★ "A meaningful, heartwarming read...perfect for an early middle grade reading level and great for the classroom. Prendergast explores powerful themes in a way that is hopeful and shows kids they too can make a difference. A must-purchase for exploration of advocacy for kiddos with sensitive souls." - School Library Journal (SLJ), starred review
Sara isn't great with strangers: she has selective mutism, so being in a new place isn't always easy.
Sara's little brother is born premature. He looks small and red, like a baby bird, so she calls him Birdy. Because she can't visit him often, she writes him letters about everything that's happened since he's been born-like how her mom and stepdad are sending her to Toronto to stay with her half-sister, Abby. And how Abby lives in this amazing storage container house on a vacant lot and hopes to build a whole community of them for unhoused people. Sara discovers she too has ways of getting things done-like passing the librarian a note asking for books instead of saying it out loud, or talking to the dogs at the homeless encampment as a way of meeting their people. When she sees that the mayor and the police are making things harder for the unhoused community, Sara realizes she can be an advocate-through her letters-and that there's more than one way to stand up for what you believe in and make your voice heard.
The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.
Key Selling Points
• After Sara's brother is born premature, she goes to stay with her half-sister Abby, who is an architect and advocate for the unhoused community. Sara learns that her anxiety and selective mutism don't need to hold her back from speaking her mind and making change.
• A major theme of this book is compassion for others. It invites readers to view the world through the eyes of Sara, who is neurodiverse, as she learns more about the unhoused community and their struggles.
• Emphasizes how one person can make change by speaking up against injustices and problem-solving ways to help those in need.
• The device of a novel in letters not only helps readers get into Sara's head (in diary style) but also perfectly underscores the theme of the power of the word, shows her connection to Birdy and allows us to watch Sara's confidence and skills grow.
• Provides a great starting point for discussion on various wide-ranging themes including neurodiversity, blended families, mental illness, systemic oppression and homelessness.
• A list of the movies, songs and books Sara likes appear in a list called "Sara's Picks" at the end of the book.
• Gabrielle Prendergast is an award-winning writer of everything from picture books to early chapter books to middle-grade and YA novels.
In this middle-grade novel told in letters, when Sara Salt's little brother is born early, her mom and stepdad send her to stay in Toronto with her half-sister Abby, who is starting a transitional housing park for unhoused people
Gabrielle Prendergast is the bestselling author of numerous books for children and teens. After jobs in the music industry, social welfare and the film industry, Gabrielle began writing books when she became a mother, so she could work from home. Her books have received nominations for the White Pine Award, the Canadian Library Association Award, the Vancouver Book Prize and several other honors. She won the Sheila A. Egoff prize for her YA sci-fi novel Zero Repeat Forever and the Westchester Award for her YA novel in verse, Audacious. Born in the UK and both an Australian and New Zealand citizen, Gabrielle now lives in East Vancouver, British Columbia, in a permanent state of "under construction." Speaking up doesn't have to mean using your voice
When Sara's little brother is born prematurely and has to stay in the hospital, Sara starts writing him letters. She tells him how her mom and stepdad are sending her to Toronto to stay with her half-sister, Abby.
