The Secret Language Of Birds is a new middle grade story that follows the birding adventures of thirteen year old Nina. She is the middle child and often feels like an outsider amongst her family. They find her to be very quirky and don’t understand why it seems to be so difficult for her to make friends with other children. To encourage her to develop some friendships and new life experiences, her parents send her to a summer camp that is run by her aunt. While she is there, she discovers two whooping cranes that have built a nest within the marsh of an unused part of camp. Everything that she reads tells her that there haven’t been whooping cranes in Texas in over 100 years so she knows she has something very special at her finger tips.
While at the camp, Nina actually finds herself making friends with a trio of girls who have named themselves “The Oddballs”. She shares the secret of the whooping cranes with them and they take turns monitoring the birds. She also tells the wildlife officials but not to any of the adults on the camp ground including her aunt. The adventures of “The Oddballs” were so much fun to read. They were so dedicated to each other and the whooping cranes. They were the perfect group of friends for Nina to join! As the book progresses you can see how they helped build her confidence while also not being afraid to call her out when she was being too much.
The Secret Language of Birds is a really fun read which I think middle grade children will enjoy. There is alot of information about the tracking of birds and their habits which I found to be interesting. The characters stay true to themselves and are not afraid to broaden their perspectives. Each of them is trying to find their own path as a teenager in the world. Thankfully they have each other to go through everything with!
Rating: 4 Stars
**I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.**
welcome to the zoo! 