Feathered

Ever since she was little, Finch has always known she was born to fly. Surprisingly, it isn’t about her feather. One day, when she was three years old, her mother picked a feather out of her neck. Now, she is in sixth grade and pretty much everything in her life is wrong. She has a terrible teacher, her older brother’s friend picks on her, and her mom just sits smoking cigarettes and staring out the window all day. But then something changes. A girl named Pinky Nanda moves in next door. Slowly but steadily, they become friends, but then Pinky might have to leave forever. Will Finch rescue her friend?

This book is a wonderful, believable, realistic story, except for the feather. That’s a bit unusual. It’s full of excitement and adventure. For example, Pinky’s father wants to move back to India, where they came from. When her mother refuses, he tries to take both girls away without telling her. Finch’s mom calls the police and they stop him just in time. This book is great, but I would not recommend it for younger readers. It discusses some difficult issues, like bullies, cancer, and international child abductions. But I really enjoyed reading this book. It kept me reading and guessing the whole way through.