain, until he, too, sickens and dies. The sailors want to throw her overboard, but the captain’s son, Owen, rows her to shore and stays with her. They are in plague-ridden Frisia. The cities are closed, and the two cannot find a ship that will take passengers. Owen wants to return to his mother and sister in England and invites Rype to live as a sister there with him. The two befriend and travel with a group of troubadours, who assure them that they can get a ship in Marseilles. They travel and sing and have many adventures across the continent. But will Rype be happy in England? Will the group of good friends all survive the plague?

This is an excellent story of the plague and the Middle Ages. The descriptions of sickness and death are realistic without being grotesque. Historical details such as the nature of religion, the class system, the clothing, food, medicine, transportation, etc., are explained to the reader without being didactic. Rype, Owen, and the troubadours are engaging characters. My only criticism is that I was unsure of Rype’s age (around 12) until the end of the book. I wish I had known earlier. An excellent story. Ages 8-12.

I loved the setting of this historical fiction novel -- I am excited anytime there is a good middle grade fiction that doesn't take place during World War II! The plague stories will connect to readers after experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a great classroom discussion book that provides lots of discussion topics.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me access to the free advanced digital copy of this book.

This was a time period I have not read much on. It was a very interesting telling of created family and the love you can find with a group of strangers. The plague from this perspective is not one I have read before but I really enjoyed it. Our main character meets up with a captain's son who saves her from a watery death before they both meet up with an entertainment troupe who they join on their journey. While our main character is immune to the plague after having had it before there are many others who are not. I would recommend anyone who has in interest in this time period in Europe read this book.

Interesting historical novel for kids. Quite a few emotional moments and lots of queer friendly content as well.

Plague stories can make for pretty compelling reading, especially when it comes to the Black Death. It was a major source of fear, killing quickly and indiscriminately. So we start with Rype, the sole survivor of a plague struck village. She experiencing a world falling apart in every direction as people respond in fear to the threat of illness. So it is a book about a physical journey as well as a personal search for a way to move forward. It is absolutely beautifully written, balancing moments of beauty and joy with absolute destruction and loss. The historical context can make it a bit of a hard sell and the lack of a central thesis, a message that the reader can take from the text, makes for a slow, meandering read.

I have always loved stories that are set in the medieval period, and this book properly swept me away into that time and place. We are following Rype, who was the sole survivor of her entire village in Norway after they are devastated by the plague. She is found by Owen, who names her Rype, and brings her onto his father's merchant ship. From there, she and Owen end up on a quest of sorts, to get home to England to find his mother and sister. Along the way, they meet a group of troubadours and have many adventures.

I loved Rype's character development over the course of the story. She starts out as a small terrified girl, and by the end, she has found her place in the world and made a life for herself. I think this book has a lot to say about how to overcome tragedy, and how to find light in the darkness. I also really loved that the author wove song and music into the story. All of the characters were endearing and I enjoyed reading about their relationships.

This book is a vivid picture of life in the 14th century and life in the midst of the Black Death. It is sad, and there were a lot of dark and even disturbing moments, but there was also plenty of light and hope. I was fully invested in Rype's story and the family she made for herself.

I think this book would appeal more to older readers. It is labeled as middle grade, but I think this book is best suited for ages 12+

This was a very entertaining story, and one that educated me on life during the middle ages a little more. I really loved the heroine of the story, Rype. I especially loved how she changed throughout the book, and I found her to be a young woman by the end of the book. The journey was hard, and it really showed. Some scenes were a bit too long to my taste, though, and during those times I found it hard to keep my head in the story.

4.5 Stars


Wild Bird is one of those books that you want to reread almost as soon as you finish it. Author Diane Zahler’s ability to show scope while remaining intimate is excellent, and her prose and pacing are comfortable and well-suited to her story.

When readers first meet Rype, she is in shock. Alone in the world, with nothing to her name, she has no choice but to leave her home. Her sadness is palpable, and the enormity of loss is well explored.

As dark as a story about the Black Death must be, Zahler also brings in light and hope. The introduction of troubadours is a stroke of genius. These characters bring humor and friendship and a sense of ingenuity.

Having experienced the COVID-19 pandemic, young readers will relate to Rype’s story on a much more personal level. The plague no longer becomes some thing from long ago.

While the publisher’s suggested age range for Wild Bird is 8-12, the book reads older. LGBTQ+ issues, sexual innuendo in sea shanties and implied sexual abuse of a character push it a bit older — ages 10 and up — or at least warrant a parent-child discussion.

Wild Bird is a fast, compelling read that will appeal to older middle readers, young adults and even adults.

Rescued by a ship's crew after surviving a plague in the 1300's, Rype journeys across Europe, meeting troubadours, escaping violence and slowly remembering her past.

This was beautiful but just so sad! Absolutely unrelenting in its darkness in a way that is hard to swallow for a middle grade book (imo) but it’s beautiful historical fiction that turned the plague into something much more human than I’ve ever seen it be?

This book illustrates nicely the journey of a girl and her found family. The characters have a lot of feeling and go through so much together; it’s easy to appreciate that children can relate to the good and the hard. This book did the keep My interest easily, but I think it’s because it’s hard for me to imagine a book built around so much illness and death, yet that’s the point. The plague happened and people lost everything, and people these days still lose everything, but there’s always hope and a future to look forward to. Any child who’s felt out of place in a new culture will appreciate Rype and her tenacity and willingness to keep trying and keep going. I think this book will find its audience. I look forward to the creativity of the next books from this author.

I love the writing style of this book so much. I was immediately drawn into the story of Rype, a plague survivor, and Owen her rescuer and companion.

This is a medieval coming of age story. Rype learns about how much bigger and different the world around her is from her Norwegian villiage, and about the differentnkinds of love that exist.

I generally liked this story quite a bit. I liked how it presents an excellent opportunity to discuss LGBTQ+ issues with kids. However I'm uncertain that some of the content, while not explicit, is appropriate for middle grade. Sexual innuendo in sea shanties, and strongly implied sexual abuse of a character.

Thank you the McMillan Children's and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

The bubonic plague from a different perspective. Told through the story of Rype, the sole survivor of her family, the terrible consequences of the Black Death are conveyed. Supporting characters and enough adventure to keep the attention of the reader make this a good historical novel for young readers.

Rype's Norwegian village is decimated by the black plague and she flees with the English ship that rescues her. When the crew is also killed by the plague, she and the captain's son must journey across Europe to a safe harbor to find a ship back to England. Along the way they meet friends and foes, joining a group of troubadours to stay alive.

This book reminded me of Company of Liars by Karen Mailland. That book also features a groups of travelers trying to escape the Black Death, though our 'heroes' are much more sinister. Wild Bird is a more uplifting story. Despite the horrors happening around her, Rype grows from a scared little girl to strong and capable person. She learns to make decisions for herself and to help those around her.

I was a little skeptical of how fast she learned languages, though I guess for the story to move along it had to happen. Or maybe people back then were better at learning languages than we are now.

With the spread of Covid 19, this is very timely book. It's a good intro for kids to the horrors of the black plague and to our modern pandemic.

WILD BIRD's bright and beautiful cover belies an engaging and serious story about survival. Zahler brings the Black Death to life in vivid detail, as well as countless other dangers that plagued fourteenth-century life. Readers of all ages will enjoy following Rype's journey across Europe.

A young girl is all that is left alive in the village. A young sailor finds her and she joins the crew. The sickness follows her on board, and she and the young sailor are cast off the ship. The venture through the countryside looking for food and shelter, and a way to the young sailor's home. He must find out if his family survived the sickness. During the journey the young girl's memory returns along with the trauma. They meet other travelers who help them along the way and become their new family. Trials and tribulation follow them, but so does song, friendship, and personal growth. Will the young sailor make it home? Will the girl make the right choice?

This book is so well written. I felt that I was traveling with Rype and her new friends. I really enjoyed how the author easily included historical accuracy along side this story.

Rype was found alone hiding in a hollowed out tree by Owen, the son of a sea captain. Owen manages to convince Rype to come with him back to his father's ship where Rype is able to speak with Owen's father. Rype's village has been wiped out by the plague and Owen's father decides to take her to England. When plague starts to infect the ship, Rype willing nurses the sick men. When the captain himself succumbs to the disease, the crew decide that Rype is a witch and decide to throw her over. Owne convinces them to allow him to row her to shore and there is where their adventure begins. The two start to travel through France, trying to find a harbor so that they can go to England. Along the way, they encounter a small band of troubadours and start to see that family can be more than blood relatives. A very interesting story about medieval times, the plague, and the power of found family.

This review is based on an ARC of Wild Bird which I received courtesy of NetFalley and the publisher (Macmillan Children's Publishing Group/Roaring Brook Press).


First thing's first, the cover art? Insta-love! I was tempted to request an ARC of Wild Bird based on the cover alone, before I even realized it was written by an author I like! That aside, the story is enveloping and contains much depth, as well as being very well paced and plotted. Excellent craftsmanship from Zahler, and original to boot!

I can imagine so many kids being entirely absorbed by Rype's story and returning to this book again and again. This is easily a young person's favorite!

Not mine? Well, though I really enjoyed the orphan-during-a-plague angle, I found myself as lost as Rype. Her outcome is not something I was expecting coming into the story, and it's not something I personally would have opted for (view spoiler). Therefore I felt a bit of disconnect from the heroine.

Overall an enjoyable story, one that I would love my future kids to have on their shelf!

What a cover! My favorite to date of all Zahler’s book. It suggests a lighthearted adventure, with splashes of darkness, covered by a tinge of sunshine. Instead, this book is all business, serious to the core. Not a lick of middle grade charm.

The story opens in medieval times with a young boy named Owen, discovering a young girl called Rype, hiding in a tree. Owen is English. Rype is Norwegian. Even though they speak different languages, Owen convinces her to follow him to his father’s ship. The sailors are not happy to have her onboard. A girl on a ship is bad luck, especially with people dropping like flies all over Europe.

Sure enough, the sailors begin dying of the sickness. Finally, Owen’s father is one of the victims, so he and Rype head to shore to journey back to his mother and sister in England. Right away they encounter a trio of troubadours and decide to join them as they sing their way across France to the southern port. They exchange food and lodging for entertainment. It’s quite an adventure, entertaining noblemen and religious elite, becoming separated then reunited, thrown in jail, and surviving a shipwreck. With all the joviality, death is still very present everywhere they go.

The book is not bad. It’s just that medieval themed books already are a tough sell, and without more comic relief, it will be nearly impossible to get it off the shelf (although the amazing cover ups the odds). I appreciate the strong inclusion of the Black Plague in the plot, and if a young reader is specifically seeking that, the book could find a fan. Otherwise, it’s not a book that will inspire new converts. Medieval books with much wider appeal include Karen Cushman’s books, Crispin by Avi or The False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen. Why? They have humor.