Little Bird Flies - Karen McCombie

Little Bird Flies - Karen McCombie

Sometimes, you sit down with a book, not knowing quite what to expect and it grabs you and enthrals you from the very beginning ... Little Bird Flies is one of those books.

Set in the fictional island of Thornish in the Higlands of Scotland in 1861, the story tells us of Bridie MacKerrie and her family whose lives are simple but happy. Having lost their mother, the family work together to make ends meet on an island they call home - it is all they have known and all they ever believe they will know. Bridie (Little Bird) however, dreams of more. Despite the weakened hand and twisted foot she was born with, she dreams of flying away from Thornish to the far off shores of America. This is nothing more than a dream though, that is until the Laird dies suddenly and they realise how hard and cruel the new Laird is.

K's opinion:

Normally, we wait until we've both read a book before we post our blog review; however, I felt a rather compelling need to shout about this book as soon as I had finished it!

Having spent a lot of time in Scotland as a child visiting my grandparents, I have a fondnesss for the place and summers spent around the Highlands were brought back to me as I read. There is a beauty to this part of the world that is perfectly captured within the pages of this book and the lilt of the spoken word could be heard in the characters.  Each with their own distinctive personality, it was Bridie (Little Bird) who most appealed to me: her spirit and feistiness were evident; however, her love of her family and her desire to do the right thing for them certainly shines through. Loyalty, being a good friend and seeing people for who they really are are all strong themes in this this book and ones that will resonate with people.

I absolutely loved this book (I read it in under 24 hours!) and know that O will love it once he begins reading it.

Little Bird Flies is a book worth shouting about and that is what I will most certainly be doing in the classroom once term beings!

Bravo Karen on such a wonderful book. I have just one question: how long do I have to wait until Little Bird Lands and exactly how soon can I get my hands on a copy?!