Wren finds it hard to believe that her father is dead, especially since there is no body. She needs to talk about it, but her mother shuts down all attempts at conversation and gets rid of all her husband's things, and the two of them leave town. They finally settle in Pyramid, Michigan, where Wren slowly makes a few friends and discovers a small pond, where she enjoys bird-watching. When the pond becomes threatened by a landfill, Wren and her friend Theo decide they must speak up. This quiet, introspective story focused on grief and the environment reminds one of a serious Carl Hiaasen novel. The setting is beautifully rendered, and though the rich cast of characters may feel too contrived, middle-school readers won't notice. Wren is a likable young girl with more wisdom than the typical 12-year-old, and she moves a little too quickly into the social-activist role, but this thoughtful tale still delivers an important message about caring for others.

Gr 5-8 Wren is grieving. Her father has just passed away, his body lost at sea after a flying lesson crash. She would like nothing more than to talk with, cry with, or even just get a hug from her mom, but her mother is grieving in a different wayshe's angry, and she doesn't want to talk about it. After burning all of her husband's papers and getting rid of all his possessions, she packs up the car and drives Wren north out of Georgia, to a new life. A couple of weeks later, they move on again. And then again. Finally, they can't get any further north than Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and Wren decides she won't let her mom move them anymore. Being the new kid in sixth grade isn't easy, but she does manage to get to know Theo, a boy who also has a deceased parent. Wren and Theo discover that the town dump is planning to expand and fill in the wetland where Wren likes to bird-watch, and they begin to form a friendship as they research and start an environmental movement against the plan, with the help of several caring adults in town. In this book, readers experience the many different forms that grief can take and the varied effects it can have on people. Despite the heavy theme, the story is not mired in mourning, and the empowerment that Wren and Theo begin to feel as they work together is uplifting. Some of the secondary characters are one-dimensional, and the arc of Wren's mother's journey is a little uneven; however, overall, this is a thoughtful novel. VERDICT A moving and ultimately heartwarming journey through loss. Hand to readers who loved Ali Benjamin's The Thing About Jellyfish . Jenny Berggren, Longfellow Middle School, Berkeley, CA