KESTREL TAKES FLIGHT

McCullough’s first middle-grade novel in verse explores a mother and daughter’s flight to freedom.

Eleven-year-old Kestrel knows that “a kestrel is meant to fly.” But until the early morning when her mother spirits her away from home while her grandfather is still asleep, and they fly from San Diego to Montana, she has no idea that her wings had been clipped. Mom dropped out of college because she became pregnant, raising Kestrel under church pastor Grandpa’s emotionally abusive control. Mom says that her new job at the Rocky Mountain Bear Institute, where she’ll work with specially trained Karelian bear dogs to reduce human–bear interactions, is “an adventure” for the summer only. That’s bad enough, since Kestrel is afraid of dogs, afraid of being away from familiar routines, and unwilling to get to know the friendly, racially diverse people at the institute, including Nico, a Latino boy her own age. But Kestrel feels even more betrayed when Mom enrolls her in the local middle school. It takes a dramatic turn of events for her to realize how much freedom she’s gained in the move. The sparse verse effectively conveys Kestrel’s anxiety and gradual realization, as her memories are overtaken by her current reality, that Grandpa caused them harm. The setting, especially the dogs, will drive readers’ interest.

An accessible and appealing exploration of coercion, autonomy, and finding one’s voice.