KATELYN'S CROW

An 11-year-old girl finds a baby crow and takes it home in Laufer’s middle-grade novel.

Katelyn’s mom and teacher warn her that a baby bird needs its mother to grow strong, but the youngster is determined to help the crow, which she calls Taco. Set in upstate New York, the story wends through the wilderness, the backyard, the farmland of neighbors, and an affluent gated community. Katelyn’s parents don’t use smartphones, and her fifth-grade teacher encourages students to learn how to use books to find information. Maddie, a new girl from New York City, owns a smartphone and, against school rules, brings it to class. When Taco stops eating, Maddie shows Katelyn how to use the phone to look up information on birds when the class is supposed to be looking for books in the school media center. As the girls become friends, Katelyn learns how differently Maddie and her wealthy, tech-oriented family live: “I heard you saw a lot of things at Maddie’s that were new to you,” says Katelyn’s dad later. “Now you know how the other half lives.” Maddie and Katelyn grow closer, but their differences become more apparent. Meanwhile, Katelyn’s love of collecting bugs comes to a dramatic climax after a banded woolly bear caterpillar finally turns into a moth. While tackling a range of themes, Laufer vitally exposes the nuanced contradictions of value systems within families. Katelyn is shown to be passionate about both birds and insects but for different reasons; meanwhile, Maddie’s family is vegan, yet their pet cat is declawed. Maddie has learned how to manipulate and deceive others, perhaps while navigating her parents’ divorce; however, Katelyn generally trusts her friend. The trappings of Maddie’s economic privilege subtly elicit Katelyn’s jealousy and judgment as well. Themes of maturity are effectively expressed in terms of Maddie’s independence and Katelyn’s developing sense of responsibility; just as Katelyn learns that bugs are not hers to keep, she must also accept Taco’s wild nature as he grows.

A work that thoughtfully examines a child’s encounter with the complex natures of people and other creatures.