SHADE OF WINGS

In McGaffin’s YA novel, a family of crows fights to survive New York City’s deadly West Nile virus outbreak in 1999.

Duncan and his younger sisters, Cloud and Sky, help forage for food to feed their family’s three nestlings. It won’t be long before the siblings search for mates and strike out on their own, but the sudden appearance of an illness that the birds call the “blind death” changes everything (“those who get it don’t survive”), killing their parents in a matter of days. Around the same time, their nest’s location becomes compromised, putting the family in peril and forcing Duncan, Cloud, and Sky to coax the little ones out of their tiny home. As the fledglings learn to fly, the older siblings face numerous other obstacles, from the loss of their territory in the Bronx Zoo to anxiety over the possibility that the blind death has infected one of them; just ensuring that the family stays together is hard enough. Meanwhile, the humans realize that whatever has been killing birds may be the same thing making certain New Yorkers sick, some lethally so. McGaffin’s tale showcases a dynamic, mostly avian cast. The constantly brooding Duncan seems to appreciate Sky’s “no-nonsense” approach to foraging, which is in stark contrast to Cloud’s blitheness; readers will surely find the dynamic delightful. The point of view alternates among Duncan, Cloud, and Worm, the runt of the fledglings. The story spotlights a couple of engaging humans as well, including teenage Maddy, who regularly feeds grateful crows, and Dr. Annie Byrne, the zoo’s veterinary pathologist. The author deftly weaves educational bits throughout the text; McGaffin describes how the older siblings feed the little ones and how the crows give gifts (like a chewed pen cap) to Maddy for feeding them. These touches enrich the narrative without dampening the genuinely dramatic turns as Duncan’s family suffers losses and enjoys unexpectedly upbeat moments.

A profound story of loved ones sticking together in the face of tragedy and hardship.