Home Away From Home. Cynthia Lord. 2023. 224 pages. [Source: Library] [Middle Grade]
First sentence: "GPS says the road is coming up," I announced from the back seat of the rental car.
Premise/plot: Mia visits her Grandma most summers. This summer is slightly different, however. Mia will be staying (by herself) for a month. Her mother (and stepfather/mother's boyfriend) are preparing to sell the house. Mia didn't want to be a part of renovating, packing, etc. There have been changes since last summer. Mia meets a new neighbor, a boy around her own age, Cayman. They share an interest in birds--an eagle's nest (with baby eaglets) is on his property. They love to visit the birds. A visiting bird--a rarely sighted bird for the state of Maine--has been spotted by the pair for several days. Mia can't resist posting pictures and descriptions online at a bird-watching hobby site. But will her posts lead to disaster for the bird(s)?
My thoughts: This is a coming of age story. I loved seeing her relationship with her grandmother and with her new friend. It is a LOT about birds, however. So if bird-watching isn't your thing then perhaps parts of this one may seem a little dull. Still, I think even if you aren't a fan of watching birds for fun (or education), the coming of age aspects still offer something to readers.
I do enjoy Cynthia Lord's novels for the most part. I am glad I read this one.
© 2023 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
There seem to be a lot of middle grade books about birding, and they never seem to go over particularly well with my students. Maybe it's just not a big thing in my community?
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