This month, I read Bird by Crystal Chan. Bird is about a girl named Jewel who lives in Iowa with her family. She was born on the day her brother died, and everyone in her family believes it was her grandpa’s fault he died. Her brother’s name was John, but his grandfather called him “Bird.” Perhaps John had thought he could fly, because when he was five, he jumped off of a cliff with a blue bath towel he had used as wings. Jewel’s whole life, she has never felt worthy and is always hiding secrets from her parents. Her grandfather does not say a word, and her parents make it quite obvious to her that they wished John was there too. Then, one day, a boy in a tree meets Jewel and inspires her to uncover the hidden memories that have been kept for her. Her parents, unhappy with this, become infuriated at this and destroy her collection, which leaves with her happiness. She soon must make decisions and becomes closer with someone she though she never would: her grandfather.

This book was absolutely amazing for so many different reasons. One was that Bird had the perfect balance of joyful and upsetting moments. Some parts made me feel sad, but not all.

There are very few characters in this book, but my favorite must be Jewel’s friend, who goes by John. Without him, Jewel never would have had reason of inspiration to dig deeper into the secrets her home and family held. John kept the story going and caused complications for other characters throughout the book, which were exciting to read about.

I think my favorite quote from Bird was on page 261. Jewel says, “You were right, dad.” And her father asks what he was right about. She then replies, “There are some things you can’t forgive.” She says these when she finds out what her father did to her grandfather, because her father had blamed her grandfather and then said that some things cannot be forgiven. It shows that your words can be used against you.