Be Light Like a Bird

After 12-year-old Wren's father dies in a plane crash, Wren and her "angry and distant" Ma leave Georgia and begin hopping from town to town in search of a fresh start. In each place it's the same routine: Wren's mother works a lot, falls quickly in and out of love, and they move once again. Seeking stability and a place to go birding, like she used to do with her father, Wren comes up with a plan to buy a house in their third town, near Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. When Wren befriends a "quiet, nerdy" classmate named Theo, they bond over the loss of a parent and work together to save a local nature preserve from becoming a landfill. In a quiet but potent novel about grief, Schr%C3%B6der (My Brother's Shadow) gently traces Wren's struggles as she comes to see both of her parents in a different light. Readers should be easily drawn into Wren's honest, thoughtful narrative as she carries her father's words with her, remembering her past even as she opens her eyes to the future. Ages 9%E2%80%9312. (Sept.)