Book Review: Wild Bird

[Iverian Gnash]

Title: Wild Bird
Author: Wendelin Van Draanen
Genre: Adventure, Young Adult
Summary:

Wild Bird is now one of my favorite books! The plot seems rather dull to begin with, but it's written so wonderfully written that there's never a dull moment.

The story follows a 14-year-old girl, Wren, who moves to a new city with her family. Once she gets there she feels out of place and left behind until she falls into the company of a girl named Meadow. They start screwing around smoking and doing drugs including delivering them to others. Wren quickly declines in attitude around her family until it gets so bad they send her to an eight-week wilderness survival therapy camp. There she learns how to survive on her own along with a few other girls and the camp leaders. She figures out how to start her own fire, build a shelter, and a ton of other things that begin to change her overall outlook on life.

Throughout the story, the author continues to provide flashbacks that explain why Wren is feeling and acting the way she does. Van Draanen is also able to perfectly show the emotions behind every event and the plot is never boring! This is a story of second chances and more figuring out who you want to be than who you are.

[Prof. Tarma Amelia Black]

I just finished Wild Bird and am so glad Iverian wrote about it in such a way that my interest, my curiosity, was piqued.

I started reading it this morning and was very reluctant to put it down midday -- and joyfully picked it up again to finish. Wow. Such a wonderful and truthful book; while at first I didn't care for how the the narrative proceeded, soon I found out why it was written in the format that it had and thought it brilliant.

One of the things I really liked about this book is that I love the desert. The imagery, the sheer language of Wendelin Van Draanen, is gorgeous.

Since Iverian didn't mention it, I'm including the GoodReads write-up:

3:47 a.m. That's when they come for Wren Clemens. She's hustled out of her house and into a waiting car, then a plane, and then taken on a forced march into the desert. This is what happens to kids who've gone so far off the rails, their parents don't know what to do with them any more. This is wilderness therapy camp.

The Wren who arrives in the Utah desert is angry and bitter, and blaming everyone but herself. But angry can't put up a tent. And bitter won't start a fire. Wren's going to have to admit she needs help if she's going to survive.

In her most incisive and insightful book yet, beloved author Wendelin Van Draanen's offers a remarkable portrait of a girl who took a wrong turn and got lost--but who may be able to find her way back again in the vast, harsh desert.