THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF BIRDS

After 13-year-old bird lover Nina discovers rare whooping cranes nesting near her summer camp, she must keep them safe—and secret.

Ever since a mockingbird sang her name and led her to his nest, Nina has been obsessed with birds—she finds them easier than people. Nina has trouble with boundaries and making friends: “It’s like there are rules everyone knows but me.” She decides to try Aunt Audrey’s summer camp in Bee Holler, so she can bird-watch, but she feels like an outsider among the other campers. When Nina spots a whooping crane in an off-limits area of camp near a marsh, she can’t risk telling Aunt Audrey and being sent home for breaking camp rules. But whoopers haven’t been seen in her part of Texas for 100 years! Nina must trust fellow new campers Georgie, Emma, and Ant with her discovery if she’s going to solve the mystery of where the birds came from. Doing that just might help Nina figure out friendship, too—if they don’t get kicked out of camp first. While the narrative pacing is sluggish at time, this sweet tale rewards readers with interesting bird facts and classic middle school cringe moments. Fans of Iris, the protagonist of Kelly’s Song for a Whale (2019), will enjoy meeting her again here as a supporting character, although this title stands alone. Nina is cued white; there’s some racial diversity among the secondary cast members.

A slow but cozy and relatable read for nature lovers and those unraveling the mystery of friendship.