Every Bird a Prince

March 15, 2022
Recruited by a magical bird to thwart encroaching creatures, an insecure teen explores her sexual identity. Seventh grader Eren Evers likes escaping on her bike into the woods near her Oregon home, "away from school, her mom, and even her friends." Ambivalent about boys and dating, Eren reluctantly accepts an invitation to a dance with classmate Alex Ruiz because her best friends expect it rather than considering what she really wants. After Eren rescues a small, frost-covered bird named Oriti-ti, it speaks, pronouncing her its champion in the war its nongendered bird community is waging against villainous frostfangs--icy, wolflike creatures who exploit self-doubt to undermine their prey. When Oriti-ti saves Eren and Alex from an attacking frostfang, Alex also commits to the fight. Eren's friendship with Alex grows, and she develops clarity about her feelings through her friendship with his older sister, Luisa, who is asexual and panromantic. With a frostfang attack on the school dance looming, Eren must accept her true self: Asserting her aromantic identity helps her be strong and brave enough to stop the frostfangs. Using frostfangs as a metaphor for the debilitating effects of self-doubt, this contemporary fantasy realistically examines Eren's confusion, fear of alienation, and suffocation as she grapples with her true sexuality. Multidimensional supporting characters with their own identity issues and vulnerabilities add veracity and depth. Eren reads as White; Alex is Latinx. A timely middle-grade fantasy grounded in themes of friendship and truth. (Fantasy. 9-12)

COPYRIGHT(2022) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

April 11, 2022
Reese’s (A Game of Fox and Squirrels) contemplative contemporary fantasy delicately addresses middle school fears and social anxieties alongside one Oregon adolescent’s exploration of sexuality. When white seventh grader Eren Evers’s boy-crazy best friends, Black science enthusiast Jessie and white theater kid Kayla, pressure her to reveal her crush, Eren names popular Latinx athlete Alex Ruiz, even though the whole idea of crushes makes her ill at ease. But when the bird princes of the magical Resplendent Nest recruit Eren and Alex as their champions in a fight against the wolflike frostfangs, which feed on doubt and have already conquered other animal kingdoms, the two develop a close friendship. To counter the frostfangs, the duo must discover their inner truths, which for Eren come closest when she rides her beloved bike through the woods, and for Alex involve music. Meanwhile, a conversation with Alex’s asexual, pan-romantic sister gives Eren the framework to consider her own sexuality. Eren’s relatable effort to find her own path is sympathetically wrought, while the conflict between the birds and frostfangs provides an alternate lens for a protagonist working through layers of feelings. Ages 9–12. Agent: Holly Root, Root Literary.

May 15, 2022
Grades 4-7 Eren's favorite spot is atop her bike, careening through the nearby woods, as it's the one place that she feels truly free--of schoolwork, her friends' expectations, and the questions she has about herself and her place in the world. Her girlfriends are in a tizzy about dances and crushes; why can't she muster up the same enthusiasm? One bike ride is cut short when she notices a nearly frozen bird and nurses it back to health. It eventually reappears and explains that Eren is being drafted into service as a champion against the vicious frostfangs, who use self-doubt to weaken their prey. She will have to face her deepest truths and biggest fears if she wants any chance of saving herself and loved ones from a fate worse than death. Reese's splendid story skillfully combines everyday experiences with a fantastical world, and though the talking birds and ferocious frostfangs are a surface-level treat, they're also thoughtful explorations of self-doubt and asexuality. A powerful testament to self-knowledge and boldly living in your truth.

COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.