RARE BIRDS

A boy adjusts to a new town as his mother awaits a heart transplant.

After living in three cities in the past two years as his mother sought treatment for dilated cardiomyopathy, nearly 12-year-old Graham Dodds finds himself in Sugarland, his mom’s Florida hometown. His new roommate, Nick, the surly son of his mom’s childhood friend, isn’t exactly welcoming. Fortunately, Graham quickly befriends Lou, a plucky girl whose father needs a new heart. When Mom gives Graham her old bird-watching journal, he’s convinced that if he spots a Snail Kite—the one rare bird she never found—she’ll be OK. But after a contest promises $5,000 for the best Snail Kite photo, Nick and his friends sabotage Graham’s efforts. Can Graham spot the bird in time? And could his mother be right—does everything happen for a reason? The symbol-laced plot occasionally seems to reinforce the maxim, which readers may find either comforting or problematic. Miller viscerally portrays Graham’s alternating fear and hope, his heartwarming bond with his mother, and his complex feelings for the late father he barely knew. Unfortunately, most secondary characters are one-dimensional, something particularly apparent when a late, abrupt twist invokes the trope of a disabled person serving as a nondisabled character’s life lesson. Most characters default to White.

An earnest but uneven tale of family, friendship, and hope.